The Sound of Music (film)

The Sound of Music
Original poster by Howard Terpning
Directed by	Robert Wise
Produced by	Robert Wise
Written by	Howard Lindsay Russel Crouse (Libretto) Maria von Trapp (Autobiography) Ernest Lehman
Starring	Julie Andrews Christopher Plummer Eleanor Parker Richard Haydn Peggy Wood Charmian Carr
Music by	Richard Rodgers (music/lyrics) Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) Irwin Kostal (Score)
Cinematography	Ted D. McCord
Editing by	William H. Reynolds
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	March 2, 1965 (US) March 29, 1965 (UK)
Running time	174 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$8.2 million[1]
Box office	$286,214,286[2]

Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical film directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film is based on the Broadway musical The Sound of Music, with songs written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and with the musical book written by the writing team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. Ernest Lehman wrote the screenplay.

The musical originated with the book The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp. It contains many popular songs, including "Edelweiss", "My Favorite Things", "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", "Do-Re-Mi", "Sixteen Going on Seventeen", and "The Lonely Goatherd", as well as the title song.

The movie version was filmed on location in Salzburg, Austria; Bavaria in Southern Germany; and at the 20th Century Fox Studios in California. It was photographed in 70mm Todd-AO by Ted D. McCord. It won a total of five Academy Awards including Best Picture in 1965 and is one of the most popular musicals ever produced. The cast album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

Adjusted for inflation, it made $1.046 billion domestically (at 2010 prices), putting it third on the list of all-time inflation-adjusted box office hits, behind Gone with the Wind and Star Wars.^[3] In 2001, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry as it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Plot

Maria (Julie Andrews) is found in a pasture, exulting in the musical inspiration she finds there (“The Sound of Music”). Maria is a postulant in Nonnberg Abbey, where she is constantly getting into mischief and is the nuns' despair ("Maria").

Maria's life suddenly changes when a widowed Austrian Navy Captain, Georg von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) writes to the abbey asking for a governess for his seven children. Mother Abbess (Peggy Wood) asks Maria to take the position on a probationary basis; previous governesses though, have not lasted long. She is worried about what awaits her at the von Trapp household, but is determined to succeed ("I Have Confidence").

Maria, upon arrival at the von Trapp estate, finds that the Captain keeps it in strict shipshape order, blows a whistle, issues orders, and dresses his children in sailor-suit uniforms. While they are initially hostile to her, they warm to her when she comforts them during a thunderstorm (“My Favorite Things”). Liesl (Charmian Carr), the oldest, who is "Sixteen Going on Seventeen", sneaks into Maria's window after a secret meeting with a messenger boy, Rolfe (Daniel Truhitte). At first she is adamant that she "doesn't need a governess", but Maria offers to be her friend, and she acquiesces. Maria teaches them how to sing ("Do-Re-Mi") and to play, sewing playclothes for them from discarded drapes in her room.

The Captain entertains a visit from a lady friend, Baroness Elsa Schraeder (Eleanor Parker), a wealthy socialite from Vienna, along with mutual friend Max Detweiler (Richard Haydn), who is intent on finding an obscure musical act to launch at the upcoming Salzburg Music Festival. The Captain becomes aware that Maria has been taking the children on picnics and bicycle rides, climbed trees with them, and taken them in a boat on the lake adjoining his estate. When the boat capsizes, Maria and all of the children (wearing their clothes made from the former curtains) fall into the water. The Captain turns his wrath on her and Maria begs him to pay attention to the children and love them, but he orders her to return to the abbey.

When he discovers the children performing a reprise of "The Sound of Music" for the Baroness, he changes his mind. Maria has brought music back into his home, and he begs her to stay. Things get better at the household. She and the children perform a puppet show ("The Lonely Goatherd") that Max gave to them. He announces that he has entered the children in the Salzburg Festival; the Captain, however, forbids their participation. Maria and the children insist that he sing a song, knowing that he used to play and sing with a guitar, and he agrees ("Edelweiss").

At a soiree thrown in Baroness Schraeder's honor, eleven-year-old Kurt observes guests dancing the Laendler, and asks Maria to teach him the steps. The Captain cuts in and partners her in a graceful performance, culminating in a close clinch. At that moment, she breaks off and blushes. The children perform "So Long, Farewell" to say goodnight to the guests, receiving enthusiastic applause. The Baroness, jealous of Maria, convinces her to return to Nonnberg.

Maria leaves the estate and returns to the abbey, where she keeps herself in seclusion until Mother Abbess gently confronts her, urging her to "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" in search of God's will for her. At this command, she returns to the von Trapp family, finding that the Captain is now engaged to the Baroness. However, he breaks off the engagement, realizing that he is in love with Maria. He meets Maria in his gazebo and they declare their love for each other ("Something Good"). The two wed in an elaborate ceremony at the Salzburg Cathedral, with many of Austria's elite, as well as the nuns from Nonnberg Abbey, in attendance.

While the new couple is away on their honeymoon in Paris, Max grooms the children to perform in the Salzburg Music Festival, against the Captain's wishes. At the same time, Austria is annexed into the Third Reich in the Anschluss (actual date was March 12, 1938). When the Captain returns, he is informed that he must report as soon as possible to the Nazi Naval Headquarters in Bremerhaven, to accept a commission in the German Navy. He is opposed to Nazism, and stalls by insisting he must perform with his family that night in the Salzburg Festival, now politicized and showcased as a Nazi event under the patronage of Hans Zeller (Ben Wright), recently appointed as the Nazi Gauleiter. Zeller agrees, but orders the Captain to depart immediately after the performance. The choreography of the final song, "So Long, Farewell", allows the family to leave slowly, a few at a time, and as the winners are announced, they flee. At first they hide in the abbey, but are discovered by Rolfe (who had joined the Nazi party) and flee again. The Nazis are unable to pursue them, as the nuns have stolen their spark plug wires and ignition coil. The final shot shows the von Trapps climbing over the Alps into Switzerland, as "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", reprised by a choir, swells to a grand conclusion.

Cast

• Julie Andrews as Maria von Trapp, a free-spirited young Austrian woman, studying to become a nun. Due to her often singing and seeming somewhat out of place in the abbey, Mother Abbess sends her to the nearby city of Salzburg to be governess to the seven children of Captain von Trapp. Although initially hostile toward her, they come to love her through her introducing the joys of music and singing, and she develops a special relationship with Liesl, the eldest. Throughout the film, the Captain grows closer to both her and his children through the reintroduction of music, and she falls in love with him. Fearful of how returning his affections might seem in God's eyes (as she is the children's governess), she goes back to the abbey, but is convinced to return and see what her love might bring. Eventually, the Captain admits his feelings for her, and they marry. However, the Third Reich is taking power via the Anschluss, prompting her and her new family to leave Austria. Julie Andrews was famously nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, however, she lost it to another Julie, Julie Christie.

• Christopher Plummer as Captain Georg von Trapp, a veteran Austrian navy captain whose wife died, leaving behind their seven children. He extends his military background into raising them, at first represented as a strict disciplinarian. However, his attitude toward both the children and Maria softens considerably after she reintroduces music into the family. He is courting Baroness Elsa Schraeder throughout the film, and becomes engaged to her, but they call it off, and he proclaims his love to Maria, marrying her instead. He firmly believes in Austrian independence, proudly displaying the Austrian flag and tearing down the Nazi one, as well as refusing to join them. He, Maria, and the children leave Austria at the end of the film by crossing the Alps to Switzerland. His singing voice was dubbed by Bill Lee.

• Richard Haydn as Max Detweiler, a good friend of both the Baroness and the Captain. He is one of the few to call him Georg. He seeks out talented musicians and singers, and reveals them to the public eye. In searching Salzburg for talented singers, he finds what he wants in the von Trapp family, and constantly tries to convince the Captain to let him enter the children in the Salzburg Music Festival. He is also somewhat neutral when it comes to the Third Reich, seeking only to make a good and honest living regardless of who was in power. Although he doesn't like or approve of the Anschluss, he is more willing than the Captain to let it quietly take place. Nevertheless, due to their close friendship, he helps them escape during the festival at his own expense.

• Eleanor Parker as Baroness Elsa Schraeder, the Captain's lady friend from Vienna, and later fiancee for a short period. She becomes jealous of Maria's talent, and convinces her to leave during a grand party at the house by exploiting her inner conflict about becoming a nun and her discomfort at the Captain's obvious affection towards her. He announces their engagement to the children, but she doesn't go over well with them. After Maria's return, he confesses to her that he is being unfair to her. Seeing the marriage wouldn't work, she gives her blessings to him and Maria, parts on very friendly terms, and peacefully returns to Vienna.

• Charmian Carr as Liesl von Trapp, the first and eldest child, sixteen ("going on seventeen"). She believes she doesn't need a governess at first, but soon comes to trust Maria. She is in love with a messenger named Rolfe, who delivers their telegrams. However, he changes after joining the Nazis, no longer caring for her. She seeks advice from Maria about this, who tells her to "wait a year or two" to find love. She is shocked to see that he is one of the search party, and begs him to stop and let them escape.

• Nicholas Hammond as Friedrich von Trapp, the second child, fourteen. He is very quiet and is also something of a gentleman, despite his involvement in the tricks against the previous governesses, which the children confess were merely to get the Captain's attention. After Maria arrives, he tells her that he "is impossible" according to "Fraulein Josephine: four governesses ago".

• Heather Menzies as Louisa von Trapp, the third child, thirteen. She and Brigitta are often together, and she is a bit of a daydreamer. Her two favorite tricks on governesses are to fill their beds with spiders and pretend that she is one of the other girls, such as Brigitta.

• Duane Chase as Kurt von Trapp, the fourth child, eleven. He often tries to act manly and is outspoken against the previous governesses and often questions Maria about things, once trying to learn an Austrian folk dance.

• Angela Cartwright as Brigitta von Trapp, the fifth child, ten. She is very sharp-witted, honest, somewhat nonconformist, and not afraid to speak her mind about things (e.g., Maria's dress being ugly).

• Debbie Turner as Marta von Trapp, the sixth child, seven. She gets along well with Maria, sharing her love of pink and being the first to like her. She once mentions a pink parasol as her birthday gift.

• Kym Karath as Gretl von Trapp, the seventh and youngest child, five. She speaks very little, and is often shy. As the other children tell Maria to adopt questionable behaviors and practices, she tells her, as her first phrase in the film, "Don't you believe a word they're saying, Fraulein Maria, because I like you." In real life, she could not swim. When the boat capsized in the water, she had to be lifted up by a couple of people that were hidden under it. During one rehearsal, she threw up after swallowing some of the water.

• Peggy Wood as Mother Abbess, the head of Nonnberg Abbey, who convinces Maria to leave there and explore life as a governess for a while. When she returns, she has her explain why she left and realizes she is in love, and convinces her to return and face her problems, to see what might come of this love. This proves to be good advice, as she later marries the Captain. Mother Abbess also shelters her and her family while they are hiding from the Nazis and helps them escape to Switzerland. Peggy Wood was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars for her performance. Her singing voice was dubbed by Margery McKay. She is often referred to by the other nuns as 'The Reverend Mother'.

• Anna Lee as Sister Margaretta, a nun who looks fondly on Maria. She, as well as Sister Berthe, helps her to escape by sabotaging Gauleiter's car.

• Portia Nelson as Sister Berthe, a nun who doesn't believe Maria belongs in the abbey; she nevertheless helps her escape by sabotaging Gauleiter's car.

• Marni Nixon as Sister Sophia. She appeared on screen first telling her opinion to the nuns about Maria and then singing for herself. She was cast in the role by director Robert Wise. In the DVD commentary to the film, he comments that audiences were finally able to see the woman whose voice they knew so well.

• Daniel Truhitte as Rolfe, a messenger who is in love with Liesl. The two become estranged after he joins the Nazi Party, as he realizes that her father has no regard for him and does not support Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. He subtly warns the von Trapps about the danger they face for not obeying the summons of the Reich.

• Ben Wright as Hans Zeller, Gauleiter, an enforcer of the Third Reich, and the main antagonist of the film. He is oppositional against the Captain as early on as the party held for the Baroness. He later returns to inform Max that he is to be escorted to his new position in the German Navy, personally meeting him himself. Through the intervention of the abbey and the festival, the von Trapps ultimately elude his grasp.

• The famous marionette puppet sequence for the song "The Lonely Goatherd" was produced and performed by the leading puppeteers of the day, Bil Baird and Cora Eisenberg-Baird.

Production

Maria, played by Julie Andrews, seeks guidance from the Mother Abbess, played by Peggy Wood.

