The Sound of Music (1965) Reviews

• We are alive with The Sound Of Music

  duffjerroldorg2017-04-12

  Let me confess I'm not a Catholic, I don't have children, I can't stand schmaltz and yet I love The Sound Of Music. I've tried to explain this to myself, let alone to others, without ever finding a satisfactory answer. Yesterday I sat to see it again with a group of kids who hadn't seen it before. They all loved it even the ones who loved Transporters. I asked them afterwards why did they loved it so much and a 12 year old boy's reply was: "It makes you feel alive" Wow, I thought, Wow! Of course, that's what I felt too and a 12 year old found the perfect words to express my feelings. Julie Andrews is a the center of this little miracle. She is Sister Maria and her wishes, thoughts and fears are recognizable automatically, because they are, in many ways, my same wishes, thoughts and fears. Perfect. Thank you.

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• Pure cinematic magic, won Best Picture of the Year and rightfully so!

  jacobs-greenwood2016-12-11

  Capitalizing on two "hot" properties of the early sixties, director Robert Wise and the infinitely talented Julie Andrews, this film delivers some pure cinematic magic like none before it nor since, especially the sequences which feature the songs "Do Re Mi" (#88 on AFI's 100 Top Movie Songs of All Time) through the streets of Salzburg and "The Lonely Goatherd", performed with puppets. These, among others, helped it capture the Best Picture Oscar that year over David Lean's Doctor Zhivago (1965), Stanley Kramer's Ship of Fools (1965), A Thousand Clowns (1965), and Darling (1965), which (like Doctor Zhivago (1965), also) features Julie Christie, in her Oscar winning Best Actress performance. Wise, who would later receive the Irving G. Thalberg Award from the Academy, picked up his second Best Director Oscar for this film; Andrews her second consecutive Best Actress nomination (she'd won for her film debut in Mary Poppins (1964)). Written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse (and Maria von Trapp's novel), Ernest Lehman's screenplay tells the story of the Austrian von Trapp family who, after their first public performance as a singing group, fled when Hitler annexed their country (the Anschluss) in March, 1938. The real von Trapp family had performed all over Europe because Maria, with the help of a local priest (fashioned as Max Detweiler, played by Richard Haydn, in the film), had turned the family's hobby into a profession when an Austrian bank crash caused Georg to lose his fortune. Though this musical is almost three hours in length, the plot interspersed with magnificent Rodgers & Hammerstein songs (helping the film to win the Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment) keep it from feeling overlong. In fact, it's the kind of film, like The Wizard of Oz (1939), that one can watch every year and never tire of it. The title song is #10 on AFI's 100 Top Movie Songs of All Time; "My Favorite Things" is #64. And no one can forget (how do you solve a problem like) "Maria", sung in part by Marni Nixon (known for dubbing Deborah Kerr, Natalie Wood, and Audrey Hepburn in The King and I (1956), West Side Story (1961), and My Fair Lady (1964), respectively) in one of her only on-screen appearances as Sister Sophia ... or "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", "Edelweiss" and "So Long, Farewell", especially little Kym Karath's "goodbye" in the reprise, as the seven year old Gretl. Each of these tunes, and their just right lyrics, move the story along such that one never has cause to look at one's watch to wonder "when will it end?". The film's Sound and Editing, as evidenced in the aforementioned "Do Re Mi" and "The Lonely Goatherd" numbers, also won Academy Awards. Christopher Plummer (whose singing voice was dubbed by Bill Lee) is terrific as the stern aristocrat widower who marries his governess after she, and his children, had helped the Captain to rediscover song, love, and what it means to be a father. The cast of kids is marvelous, the most recognizable of which is Angela Cartwright as Brigitta, who would go on to star in the TV series Lost in Space that same year. Nicholas Hammond, Friedrich, also had a television career which included playing roles in several series, most notably as Spiderman. Heather Menzies's (Louisa) TV career was shorter. Charmian Carr gives a strong performance as the eldest child Liesl who's "Sixteen going on Seventeen". Peggy Wood's head Mother Abbess (whose singing voice was dubbed by Margery McKay) earned her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination. Her best line "Him?!", after which she immediately excuses Sister Margaretta (Anna Lee), when Maria is telling her why she's returned to the abbey. I also especially like the "dueling" Sisters, Margaretta and Berthe (Portia Nelson) who, despite their disparate feelings towards Maria's suitability as a nun, work together to foil the Nazis in the end. Ben Wright plays a credible Herr Zeller. The recognizable Norma Varden is Frau Schmidt, the von Trapp's housekeeper. And to have the great Eleanor Parker in a supporting role as the Baroness, who presumably doesn't sing or perform (she that forgot her harmonica), such ironic and fortunate casting! Also, Maria von Trapp herself appears briefly, uncredited, during the "I Have Confidence" number. The film's Color Art Direction-Set Decoration, Cinematography, Costume Design also received Oscar nominations. Plus, besides being added to the National Film Registry in 2001, the film is #55 on AFI's 100 Greatest Movies list and #27 on AFI's 100 Greatest Love Stories list. #41 on AFI's 100 Most Inspiring Movies list. #4 on AFI's 25 Greatest Movie Musicals list. One of the best family movie night film's ever made, make it an annual tradition in yours!

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• I couldn't fault a thing! A Masterpiece

  littlemanzone2015-12-17

  I've grown up with every Female generation in my Family Singing these Songs, so it's surprising I've only just got round to watching this now. I had no idea this Movie was so Dark! Starting with the Joyful opening which slowly progresses to an unpredictable Sinister Storyline. This is Top Cinema at it's best!! The Costumes, The Settings, The Actors, The catchy Song writing all get Top Marks from me. I even found myself so engrossed and feeling anxious with sudden urges to shout at the Screen, especially near the End. I couldn't fault a thing! It's such a shame that modern Film makers seen to have lost the ability to write such Masterpieces anymore. A Brilliant Movie!!!

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• The Sound of Music rules because it has everything.

  VonTrapp1999-08-09

  While many people agree that the Sound of Music is one of the best films of all time, some are at a loss to adequately explain why; they buckle under and admit that there are parts that are syrupy, etc. Well, I'll tell you why it's the best movie ever (and I DON'T agree that it's too syrupy). It simply has everything one could want in a movie. First of all, it has a REAL romance - one where you can watch the characters slowly fall in love. It's not like today's movies where two characters meet and the next scene is them waking up together. Secondly, it has humor. Not syrupy or corny humor, but very wry, dry tongue-in-cheek humor. For evidence, look at the quotes. Baronness Schraeder is especially well-done in this regard. Her comments simply drip with ice. "Good bye, Maria. I'm sure you'll make a fine nun." You want to smack her. Thirdly, it's got adventure. The Nazis are the ultimate villains in any movie - WWII was as clear a case of good vs. evil as you can find, making it great fodder for films - and so it's great to see Maria, the Captain and the kids outwit them. Fourthly, it's got great music. Fifthy, it's got great scenery. And the plot and dialogue are astounding. I find new things to admire each time I watch. Finally, is there a greater scene in any movie than the nuns revealing the stolen Nazi car parts??? "The Sound of Music" does not just succeed because it cheers people up with syrup or song. It succeeds because it is a wonderfully-constructed, wonderfully-written, wonderfully-acted, brilliant movie. For me, no other movie can compare. Not to be obsessed with it or anything. :)

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• Just a classic that will never get old

  brett-762602018-04-28

  Song and dance is definitely not my thing. However I've seen this movie dozens and dozens of times overs the years. It never gets old... if you have never seen it it's well worth your time. They just don't make them like this anymore. Rent it or buy it, a true classic that is perfect from start to finish...