Review: The Sound of Music (1965)

'When the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window.'

★★★★

Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in "The Sound of Music (1965)."

Musicals aren't my thing, but this was a surprise. Robert Wise's "The Sound of Music (1965)" is a beautifully made film with wonderful performances, memorable songs, and an appealing story. What else can I say?

The film begins with a young woman named Maria (Julie Andrews) singing "The Hills Are Alive" while away from the Abbey. The Mother Abbess and the other sisters decide that the Abbey may not be the best place for Maria. The Reverend Mother (Peggy Wood) offers Maria a position as a governess to a retired sea captain, the widowed father of seven children. Maria decides to take her chances. Once she arrives, the kids initially dislike her, and the captain (Christopher Plummer) is as strict as possible. As the movie progresses, the kids develop a strong liking for Maria, which upsets Captain Von Trapp. However, once he hears his children singing, his happiest thoughts return, and he reverts to the father he originally was. Captain Von Trapp's original fiancée, Baroness Schraeder (Eleanor Parker), becomes jealous and scares Maria away, but only for a short time. Maria returns, marries Georg, and escapes with the family.

While the story is beautiful, the songs and the children are what people remember the most. The songs are iconic and sung by many fans. The children are perfectly cast, as are the older actors. Julie Andrews, Peggy Wood, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker, and Richard Haydn all give their all. As many know, Christopher Plummer wasn't a big fan of "The Sound of Music" and often felt bored. He did, however, get along well with Julie Andrews and his other cast members. Plummer and Andrews continued to be friends until Plummer's passing. Before Plummer was convinced to take the role of Captain Von Trapp, other names were considered, including Bing Crosby, Yul Brynner, Sean Connery, and Richard Burton. In my opinion, they seemed like solid choices, but I feel they wouldn't have had the same chemistry Plummer had with Andrews.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie is the conversation Maria has with the Mother Abbess. When Maria tells the Reverend Mother that she ran away because of her feelings for the captain, I love the dialogue in that scene. Peggy Wood's performance and delivery of her lines were phenomenal. The same can be said for Julie Andrews. She was perfect for the role of Maria. The voice, the look, it’s all spot on. The real Maria Von Trapp loved Julie's portrayal of her.

How well does this movie hold up? I say it has aged quite well, at least with the audience. Critics, not so much. Upon release, critical reviews were mixed to good. These days, critic reviews have improved. I guess at the time it was released, nobody was interested in a film like "The Sound of Music," but I don't know. It did well at the box office. Regardless, it's still a classic. Next year, in 2025, will mark its 60th anniversary. Will it be brought back to cinemas? Hard to say, but if it does, I'm sure it will do much better than at its original release. Also, if "The Sound of Music (1965)" returns to cinemas in 2025 for its 60th anniversary, I'm sure we'll all be singing "Do-Re-Mi" on our way into the cinema.