The Hills are still alive with the Sound of Music! This movie is amazing!

Rating: 8/10 (25 February 2015)

The film is an adaptation of the 1959 Broadway musical of the same name, with songs written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, which in return is based off, the memoir of Maria von Trapp, 'The Story of the Trapp Family Singers' in which two previous movies were made. 1956's the Von Trapp-Family & 1958's Von Trapp in America. This movie is very loosely based on true events, but it didn't stop from this beloved musical directed and written by Robert Wise to become a huge hit. The film tells the fictionalized love story of Maria Kutschera (Julie Andrews), a young Austrian postulant turn governess whom job is it, to tend to the seven children of the stern widower, Captain Georg von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). The children are uncooperative and the captain isn't much help, until Maria wins them over, sharing her love of music, but soon Nazi sympathizers, became to undermine her work, by moving into her beloved Austria and preparing to take over. Can the Von Trapp's family escape or will the Nazis destroy everything, she has work for? Watch the movie to find out! Without spoiling too much of the film. The movie seem like it was trying really hard to mirror, the same success as Julie Andrew's previous film, 1964's Mary Poppins by having a similar plot-line. Both movies have a stern disciplinarian father figure that was turned around by a musician gifted nanny. In my opinion, I don't felt like it was a rip-off, because Mary Poppins goes into a more magical journey; while the Sound of Music is a bit more grounded and realistic. While, I like both films, I think the Sound of Music is way better than Poppins. While, the movie is set in the 1930s, Julie Andrew's character is an example of the ever changing woman of the 1960s. She's more open in challenging the standards gender expectations of a woman and how mother should acted. While she's acts like a mother figure, unharness, liberate mindsets and attitudes of the emotionally neglected children. Unlike Julie Andrew's character in Mary Poppins, Maria is more careless and youthful in her actions. She means well, but she tend to become troublesome, due to her challenging the brooding, dignified lifestyle of the times. She willing to challenge the narrow-thinking parenting approach on how the children, should be raise and be more fun-like when doing it. Julie Andrews's character holds this film together. She's convincing, as both the free spirited wild child and semi-authority figure in this film. It's easy to see why so many moviegoers find her as a good mother figure, lover or friend all rolled into one. Meanwhile, Christopher Plummer is spectacular as Captain von Trapp. He played the character who proves to be the film's hard rock. He keeps it solid and grounded between saccharine romance and compelling drama. While, he dislike making the film, his riveting performance feels so believable that you can see him, turn the hardened captain to loving husband and father. He was never too mean, that you couldn't find him likable. While, the movie makes him, mean. Georg von Trapp in real life was pretty outgoing and was the one whom taught the children music. Both parents depicted in the film, however, greatly exaggerated their standard of living and why both really got married. Despite that, it kinda work. The children were pretty good in their acting and very cute, but there were too many of them to remember. The only one that had a sub-plot story, was Liesl (Charmian Carr). I enjoys the romantic duet "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" about her. Without spoiling it, her love affect with the post-boy was very shocking and heart breaking. The music in the film are some of the best ever from a musical. The movie is filled with memorable glorious songs like "Do-Re-Mi," "Climb Every Mountain", "Maria", "Lonely Goatherd", "My Favorite Things," "Edelweiss, "So Long, Farewell" and others. I love the way, each song was reused in different ways in reprises. Other songs like "Something Good," needed some more work. Glad, they eliminated, the not so good songs, "How Can Love Survive" and "No Way to Stop It. The way, the movie is shot is beautiful to watch. The opening shot of the movie of the ALPS mountain range is breath-taking. The movie makes great use of the locations in Austria. It's really hard to find faults in this film. Some critics say the movie is a bit off putting cheery and dated, even in its darkness moments, but in my opinion, I think it does a good job bringing heavy realism. A lot of people might hate its pacing. After all, it's nearly 3 hours. Did we really need the 3rd act? Controversy surrounded the film's release in Germany & Austria, where the film's Nazi overtones brought about the unauthorized cutting of the entire third act due to the laws. The American studio forced the third act to be restored to the German release, which kinda anger people. In my opinion, the whole 3rd act with the Nazis wasn't needed. It really didn't play out like that in real life, nor did it had much music. Most of it was there to offset the general joviality of the first 2 acts. I don't mind, that it's there, but I can see why some people think it's seem out of place, even with the foreshadowing in the first two acts. After all, if you take it, away, you still have a pretty good film. Despite that, I really didn't see much to hate about the film. After all, the film went on to win Academy Awards. It even got selected for film preservation in the National Film Registry. It's also nice to see the movie get newly restored DVDs every ten years. Overall: It's engaging, inspirational and cute. It's a must watch. The ultimate family movie.