1965--The Sound of Music, Robert Wise

1965--The Sound of Music, Robert Wise
Nominated: Darling, Dr. Zhivago, Ship of Fools, A Thousand Clowns
Should have won: The Sound of Music
Be sure to see: Color me Blood Red, Repulsion
“When you know what notes to sing, you can sing most anything,”--Maria 

     There are many great movies out there but a handful that are simply a delight every time I see them. The Sound of Music is certainly one of them. I would put it third on my favorite musical list behind The Blues Brothers and Singin' in the Rain but there is a difference between “favorite” and “greatest” which I've tried to explain to people for years. I've seen The Sound of Music three times and I've been lucky enough to have two of those times in the theater. Plain and simply, it is one of the best movie-watching experiences I've ever had. 

     The film opens with a series of beautifully photographed areal shots of the countryside before zooming in on Maria, a pretty young nun, singing the title number. We soon find, in a musical number by the nuns, Maria means well but has her problems. It should be noted that of the 11 songs in the movie, this song called “Maria” (“How do you solve a problem like Maria” not to be confused with the one in West Side Story) and “Climb Every Mountain” are the only songs I didn't like. Actually, “Climb Every Mountain” was sung a couple of times, I didn't care for it either time. And in a wedding scene the nuns sing “How do you solve a problem like Maria” which was out of place to call a bride a problem on her wedding day; plus there was a line I didn't understand. I could have sworn they sing something about a bullet in her head; I didn't hear that line the other times they sang it. In fact there were three lines in this movie that I misunderstood as something obscene or out of place, one of which I know is just a misunderstanding and that is “What is it you can't face?” But the bullet line left me scratching my head and I could swear (and I've heard from others who hear this line too) at the beginning of the second act Max calls the kids a bunch of gloomy pussies. If I am not mistaken, and he really said that, then that is officially my all time favorite movie line. 

     But because I like ranking things I'd say my top three are “Sixteen going on seventeen”, “The Lonely Goat herder” (sung in a very clever puppet show), and “Do Re Mi” which, in my mind, is one of the greatest songs I've ever heard, and certainly my favorite in this movie. It is sung a few times in the movie, but when Maria and the children are in the meadow and then riding bikes and singing it, it is by far my favorite scene; one of my all time favorite scenes in fact. I find the song to be a brilliant teaching tool to someone learning music. When the scene ended I wished the projectionist had rewound the film so I could see it again.

   Gaylord Von Trappe, an Austrian naval hero, leaves for Vienna and needs a governess for his seven children, ages ranging from 5 to 16 (going on 17). The abbey sends Maria to be the new governess and she finds she is the twelfth governess the children have had. Von Trappe runs his house with an iron fist, using whistles, treating his children like soldiers instead of his offspring, and expects Maria to do the same. She will have nothing of it and, after finding the children aren't allowed to sing, play, or, well, be children, she takes them on a bike ride and teaches them how to sing. The setup to these scenes fall into place beautifully. We see the children play tricks on Maria in ways they had tricked former governesses. But Maria goes along with it rather than becoming angry and there is a lovely bonding scene between Maria and the oldest of the children, the lovely Liesl who has found romance with a boy who might not be what he seems. 

     Von Trappe is engaged to be married so the children will have a new mother. They aren't happy about this and neither is Maria because she starts to fall in love with Von Trappe. The character arc Gaylord Von Trappe goes through must be the biggest personality change for any character since the Grinch. He is so militant; so happy with being unhappy early in the film that later when he accepts the childrens' singing and accepts Maria I almost didn't believe it. But I don't find it a flaw, he is much more likeable later on. One thing I didn't understand, however, is if music wasn't allowed in the house for so many years, how did Liesl know how to play guitar? And the baroness comes in and out of the plot in such a way that I couldn't tell if she was supposed to be a villain. I suppose she was an important character though thinking back she's forgettable. I can't even remember if she had a name. 

     The movie is cut into two parts, the bonding of the children and Maria in the first and the darker half of the second when Von Trappe is summoned by the Nazis to join the third Reich. But the family has entered a singing competition which sets off a fantastic final act. I liked that both halves of the film were incorporated at the contest. The singing of the first half and the military of the second. Also we get to discover Liesle’s beau's dark side. But it all leads to one of the most satisfying endings of all time though I do wonder how the children can hack it in the hills. Gaylord is a military man so he would have no problem but how could little Gretel and Marta make it to safety? I guess we can just hope for the best and assume they stay positive and sing of their favorite things to help them get by.

     Though I agree with the decision to award The Sound of Music best picture of 1965, I can not express enough how incredible Doctor Zhivago is. Yes, I think the correct choice was made, but not by a landslide. Doctor Zhivago comes highly recommended.