I had low expectations but this was just wonderful, especially Julie Andrews.

Rating: 8/10 (17 September 2013)

The Sound Of Music is possibly the biggest film I hadn't seen. It just really didn't seem for me, too cheesy and too long. I thought it was going to be a chore to get through. So I'm especially pleased to find that it was an absolute delight from start to finish. This was mostly thanks to Julie Andrews terrific performance. Her character of Maria has the most wonderful charm about her in her flaws and her wit. The first hour of her is all-time worthy but I wish there was more focus on her for the rest of the film. Unfortunately, although it goes at a leisurely pace throughout the whole thing, it does lose a lot of momentum after that first hour and we appear to switch protagonists to Captain Von Trapp in a very unsatisfying way, especially given Christopher Plummer's, albeit appropriate, bitterness.
It's a shame because the story could've still been told through Maria's perspective with everything else the same and it would've been much better. That or started with Von Trapp's perspective. Either way is great. The kids are rather irritating but fortunately they're infrequent when not singing. That does pose the issue of them feeling quite unnecessary, or at least the amount of kids there are. Story lines are raised or teased then dropped. Would've been a richer film to at least close their arcs. Although the first hour is lovely, I can see why this Best Picture winner lost out on a Screenplay nomination. Its story is stretched too thin over the three hours. But it's never a bore. The songs are still iconic and effective no matter how integrated into pop culture they are and the sweeping cinematography makes it a grand emotional epic. I just wish I watched The Sound Of Music sooner.
8/10