Darryl and Richard D. Zanuck originally asked Robert Wise to do the film, but he turned it down because it was "too saccharine". They then approached Stanley Donen, Vincent Donehue, Gene Kelly, and George Roy Hill, but they all turned it down.^[4] Zanuck next asked William Wyler to direct the film. Because he was suffering from a loss of hearing that affected his ability to appreciate music fully, Wyler felt he was the wrong man for the job, but he agreed to fly to New York and see the Broadway production. Feeling many of the songs did not evolve organically from the plot, he remained undecided and wrote to the producer of Die Trapp-Familie, a 1956 non-musical film about the von Trapps starring famous German screen star Ruth Leuwerik, to ask his advice. "This cannot fail," he responded, and Wyler accepted the assignment.^[5]

Wyler had seen the original Broadway production of My Fair Lady and had been impressed by Julie Andrews, who was in the process of filming Mary Poppins. He met with her on the set and asked Walt Disney if he could see some of the dailies. Convinced she was perfect for the role of Maria, he signed her to a contract.^[5]

Wyler returned to New York and met with Maria von Trapp, then he and screenwriter Ernest Lehman and their wives flew to Austria to begin scouting locations in the Tyrolean Alps. There they visited the convent where von Trapp had been a novice, and Wyler discussed the possibility of filming scenes there with the Mother Superior. He then met with the mayor of Salzburg. Wyler was concerned that the presence of a film crew shooting German troops parading before buildings draped with the Nazi flag would be a harsh reminder of the Anschluss for those who had experienced it. The mayor assured him the residents had managed to live through it the first time and would survive it again.^[5]

Wyler returned to Hollywood and began pre-production work on the film, but his wife realized his heart clearly was not in it. Then he was approached by Jud Kinberg and John Kohn, neophyte film producers who had purchased the rights to the John Fowles novel The Collector prior to its publication. They had a commitment from Terence Stamp to star in the film and a first draft screenplay by Stanley Mann. Wyler was impressed with the script and, feeling an affinity with the project he did not with The Sound of Music, he asked the Zanucks to release him from his contract. They agreed, and Robert Wise, who became available due to delays in production of The Sand Pebbles, was hired to replace Wyler.^[4][5]

Historical accuracy

Both the musical and the film present a history of the von Trapp family, albeit one that is not completely accurate. The following are examples of the dramatic license taken by the filmmakers:

1. Georg Ludwig von Trapp was indeed anti-Nazi, and did in fact live with his family in a villa in a district of Salzburg called Aigen; however, the residence depicted in the film greatly exaggerated their standard of living.
2. Maria had been hired only to be a tutor to young Maria Franziska ("Louisa" in the movie), who had come down with scarlet fever and needed her lessons at home.
3. Maria and Georg had been married 10 years before the Anschluss and had two of their three children before that time.
4. Georg had considered a position in the Kriegsmarine but decided to emigrate with his family to Italy and begin another singing tour.^[6] He was 58 years old in 1938, had not been in a submarine since 1918, and was not being recruited by the Nazi government.
5. The Anschluss occurred in March, and the Salzburg Music Festival is held in June; therefore, the family could not have escaped after their festival performance before the borders closed.
6. The bell cord on the real Nonnberg Abbey is strictly a prop and rings nothing. The nuns liked it anyway, and asked that it be left by the film crew.
7. The film shows the von Trapp family hiking over the Alps from Austria to Switzerland, but from Salzburg this would be impossible. Salzburg is only a few kilometers away from the Austrian–German border and is much too far from either the Swiss or Italian borders for a family to reach by walking.
8. Georg von Trapp was born in the Austrian city of Zara (now Zadar, Croatia), which was part of Italy after World War I. Therefore, he was an Italian citizen and so were all his family, including Maria. Therefore, they simply walked to the local train station and boarded a train to Italy. From there, they traveled to London and, ultimately, the United States.^[6]
9. Friedrich (the second oldest child in the film version) was based on Rupert (the oldest of the real von Trapp children). Liesl (the oldest child in the film) was based on Agathe von Trapp, the second oldest in the real family. The names and ages of the children were changed, in part because the third child (who would be portrayed as "Louisa") was also named Maria.
10. The film takes some liberties with the facts but much of it was filmed in the city and county of Salzburg and Upper Austria, including sites such as Nonnberg Abbey, and St. Peter Cemetery. Leopoldskron Palace, Frohnburg Palace, and Hellbrunn Palace were some of the locations used for the Trapp estate in the film.

