The hills are alive!

Rating: 10/10 (26 November 2010)

This year (2010) marks the 45th Anniversary of the release of one of the world's most successful movie musicals.
'The Sound of Music' started out as a Broadway stage musical with Mary Martin as Maria and Theodore Bikel as the Captain. It was the smash hit of its day. This is a movie that has dominated the Bank Holiday TV listings for many a year, but the reason they keep showing it is because people will always sit down and watch it.
Now, for a film with a duration of 174 minutes to grab a large audience with every repeat viewing, it must have something really special going for it. There aren't many films that have such great repeatability. It may not be 'cool' to admit to liking 'The Sound of Music' but those of us who are not repressed are unafraid to express pleasure openly and proudly, when it suits us.
The audience has been waiting for this moment, having sat through several minutes of beautifully shot 70mm aerial footage of the mountains and lakes – but it's that moment when the shot cuts from wide to close up on Julie's wide armed spin that causes a rising feeling in the chest.
This film is absolutely great! The acting is great, the music is great, the direction is great. This is truly one of the best movies of all time.
By far, the best musical ever.