"The Sound of Music" *** (out of ****)There are a select few movies which have somehow gained the status of American classics. They are films which every filmbuff has to see. You probably know most of these titles; "Gone with the Wind" (1939), "Citizen Kane" (1941), "Singin' in the Rain" (1952) and "Casablanca" (1943). I've seen all of those movies but one title has escaped me all these years, the "Best Picture" Oscar winner, "The Sound of Music" (1965). Embarrassingly, it is only recently that I have finally seen this movie.
Does it really belong in the same class of those other films? In my opinion no. It is not one of the "important" Oscar winners. But that doesn't necessarily mean it is a bad movie. It's not. It has several charming moments not to mention a great Rogers & Hammerstein score.
The problem with "The Sound of Music" is it is so gosh darn predictable. It does nothing new or exciting, despite being based on a true story! But I promise you, you've seen this premise before. Rogers & Hammerstein even did the score. Watch "The King & I" (1956) also about a lady who brings order to a tyrant. And if you want to see Julie Andrews take care of children, she did so in one of her previous movies, "Mary Poppins" (1964). Screenwriter Ernst Lehman, takes what could have been a very dramatic, serious story, and changes it into a Hollywood formula romance. Which again, is not necessarily a bad thing, but it's not inspired either.
Julie Andrews stars as Maria, a young woman who has join a convent. But such a life is not right for her. Perhaps because of her age, she has a wild spirit. She wants to enjoy life. The first time we see her she is frolicking in a field singing the title song. While she may be a kind, sweet person, she is not ready to devote her life to God.
Knowing this, Mother Abbess (Peggy Wood, who was nominated for an Oscar) decides Maria should take some time off. She is assigned to watch the seven children of Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plumber). A proud Austrian who does not like the current political climate as his beloved country seems to be on the verge of joining with the Nazi party.
Now what exactly a story about Nazis and 1930 Germany is doing in a story like this with children singing and dancing is beyond me. And that's the problem. There are serious issues being presented but the film doesn't treat them with the due respect they deserve. Either you abandon these ideas or you expand upon them. Here they are just dead weight.
The Captain runs the family like a military ship ever since his wife has died. The children are expected to march in order and are on a strict timetable. They don't even have time to play, something Maria (Andrews) makes a very strong point of observing throughout the film.
But the Captain has fallen in love with a Baroness (Eleanor Parker). She seems sincere but she has no connection with the children, at least not on the same level as Maria does. She even hints at sending the children to a boarding school. But none of this matters, because the Baroness suspects Maria and the Captain are in love.
And that ladies and gentleman is what "The Sound of Music" is really interested in. Not Nazis, or Austria, or any political statements. The film simply becomes a question of whether or not Maria and the Captain will fall in love. Will he know how she secretly feels and will she find out his true feelings. For that matter will they even acknowledge their own feelings.
The best moments in the movie are the musical numbers. When Julie Andrews is singing and dance with the children and when they have their own numbers, the movie comes to life. I'm not ashamed to admit, I had a huge smile on my life. When the film strays away from the music I sat impatiently waiting for the next number.
I don't know if this was Rogers & Hammerstein's best score, but it's a hard act to follow. The songs include; the title song, "My Favorite Things", "Do-Re-Mi", "Sixteen Going On Seventeen" and "Climb Every Mountain". In my case, I knew the songs before I saw the movie. I even know how to play them. "My Favorite Things" has become something of a jazz standard thanks to musicians like John Coltrane and Dave Brubeck.
Another problem I have with the film is the scope of it. This story takes 3 hours to tell, including a 2 minute intermission. Such a story doesn't need this running time. This isn't a David Lean epic. What keeps the film running so long is the musical numbers, and while I wouldn't dream of cutting any of them, they should have done some editing to the plot driven part of the movie.
The film is technically impressive but I kept thinking to myself is it too much for this movie? It calls too much attention to itself. Pay attention to a duet between Maria and the Captain as they sing "Something Good". They are in shadows behinds a moonlight shining on them. They stand close to each other while the space between them resembles a heart. On its own it is a wonderful romantic moment, but it just seems so over done for this story. Great attention and detail was put into this movie, that is clear, but shouldn't all that energy be saved for a better movie?
The film was directed by Robert Wise. A very gifted filmmaker whom sadly is no longer with us. Besides this picture he is probably best known for directing another Oscar winning musical, "West Side Story" (1961). He also worked again with Julie Andrews on "Star!" (1968) which was about the life of Gertrude Lawrence. But Wise's beginnings actually go back to the horror genre. He was a very young director when he started working with the legendary "B" horror producer Val Lewton. Wise directed "The Curse of the Cat People" (1944), which I have reviewed on here, and "The Body Snatcher" (1945). He even returned to the horror genre years later with "The Haunting" (1963).
"The Sound of Music" was nominated for 10 Oscars, walking away with 5 including "Best Picture" and "Best Director". But should it have won? Of course that is a subjective question. Everyone and their brother has their own opinion on these matters. But i just don't think it deserved the Oscar. If the Academy wanted to celebrate a classic romance what was wrong with giving the Oscar to David Lean's "Doctor Zhivago" (1965) also nominated that year? That is one of the great Hollywood romances. Was the Academy reluctant to do so because Lean had previously made a "Best Picture" Oscar winner, "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962)? But as I pointed out Wise had won earlier for "West Side Story", so who knows why they did it. It is worth pointing out however the 1960s represent the most times musicals won the "Best Picture" Oscar. It happened on 4 different occasions; "West Side Story", "My Fair Lady" (1964), and "Oliver!" (1968). No other decade had as many musicals win the top prize. So something was in the air. Were the 1960s really the Golden Age of musicals? Not for my money. I prefer the 1930s and 40s when Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers sang and dance and Ruby Keeler was teamed with Dick Powell. Those are the true classic Hollywood musicals, for my time and money.
But it seems as if I've been beating up on "The Sound of Music". I apologize. That wasn't my intention. This is a good movie. People should see it. But in relation to the bigger picture I don't feel it deserve all the praise and critical attention it has been given. Outside of that, this is a decent film. It has many things going for it. A wonderful score, Julie Andrew's fine performance and terrific voice. Some humorous moments and top notch technical aspects. It's not one of "my favorite things" but "The Sound of Music" is enjoyable.
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