My favourite musical of all time...

Rating: Null/10 (27 January 2008)

Maria is a young lady studying to be a nun, but is unsure of convent life, as her whole personality, her whole way of living is very different from every other nun in the Abbey. She is sent away to be a governess to seven children, of the Von Trapp family. Their father, Captain Georg Von Trapp, is a widower and very harsh on his children, treating them like he would do to his naval army. When Maria arrives she changes this, and brings music and laughter into the household, but not even Maria can change all the events that are about to come...
Many have grown up with this movie, and I am one of them. As a child I loved The Sound Of Music, and I still do. A timeless classic, The Sound Of Music can be watched again and again. It is a universal movie, and there is a squeaky clean plot. No sex, no drugs, and no violence. Perfect for family audiences.
This was the second film I saw with Julie Andrews, and I loved her more in this movie than I have with any of her other films. This is my favourite role of hers. She was the perfect Maria - her smile, her kindness, her attitude and confidence, and her angelic and enchanting voice. She looked beautiful, and her chemistry with Christopher Plummer was indeed wonderful. He was a good Captain Von Trapp, though he started off a bit rocky in my opinion. But his performance greatly improved throughout and by the end I could not imagine anyone else in his role. The children, every single one of them, delivered fine performances. They had exceptional singing voices, considering their age, and kudos to their choreographer for their dance sequences, especially in "Do-Re-Mi" and "So Long Farewell", which they were brilliant in.
I strongly believe the popularity of The Sound Of Music is mainly to the outstanding musical score by Roger and Hammerstein, but there are more factors to consider. For example, the gorgeous scenery, the acting (Julie Andrews owns this film), the universal family appeal, or maybe even the values that the film embraces. They are so decent. The popularity factor could be due of any one of these, however I believe it was the music. Each song is so wonderfully crafted. I cannot choose a favourite out of the songs, but I have always had a soft spot for "Do-Re-Mi". I never really liked the song "Edelweiss" as a child, but now when I listen to it, I love it. It is highly underrated. "My Favourite Things" is a great song, very catchy, and really exposes Andrews' beautiful singing voice. "The Lonely Goatherd" also did that, but this time with...brace yourselves...PUPPETS! I remember watching that song over and over again and giggling with my family at the puppets and the yodeling - a lovely memory. I also think "Something Good", and "I Have Confidence" are nice songs, and the same goes for "So Long Farewell", with the children. And I cannot forget the outstanding choreography and singing in "Sixteen Going On Seventeen", Liesl and Rolf's chemistry in that song was cuter than a cocker spaniel.
There are many subplots in The Sound Of Music, like the romance with Liesl and Rolf, the war and escaping, the Baroness's entry into the lives of the Von Trapps, the singing competition, Maria's trouble in the convent...but the main story would be of the family, and their story together.
Definitely one of my 'favourite things'!