The Sound of Music
Short description
Set in Austria just before the Second World War, The Sound of Music centers on Maria, a young woman preparing to become a nun at a Salzburg abbey. Her spirited nature makes convent life a poor fit, so the abbess sends her to work as governess for the seven children of Captain Georg von Trapp, a widowed naval officer. His household runs on strict discipline, and the children are distant and unhappy. Maria's warmth and her use of music gradually change the atmosphere of the home, and she grows close to the children and to their father, whose own plans and his opposition to the approaching Nazi takeover complicate matters.
Robert Wise directed and produced the film, working from a screenplay by Ernest Lehman. It was the ninth of the thirteen features he directed, following The Haunting and preceding The Sand Pebbles. Julie Andrews plays Maria, Christopher Plummer plays Captain von Trapp, and Eleanor Parker appears as the Baroness, with Charmian Carr, Nicholas Hammond and Heather Menzies among the children. Thirty actors are credited.
Made for about 8 million dollars, the film earned roughly 286 million dollars worldwide, a strong return on its budget. On IMDb it holds 8.1/10 from around 290,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.7/10 from a much smaller electorate. A critics' rating of 8.4/10 from 78 reviews places it above the audience scores. At 174 minutes, it is among the longer musicals of its era.
What's left behind the scenes
- Initially, William Wyler was supposed to direct the film, and he had already begun scouting locations and working on the script. However, he intended to make a very different film – in both spirit and style. For example, in one scene, according to his vision, tanks were supposed to be crashing through walls.
- Robert Wise, who replaced Billy Wilder, considered Yul Brynner for the role of Captain von Trapp. Sean Connery and Richard Burton were also among those considered for the role of von Trapp.
- Young Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss, Veronica Cartwright, Patty Duke, and four members of the Osmond Brothers auditioned for the roles of the children. During auditions, it was discovered that Dreyfuss could not dance.
- When 8-year-old Debbie Turner began losing her teeth during filming, she had to have false teeth inserted.
- The von Trapp estate was filmed in two different locations in Salzburg (Austria).
- Julie Andrews received only $225,000 for her performance in the lead role.
- 20th Century Fox Studios acquired the rights to create a film version of the musical in 1960. The role of Maria von Trapp was offered to Doris Day, but she turned it down. Julie Andrews almost refused the role as well, as she didn’t want to repeat herself after “Mary Poppins” (1964).
- Christopher Plummer sang his own parts and even learned to play the guitar specifically for the role, but ultimately they still decided to dub him.
- In Spain, the film is known as "Smiles and Tears", in France it was called "The Melody of Happiness", and in Austria — "My Songs – My Dreams".
- Despite the enormous success of the film, which became the highest-grossing film of all time at the time, film critic Pauline Kael sharply criticized it, calling it "The Sounds of Money".
- Charmian Carr beat out Mia Farrow, Sharon Tate, and Patty Duke for the role of Liesl von Trapp.
- The film is based on the Broadway musical "The Sound of Music" (1959). The musical itself is based on Maria Augusta Trapp's book "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers" (1949).
- Two years before the musical "The Sound of Music" first appeared on Broadway, Paramount Studios acquired the rights to its story, hoping to cast Audrey Hepburn in the lead role for the film adaptation. After she declined to appear in the movie, Paramount lost interest in the project.
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Auditions in India
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