The opening scene and aerial shots were filmed in Anif (Anif Palace), Mondsee, and Salzkammergut (Fuschl am See, St. Gilgen and Saint Wolfgang).^[7]

Hohenwerfen Castle served as the main backdrop for the song "Do-Re-Mi." At the Mirabell Gardens in Salzburg, Maria and the children sing "Do-Re-Mi", dancing around the horse fountain and using the steps as a musical scale.

Songs

The Sound of Music LP cover (UK edition).

All songs have music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II unless otherwise noted. Instrumental underscore passages were adapted by Irwin Kostal.

1. "Prelude and The Sound of Music"
2. "Overture" (Main Titles, consisting of "The Sound of Music", "Do-Re-Mi", "My Favorite Things", "Something Good" and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain") segué into the Preludium
3. "Preludium: Dixit Dominus", "Morning Hymn" (Rex admirabilis and Alleluia, based on traditional songs)
4. "Maria"
5. "I Have Confidence" (@ 18:04) (lyrics and music by Richard Rodgers)
6. "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" (@ 37:22)
7. "My Favorite Things" (@ 47:42)
8. "Salzburg Montage" (instrumental underscore based on "My Favorite Things")
9. "Do-Re-Mi" (@ 54:55)
10. "The Sound of Music" (reprise)
11. "The Lonely Goatherd" (@ 1:15:38)
12. "Edelweiss" (@ 1:21:36)
13. "The Grand Waltz" (instrumental underscore, based on "My Favorite Things")
14. "Ländler" (instrumental based on "The Lonely Goatherd")
15. "So Long, Farewell" (@ 1:29:43)
16. "Processional Waltz" (instrumental underscore)
17. "Goodbye Maria/How Can Love Survive Waltz" (instrumental underscore, incorporating "Edelweiss" and the deleted song "How Can Love Survive?")
18. "Edelweiss Waltz" (instrumental, Act 1 Finale, based on "Edelweiss")
19. "Entr'acte" (instrumental, consisting of "I Have Confidence", "So Long, Farewell", "Do-Re-Mi", "Something Good" and "The Sound of Music")
20. "The Sound of Music" (Sad Reprise Incomplete)
21. "Climb Ev'ry Mountain"
22. "My Favorite Things" (reprise)
23. "Something Good" (lyrics and music by Rodgers)
24. "Processional" (instrumental) and "Maria"
25. "Sixteen Going On Seventeen" (reprise)
26. "Do-Re-Mi" (Salzburg Folk Festival reprise)
27. "Edelweiss" (Salzburg Folk Festival reprise)
28. "So Long, Farewell" (Salzburg Folk Festival reprise)
29. "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" (reprise)
30. "End Titles"

"Edelweiss", thought by some to be a traditional Austrian song or even the Austrian national anthem, was written expressly for the musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Originally unknown in Austria, it has been promoted heavily there ever since, especially in Salzburg.

The songs "How Can Love Survive?", "An Ordinary Couple", and "No Way to Stop It" were not used in the film version. The omission of those songs had to be approved through Richard Rodgers.

There were four extra children singing with the main ones to add more effect to their voices, including Darleen Carr, Charmian Carr's younger sister. However, these were uncredited. Darleen Carr sang Kurt's high voice, during the reprise and "sad" versions of the title song, as well as the high "Bye" in the song "So Long, Farewell", and later for Gretl in its reprise towards the end of the film.

Soundtrack

Main article: The Sound of Music (soundtrack)

Chart positions

Chart	Year	Peak position
UK Albums Chart[8]	1965	1
	1966
	1967
	1968

Preceded by Bringing It All Back Home by Bob Dylan Help! by The Beatles Rubber Soul by The Beatles Aftermath by The Rolling Stones Revolver by The Beatles The Monkees by The Monkees More of the Monkees by The Monkees More of the Monkees by The Monkees Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles Val Doonican Rocks, But Gently by Val Doonican Hollies' Greatest by The Hollies

UK Albums Chart number-one album 5 June 1965 - 14 August 1965 16 October 1965 - 25 December 1965 19 February 1966 - 30 April 1966 25 June 1966 - 13 August 1966 1 October 1966 - 4 February 1967 25 March 1967 - 13 May 1967 20 May 1967 - 27 May 1967 3 June 1967 - 10 June 1967 18 November 1967 - 25 November 1967 2 December 1967 - 23 December 1967 27 January 1968 - 3 February 1968 23 November 1968 - 30 November 1968

Succeeded by Help! by The Beatles Rubber Soul by The Beatles Aftermath by The Rolling Stones Revolver by The Beatles The Monkees by The Monkees More of the Monkees by The Monkees More of the Monkees by The Monkees Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles Hollies' Greatest by The Hollies

Reception

Maria with the von Trapp children.

