The Sound of Music (1965)

If you have never seen this film, you are missing out on one of the classic contributions to the world of cinema. In The Sound of Music, Maria leaves an Austrian convent to become governess to the children of a military widower. This is a terrific film that I did not fully appreciate when I saw it as a child. Julie Andrews is remarkable, as always, and her voice is terrific. Christopher Plummer does a great job as Captain Von Trapp. For me, he does not have quite the same chemistry that Andrews and Dick van Dyke have in Mary Poppins, but he still turns in an excellent performance. The Sound of Music is based on the true story of the Von Trapp family's escape from the Nazi's as Hitler began his rise to power, so this movie, while initially light-hearted, deals with some very significant issues. This gives The Sound of Music a very interesting duality. On the one hand, the first half of the movie is very fun and breezy. As a child I did not get all of the humor, nor did I realize just how funny this film really is. The second half of the movie deals with the Von Trapp's escape, where they are giving up everything and risking their lives to escape from the Furor. After seeing this film for the first time as an adult, I think I understand why it won the Best Picture Oscar. The Sound of Music is a really good movie that deals with a lot of different issues on a lot of different levels. My wife has loved this film since she was a child and was happy to watch it again. When my daughter gets a little bit older, I am sure that we will make the time to watch it with her too. I give The Sound of Music 3 and a half stars.