The Sound of Heavenly Music ****

Rating: 10/10 (21 May 2006)

Despite its historical inaccuracies, "The Sound of Music" is an outstanding film.
I never forgave Rex Harrison for opening up the best actress envelope and quickly saying the winner is Julie...and then pausing. He looked right into the eyes of Julie Andrews and said...Christie for "Darling."
Note that I said inaccuracy. As an historian, I would be remiss if I neglected to mention that Maria did not marry Georg Von Trapp in 1938 as the film suggests. They wed in the 1920s. In fact, by '38, as the anschluss engulfed Austria, the Von Trapp children were mostly grown. One son had just graduated from medical school.
With this inaccuracy, we still have a glorious film about a singing family and a woman who came one summer as their governess and wound up marrying the widower.
Julie Andrews is just picture perfect as Maria, the woman, who was not destined to become a nun. Christopher Plummer is excellent as Georg, who loved his children, but whose love had to be brought out by Maria. Eleanor Parker was quite effective as the baroness. She saw Maria as a rival and attempted to get rid of her. When Maria returns, she bowed out gracefully.
The cinematography is breathtaking. Austria was never lovelier. The songs are staged beautifully. Who can forget I Have Confidence, Going on 16,and My Favorite Things? It's all glorious. The dancing throughout Austria was marvelously staged by great choreography.
The children are just adorable and so memorable. Charmaine Carr, portrays the eldest, Lisle, at age 16. Actually, Miss Carr was 21 when the film was made and Julie Andrews was 28!
Too little credit is given to Marnie Nixon, who portrayed Sister Sophia. Few people knew that she did all the singing for the nuns in the rendition of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? She even sang for Peggy Wood in the latter's rendition of Climb Every Mountain. Miss Nixon, who sang for so many of the stars in films, was never given the credit she so aptly deserved.
Norma Varden, known for playing erudite women in smaller roles, played Frau Schmidt, the housekeeper. Few people know that Miss Varden was set to play the Peggy Wood role of Mother Superior. At the last moment, Miss Varden was replaced by Wood.
Go see this film over and over. The chemistry between Andrews and Plummer is terrific.
Richard Haydn, as the music impresario is great. His line of "how many men that you know confer with their children on their honeymoon" was memorable. Ben Wright made for a wonderful villain who later becomes the town's gauleiter after the anschluss takes place.
A film for all occasions, never to be missed.