Heavenly songs make this musical stand out.

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2018)

As Nazism is beginning to rise in Austria, a troublesome novice nun (Julie Andrews) is assigned to be the governess of the children of a Navy captain widower (Christopher Plummer) who defiantly opposes the Nazi movement.
It's grand to see this magnificent musical on the large screen. There are those who have criticized the film for being too "schamltzy" but the magical moments far exceed the few that might seem amateurish.
Among the performances, Andrews is rightly renowned as a good-hearted and soulful individual who tends to rebel against rigid rules. Plummer is sharp in his subtle wit. Peggy Wood, as the mother abbess, is easily convincing as a spiritual leader with heart and wisdom. And Eleanor Parker does a fine job as a snotty, spoiled one-percenter.
Likewise, the scenery of Salzburg and its nearby mountains and villages are breathtaking. But it's the musical numbers that give this movie its rightful status as a classic. Among the highlights: the opening scene of the title song and the overture - both accompanied by stunning background scenery; the nuns singing beautiful Latin hymns followed by the more comical "Maria" which is also movingly repeated in a wedding scene; the truly joyous "Do-Re-Mi" which can bring out the child in all of us.
Most moving of all is the show-stopping "Climb Every Mountain". It is magically sung by Margery MacKay who dubbed for Wood in a pivotal moment. When the song is used again for the affirming conclusion (following that joyfully impish line "I have sinned, Reverend Mother"), the movie's ending leaves one with a feeling of spirit and joy that is wonderfully rare.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: Songs by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein