The Sound of Music (1965) – more than just light and fluff

For anyone who knows me, it will come as no surprise that I’m devoting one of my first few posts to the timeless classic, The Sound of Music (maybe it would just surprise them that it took me this long). The film is “one of my favorite things” and one I can always depend on to lift my spirits. I won’t call it a guilty pleasure, because, to me, there’s more than meets the eye in The Sound of Music.

The story is familiar to many – a young nun, Maria (Julie Andrews) is assigned as a governess to the seven children of a widowed, retired Austrian naval officer, Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). What was once a restrictive and forlorn household comes to life with music and joy as Maria brings meaning and passion back into the lives of the children and even the cynical Capt. Von Trapp himself. Though engaged to a wealthy Baroness (Eleanor Parker), the Captain, seeing the impact Maria has made in his family’s life, soon finds he’s fallen in love with the effervescent young governess and she discovers she’s grown to love him, as well. The two eventually marry, forming a loving family with their seven children in tow. Their happiness is soon disrupted when the Anschluss comes about and the Nazis march into Austria. The Third Reich almost immediately summons the Captain to serve in their navy and the Von Trapps find themselves in a rather precarious situation.

The Sound of Music won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Robert Wise. The film was made after the success of the stage version starring Mary Martin, which appeared on Broadway from 1959-1963. Julie Andrews gave a well-rounded performance as Maria, one of the silver screen’s finest, and Christopher Plummer added an essential depth and intensity as the widowed Captain Von Trapp. The Sound of Music has sometimes been passed off as an overly saccharine family movie, most famously by noted critic, Pauline Kael, who blasted the film as “sugar coated” and filled with “sickly, goody-goody songs.” However, the film encompasses more than just bright and cheery scenery, catchy musical numbers and seven cute kids. At its core, The Sound of Music is a story about a newly formed and happy family living in uncertain times, facing perilous circumstances in a crumbling nation with hope and perseverance.

Two of the most crucial elements to the success of The Sound of Music should be attributed to screenwriter Ernest Lehman and director Robert Wise. Lehman was one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed screenwriters, having adapted screenplays for such smash musicals as The King and I (1956) and West Side Story (1961), which was co-directed by Wise. It was Lehman who opened up the stage version for The Sound of Music by insisting on location shooting in Salzburg, Austria to use the rich exteriors to enhance the narrative of the film. Lehman’s writing added news layers to the film’s script, particularly by giving that depth to the character of Captain Von Trapp through a sense of sadness paired with a sardonic sense of humor. He also restructured many of the musical numbers and crafted brilliant transitions for dialogue leading into the songs to better serve the cinematic narrative.

As director, Wise shrewdly reassembled many of the same craftspeople who had helped him achieve such success in Hollywood, including his favorite director of photography, production designer and costume designer who brought so much aesthetic beauty to The Sound of Music. Wise’s direction did wonders to remove the sentimentality of the original stage show and take on a more textured approach to the film material, thereby avoiding the usual clichés of movie musicals and instead directing a first-class film.

When The Sound of Music hit theaters in 1965, it quickly became number one at the box office. Within a year of its release, The Sound of Music passed Gone with the Wind (1939) as the most successful picture of all-time, an honor it held until 1972. Much of this success can surely be attributed to the considerable artistic collaborations that have made this film a lasting treasure.