A Reel 60: THE SOUND OF MUSIC

 “The hills are alive…”

 

This month marks the 60th anniversary of THE SOUND OF MUSIC. 

 

Directed by Robert Wise and often considered to be one of the greatest films of all time, THE SOUND OF MUSIC was based on the 1949 memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Von Trapp. The film was a fictional telling of her experiences as a governess to seven children, eventual marriage, and their escape from the Nazi regime. 

 

The journey to bring music to the hills started in 1956, when a German producer purchased the film rights. In the same year, THE TRAPP FAMILY was released as a comedy. A sequel, THE TRAPP FAMILY IN AMERICA, followed two years later. Paramount Pictures would later acquire the rights, looking to produce an English-language version with famed actress Audrey Hepburn in the lead. The studio would later drop the option, but the story would be adapted for the stage in 1959. A year later, 20th Century Fox would step in and acquire the film rights. 

 

By 1963 director Robert Wise, who had won several Oscars with WEST SIDE STORY (1961), was brought on to helm the film. Wise and writer Ernest Lehman went to Disney Studios to view footage from the yet-unreleased MARY POPPINS, and decided then and there to sign Julie Andrews to the lead role. Christopher Plummer would join the cast, beating out favorites Bing Crosby, Sean Connery, and Richard Burton. Filming would begin in 1964 at 20th Century Fox Studios, and would continue on-location in Salzburg, Austria. 

 

On release, critical reaction was mixed, but the film would be a box office smash, becoming the highest grossing film of all time in a year. The initial theatrical release would last four and a half years. At the 38th Academy Awards, THE SOUND OF MUSIC would win five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Robert Wise. 

 

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One of the biggest crimes in cinema is to dismiss THE SOUND OF MUSIC as just a musical. As a film set in the early days of WWII and the Nazi takeover of Austria, it can fall into the war film genre…despite not a single shot being fired. The exploration of themes such as family, finding one’s identity, and a country in turmoil via hostile takeover are even more relevant today. 

 

After 60 years THE SOUND OF MUSIC is a towering film. Julie Andrews’ opening number The Sound of Music, set in those famous hills, has become one of the most iconic scenes of all time, and Do-Re-Mi is used today to teach music. It is a big part of cinema history, and American and worldwide culture. It is a film that everyone knows at least a little of, which makes it an all-time favorite. 

 

“These are a few of my favorite things…”