The film premiered in the United States on March 2, 1965. It ultimately grossed over US$158 million at the U.S. and Canada box office, and displaced Gone with the Wind as all-time champion.^[3][9] Adjusted for inflation, it made $1.046 billion at 2010 prices, putting it third on the list of all-time inflation-adjusted box office hits, behind Gone with the Wind and Star Wars.^[3]

The soundtrack album on the RCA Victor label has sold over 11 million copies worldwide, and has never been out of print. The soundtrack album was included in the stockpile of records held in 20 underground radio stations of Great Britain's Wartime Broadcasting Service, designed to provide public information and morale-boosting broadcasts for 100 days after a nuclear attack.^[10][11]

Despite the enormous popularity of the movie, most critics were unimpressed.^[12] Walter Kerr of the New York Herald Tribune had written the one negative review of the stage musical by calling it "not only too sweet for words but almost too sweet for music"; similarly, noted film critic Pauline Kael blasted the film by calling it "the sugar-coated lie people seem to want to eat," and "we have been turned into emotional and aesthetic imbeciles when we hear ourselves humming the sickly, goody-goody songs."^[13] This review allegedly led to Kael's dismissal from McCall's magazine.^[9][13]

Controversy surrounded the film's release in Germany and Austria, where the film had to compete with the much-loved "Die Trapp-Familie" (1956), which provided the original inspiration for the Broadway musical, and its sequel "Die Trapp-Familie in Amerika" (1958), which are regarded in German-speaking Europe as the authoritative von Trapp story. According to a 1994 documentary, From Fact to Phenomenon: The Real Story of the von Trapp Family Singers narrated by Claire Bloom included on the 30th Anniversary laserdisc box set of the film "...the film's Nazi overtones brought about the unauthorized cutting of the entire third act," which begins directly after Maria's wedding to the Captain and contains images of post-Anschluss Austria. This version, ending at the church altar, did passably well at the box office. But when the American studio forced the third act to be restored to the German release, audience attendance plummeted. Austrian filmgoers in particular resented the way Naziism in their country was depicted. Other offenses in the Austrians' eyes were the way the family's kindly manager, Father Wasner, was transformed into a sleazy huckster; changing the family's genre of music into show tunes; and a contrived (and fictional) climactic flight over the mountains to Switzerland, which does not border Salzburg. As a result, in Austria and Germany the movie is widely ignored. ^[14]

Ten years later, Robert Wise would make another historical film known as The Hindenburg which also used at least some of the film's plot keywords and settings.

The Sound of Music is credited as the film that saved 20th Century Fox, after high production costs and low revenue for Cleopatra nearly bankrupted the studio.^[9]

Retitles

The film was adapted for other countries, including:

• Brazil (A Noviça Rebelde, or The Rebel Novice)
• China (音乐之声, The Sound of Music)
• Estonia (Helisev muusika, The Sound of Music)
• France (La mélodie du bonheur, The Melody of Happiness)
• Germany (retitled Meine Lieder, Meine Träume, or My Songs, My Dreams)
• Greece (Η μελωδία της ευτυχίας,I melodia tis eftihias, The Melody of Happiness)
• Hong Kong (仙樂飄飄處處聞, Angelic Music Flies and Heard Everywhere)
• Hungary (A muzsika hangja, The Sound of Music)
• India (Santhi Nilayam 1969 by Gemini Pictures) & (Raja Chinna roja) this film's songs were used as a base by Ilayaraja for three films and by A.R.Rahman for Lagaan. Chandrabose used this movie's song in Raja Chinna roja
• Iran اشکها و لبخندها (Ashkha va labkhandha, Tears and Smiles)
• Israel (צלילי המוסיקה Tzeliley ha-musika, The Sounds of Music)
• Italy (Tutti insieme Appassionatamente, All Together with Passion)
• Japan (サウンド・オブ・ミュージック, Sound of Music)
• Korea (사운드 오브 뮤직,The Sound of Music)
• Latin America (La Novicia Rebelde, The Rebellious Novice)
• Lithuania (Muzikos garsai,The Sound of Music)
• Netherlands (De mooiste muziek, The Most Beautiful Music)
• Poland (Dźwięki muzyki, The sounds of music)
• Portugal (Música no Coração, or Music in the Heart)
• Russia (Звуки музыки, The Sound of Music)
• Egypt (صوت الموسيقى Saut al-musiqa, Sound of the Music)
• Spain (Sonrisas y Lágrimas, Smiles and Tears)
• Turkey (Neşeli Günler, Happy days)
• Yugoslavia (Serbo-Croatian: Moje p(j)esme, moji snovi, My Songs, My Dreams; Slovene: Moje pesmi, moje sanje, My Songs, My Dreams)
• Taiwan (真善美, Truth, Kindness and Beauty)
• Thailand ( มนต์รักเพลงสวรรค์ , Love Spell, Heavenly Songs)

