The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music is a 1959 Broadway & West End musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein, and a 1965 movie from 20th Century Fox. Both are loosely based on the lives of the von Trapp family. (In 1956 and 1958, two movies from Germany and Austria were also based on them.)

Plot

In the movie, Julie Andrews (from Mary Poppins and The Princess Diaries) plays a nun in Salzburg, Austria. She is sent from her convent to the home of Captain von Trapp, whose wife has died, to be the governess (home teacher) of his seven children. (children's names are: Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl.) Mischievous at first, von Trapp's children come to like Maria, and Maria falls in love with their father. Maria teaches the children how to sing and have fun because after their mother died, Captain von Trapp almost completely erased all forms of fun. Instead of choosing baroness (wife of a noble figure) Shroeder as his new wife, he ends up marrying Maria.

After all of this takes place, the Nazis take over Austria (in the Anschluss), and wanted Captain von Trapp to join them. But, in an attempt to escape, the Captain and his family leave the house late one evening, and while pushing their car out of the drive, they are caught by the head of the army in the area. After being caught, Maria and Captain come up with a crafty lie to save themselves. They told them that their car broke down and that the family was supposed to be performing at the Salzburg Festival. Then they get to the festival and perform. Their dear Uncle Max helps them to escape while the army is entertained.

The family escapes to the Alps and eventually walks over them into the next country (Switzerland) to live.

Trivia

This movie is based on a true story, but not all of the movie is true. One make-believe scene is that the family is seen walking over the Alps into the next town. In real life, the family would not do that, because they would have been walking right into Hitler's home area.

Also, in real life, after the von Trapp family left their house, Adolf Hitler used it as a headquarters later on.

At the time that it came out, The Sound of Music made the most money of any movie. That may still be true.

There is a 40th Anniversary Edition of this movie available on DVD with special features like interviews with Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer and an entire cast reunion of all 7 children.

Other websites

• The Sound of Music at the Internet Movie Database
• Details of the movie's sing-along version

Preceded by My Fair Lady

Academy Award for Best Picture 1965

Succeeded by A Man for All Seasons