Truly Surprising--Every Time!

Rating: Null/10 (6 October 1999)

Like most people my age (late twenties), I grew up watching this film year after year on television. As I grew older, however, I became increasingly reluctant to see it again, since I always seemed to remember it as sentimental and sickenly sweet. I suppose I was swayed by public opinion. Every time I knuckle down and actually see this movie again, however, I am struck by how honest and *truly* sweet it is--there is nothing sickening or overly sentimental about it (aside from the dreadful "Sixteen Going On Seventeen", which I always fast-forward through on the tape).
The acting is wonderful. Julie Andrews actually seems to allow the audience to read her mind several times during the film, such as in the delightful "Edelweiss" scene. Christopher Plummer is also very good as a man who is extremely confident in his old love (for his country) while at the same time being insecure in his growing new one (for Maria). The children are genuine and endearing without being cutesy, and the serious plot turn, involving the escape from the Nazis, is handled very well. Yes, I know this is not how it happened in real life, but it does play well on screen. Most (if not all) "true story" movies take dramatic liberties, and as long as the viewer realizes this fact, everything is fine.
In conclusion, my advice to anyone who hasn't seen this movie in a while is to see it again (on video, not TV--the network cuts too much out) and realize how genuine and non-syrupy it actually is. It is well-filmed, well-acted, and it contains some of the best music Rodgers and Hammerstein ever wrote (although I will admit I'm not too fond of Rodgers's addition, "Something Good"). It also contains, as far as I have seen, the very best film performance of one of the greatest singer-actresses of all time, Julie Andrews.