Rather than leaving the songs in English as was common practice at the time, soundtrack songs were carefully translated into seven languages and re-recorded by local talent in order to more closely identify with Spanish, Italian, French, German, Persian, Chinese and Japanese audiences. This effort helped the film achieve its massive international success.

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards, winning in four categories.^[15]

• Best Picture (WINNER)
• Best Director - Robert Wise (WINNER)
• Best Actress in a Leading Role - Julie Andrews (Nomination)
• Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Peggy Wood (Nomination)
• Best Art Direction (Nomination)
• Best Costume Design (Nomination)
• Best Sound (James Corcoran, Fred Hynes) (WINNER)
• Best Scoring of Music-adaptation or treatment (WINNER)
• Best Cinematography (Nomination)
• Best Film Editing (WINNER)

Golden Globe Awards

• Best Picture - Musical or Comedy (WINNER)
• Best Director of a Motion Picture (Nomination)
• Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Julie Andrews (WINNER)
• Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture - Peggy Wood (Nomination)

Television and video releases

Video box cover

The first American television airing was on ABC on February 29, 1976 to record ratings. The film wasn't seen on TV again until NBC acquired the broadcast rights. Their first telecast of the film was on February 11, 1979.^[16] NBC continued to air it annually for twenty years, often preempting regular programming. During most of its run on NBC, the film was heavily edited to fit a three-hour time slot (approximately 140 minutes without commercials). The 30 minutes of edits, which bewildered those familiar with the complete film included: 1. Portions of the "Morning Hymn/Alleluia", sung by the nuns. 2. part of dialogue scene in abbey between Mother Abbess and Maria. 3. part of Liesl and Rolf's dialogue preceding "Sixteen Going on Seventeen". 4. Liesl's verse of "Edelweiss" sung with the Captain, 5. The Captain and Baroness waltzing at the party, and many more dialogue cuts within existing scenes.

Starting in 1995, the movie aired in an uncut form on NBC (on April 9, 1995, minus the entr'acte). Julie Andrews hosted the four-hour telecast which presented the musical numbers in a letterbox format. As the film's home video availability cut into its TV ratings, NBC let their contract lapse at the turn of the 21st century. In 2001 it had a one time airing on the Fox network, again in its heavily-edited 140-minute version. Since 2002 it has aired on ABC (generally between Christmas and New Years), and periodically (generally around Easter and other holidays) on its sister cable network, ABC Family, where its most recent runs have been the full version in a four-hour time slot, complete with the entr'acte. ABC first broadcast an HD resolution version on December 28, 2008. Canada's CTV also put the movie in a four hour time slot broadcast during the holidays.

In the UK, the first television airing was on BBC1, on Christmas Day, 1978 at 4.20pm.

The film has been released on VHS, Laserdisc, and DVD numerous times. It made its DVD debut on August 29, 2000 in commemoration of its 35th Anniversary. The film is often included in box sets with other Rodgers & Hammerstein film adaptations. A 40th anniversary DVD, with "making of" documentaries and special features, was released in 2005. The film made its debut issue on Blu-Ray on November 2, 2010, for its 45th anniversary.^[17] For the Blu-Ray release the original 70mm negatives were rescanned at 8k resolution, giving the most detailed copy of the film seen thus far.

