A vast improvement over the stage show

Rating: 9/10 (14 December 2005)

Whether or not "The Sound of Music" is in fact a good musical has been something of an ongoing debate. It did in fact open to mixed reviews in it's original Broadway run and was panned in it's original London run. When it comes down to it, the score is mostly excellent, even if the songs don't flow in quite as naturally as they do in other R&H shows. But where the show ultimately fails is by not joining together the three stories that go on in the show; Maria winning over the children; Maria and the Captain falling in love; and the Von Trapps Escaping from the Nazi takeover of Austria. The three stories pretty much just happen, rather than flow in.
That being said, the film of the sound of music does manage to do just that, making it quite possibly the only film version of a stage musical that actually improves on it's source material. The film wisely rearranges songs to go in more sensible places, even though dropping both of Elsa and Max's songs is more questionable. The shots of Ausrtia are simply breathtaking, often disguising the weaknesses of the material. True, the two new songs written by Richard Rodgers (music and Lyrics) are not as sophisticated as those he wrote with Oscar Hammerstein, who died in 1960, but they are enjoyable none the less and do move the story along. Julie Andrews is perfect as Maria, having the youthfulness which Mary Martin lacked on stage, which allows Andrews to mature during her performance. Even though he has stated his dislike of the film, Christopher Plummer is excellent as the Captain. While "The Sound of Music" does not rank as one of the best musicals ever written, it's film incarnation certainly ranks as one of the best (if not the best) of it's kind.