Old Hollywood's swan song...

Rating: 6/10 (16 June 2016)

A few panoramic shots on the Alps mountains (kudos to the helicopter pilot), a sound that feels like nature whispering to us, "beware, she's coming" and then she comes, breaking the majestic silence with a cheerful and joyful ode to music, turning like a dervish as to exhilarate the happiness inhabiting her heart. Julie Andrews is Maria Von Trapp, and because she's just so adorable and optimistic, I won't say anything about her. Now, to the film.
It baffles me that Robert Wise's "The Sound of Music", of all the musicals, is the one that was for five years, not one of the but THE most successful movie of all-time. "Singin' in the Rain", Wise's more critically acclaimed "West Side Story" or the groundbreaking "Mary Poppins" should have been given this honor, at least. But never mind these considerations; it is certain that the film is a classic and one of the most defining American movies. But one would be aware of it, if every classic or defining movie was enjoyable. "The Sound of Music" could be enjoyable, if it wasn't too much demanding in terms of patience. Three hours is just too long to take without feeling the need to listen to the sound of your TV, your microwave, your radio car or your bones.
Some long musicals are exceptions though, but "West Side Story" was featuring extremely memorable songs and was about two rival gangs and a love story in the middle, there was conflict, passion, youth and blood. "The Sound of Music" is about a Nun apprentice who becomes a governess to the seven children of a rich widower, naturally, they don't go along first, but he starts to develop a liking when he sees children singing, then they marry, the Anshluss come and they must fleet Austria to Switzerland, all singing and dancing. It's just like a dramatic take on "Mary Poppins" with a realistic back-story, but does that make the film entertaining for all that? It could though with more efforts on the characterization (because Plummer is certainly no Dick Van Dyke).
There are seven children, but none of them really tries to assert a personality, they actually form a one conglomerate character: the children (except for the older one), but there's no conflict, except for a few pranks that beg you to believe these kids, all as cute as buttons, were insufferable, it might as well try to convince you that Lassie is Cujo. Now, their father is so militarily strict and dour you know it's a matter of time before Julie Andrew' charming smile melts his iceberg façade. But as heart-warming as it is, the film has a unique power to leave me cold, and I guess it must be my fault. I just don't get the appeal, but why someone would decide to endure three hours of non-stop syrupy songs and kids acting like mechanical toys. Andrews is the only lively thing in the film, besides the Hills if that's what she said.
I know there's Plummer but he looked like someone trying so hard not to fart during a dinner and it was so distracting that I couldn't take him seriously. He should consider himself lucky to have Maria.. Anyway,, I saw the film, without actually seeing it, for the second time. I felt the need to check a few e-mails, I did it during the songs most of the time, I needed to do something. And yes, people went to see this film in all over the world and enjoyed it, I just saw someone complaining about the hatred on IMDb, stating that we live in a world that has became too cynical. I don't consider myself cynical, good sentiments are one thing, but there's a point where you can't take them without feeling bored. Besides, the film was panned by viewers at its release, many of whom had enjoyed previous musicals, so, I have an alibi.
1965 wasn't perhaps the most appealing cinematic year, I can't even think of an acclaimed masterpiece ("Cat Ballou"? "Ship of Fools"?) so I guess there was room for a film like "The Sound of Music", the last agonizing sound of old-Hollywood before people would get tired of musicals, before the 'New Hollywood' era. Maybe it's because I'm such a sucker for this period that I can't enjoy all the likes of "My Fair Lady" or "Dr. Doolittle", but two years later, another film would begin with a song, not "The Sound of Music", but the sound of Silence, "The Graduate" paving the way to an era of creativity and originality.
And I'd think silence over any music from "the sound of music".