Legacy

It has been in included in numerous "Top 100" lists from the American Film Institute including:

• 1998 AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies #55
• 2002 AFI's 100 Years…100 Passions #27
• 2004 AFI's 100 Years…100 Songs:
  • "The Sound of Music," #10
  • "My Favorite Things," #64
  • "Do-Re-Mi," #88
• 2006 AFI's 100 Years…100 Cheers #41
• 2006 AFI's 100 Years of Musicals #4
• 2007 AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) #40

Every year starting in 2005, the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles holds an annual Sound of Music sing-a-long, where the film is played with lyrics underneath the screen. The real Von Trapp children and the actors who played them in the film have made appearances at this event. Called "The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Prozac", it has sold out every year since its inception.

The song "The Sound of Music" was used in the movie Moulin Rouge!, in the green fairy sequence featuring Kylie Minogue, who later used the recording in her 2002 and 2009 tours.

On October 28, 2010, both Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer who portrayed the Captain and Maria, and the seven former child stars from the film appeared together for the first time since the film's release on Oprah on what is to be her last season, in honor of the film's 45th anniversary.

References

1. ^ "The Sound of Music (1965)". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=soundofmusic.htm. Retrieved 16 November 2010. 
2. ^ "The Sound of Music (1965)". The Numbers. http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1965/0SOMU.php. Retrieved 18 January 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} "All Time Box Office Adjusted For Ticket Price Inflation". boxofficemojo.com. http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm. Retrieved April 2, 2008. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Classic American films: conversations with the screenwriters. William Baer. 2008: Greenwood.
5. ^ ^{a b c d} Herman, Jan, A Talent for Trouble: The Life of Hollywood's Most Acclaimed Director. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons 1995. ISBN 0-399-14012-3, pp. 419–422
6. ^ ^{a b} Gearin, Joan (Winter 2005). "Movie vs. Reality:The Real Story of the von Trapp Family". Prologue (National Archives and Records Administration) 37 (4). http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2005/winter/von-trapps.html. Retrieved April 2, 2008. 
7. ^ "The Sound of Music-shooting locations". 2007. http://www2.salzburg.info/soundofmusic_462.htm. Retrieved December 30, 2007. 
8. ^ "Chart Stats - Original Soundtrack - The Sound of Music". chartstats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=36250. Retrieved 3 June 2011. 
9. ^ ^{a b c} Purdum, Todd (June 1, 2005). "'The Sound of Music':40 years of unstoppable success". International Herald Tribune. http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/05/31/features/music.php. Retrieved April 3, 2008. 
10. ^ Hellen, Nicholas (July 11, 1999). "Julie Andrews to sing to Brits during nuclear attack". Sunday Times. 
11. ^ Article noting that the BBC had The Sound of Music materials ready for broadcast in case of nuclear attack
12. ^ Griffith, Richard; Arthur Mayer and Eileen Bowser (1981). The Movies. Simon and Schuster.
13. ^ ^{a b} Tucker, Ken (February 9, 1999). "A Gift for Effrontery". Salon.com. http://www.salon.com/bc/1999/02/09bc.html. Retrieved April 3, 2008. 
14. ^ Dassanowsky, Robert Von (2003). "An Unclaimed Country: The Austrian Image in American Film and the Sociopolitics of The Sound of Music". Bright Lights Film Journal 41. http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/41/soundofmusic.htm. Retrieved April 7, 2007. 
15. ^ "The 38th Academy Awards (1966) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/38th-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-24. 
16. ^ "Chaos in Television". TIME. March 12, 1979. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,948438,00.html. Retrieved April 2, 2008. 
17. ^ Calogne, Juan (31 August 2010). "The Sound of Music Blu-Ray announced". Blu-ray.com. http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=5065. Retrieved 16 November 2010. 

Bibliography

• Hirsch, Julia Antopol (1993). The Sound of Music: The making of America's favorite movie. Chicago: Contemporary Books. ISBN 0809238373. 
• Maslon, Laurence (2007). The Sound of Music Companion. New York: Fireside. ISBN 1416549544. 

External links

• The Sound of Music at the Internet Movie Database
• The Sound of Music at the TCM Movie Database
• The Sound of Music at AllRovi
• The Sound of Music at Box Office Mojo
• The Sound of Music at Rotten Tomatoes
• 'The Sound of Music' history at RNH
• Original NY Times review
• The Sound of Music album at Discogs (list of releases)
• The Sound Of Music : Salzburg 1964-2011