My first copy of The Sound of Music was a self-recorded NBC broadcast on VHS tape, complete with commercials that required fast-forwarding. (My parents’ house still has several of these ancient relics tucked in a dusty corner of the entertainment center, their murky footage having outlived all but one of our VCRs.) I’m not entirely sure what happened to that trimmed-for-television version, but I do remember watching it so many times that the audio started to blend together, Maria’s list of favorite things indecipherable to anyone who wasn’t a true fan. When I was about four or five, my parents finally replaced that tape with a purchased version of the film, still VHS but miraculously complete. Today, I have the anniversary edition DVD at school, nestled amongst several other Rogers and Hammerstein’s classics.
When I think of films that have always been a part of my life, I think The Sound of Music. Maybe that’s a clichéd answer, but I don’t remember my introduction to the von Trapp family singers, and I can’t imagine ever tiring of “Edelweiss.” My mother must have been the architect behind the obsession: she can recite the dialogue in the abbey scenes word-for-word and quotes the Captain von Trapp whenever it’s socially appropriate. When I was six, she put faith in my ability to sit still and brought me to our local high school’s production of the musical. It was pure magic. My mother doesn’t typically re-watch movies as often as I do, but she’ll always get distracted if The Sound of Music is on cable. If appreciation for Julie Andrews is an inherited trait, I’ve inherited it from her.
As I grew up, my understanding of The Sound of Music grew with me. In my youngest years the film was my first and foremost rainy day option, a fantasy for a child who dreamed of having a multitude of older siblings. I was captivated by the balconies and the ballrooms and the sprawling lawns, and disappointed by the fact that our house didn’t have a glass gazebo in the backyard, nor a river to fall into.
In my teenage years I questioned whether I related more to boy-crazy Liesl or bookish Brigitta, finally concluding that I was a bit of both. While fascist takeovers were thankfully absent from my adolescence, I found myself understanding too well the betrayals of crushes gone wrong. Like Brigitta, I was constantly reading to escape the torments of cliques and gym class, fashionably arriving to my math courses with my nose in a novel. I understood the girls’ rebellion from the Captain and Maria, but ran to my parents in the event of an emotional thunderstorm.
Today, I love The Sound of Music for its heartbreaking optimism at the threshold of tragedy. I love the slowly-evolving love story, the gorgeous costumes, the setting of Salzburg. I have a bit of a crush on ‘60s era Christopher Plummer. I can relate to Maria’s apprehensions about the future, but I know to take the advice of the Reverend Mother and “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.” And to all my fellow graduating seniors, here’s a pep talk that evokes the splendor of the Austrian Alps:
So long, farewell, auf weidersehen, good night!
I love The Sound of Music. My mother used to curl my sister and I up on the couch and we'd have a mother-daught-movie-night to the sounds of "Favorite Things" and "Climb Every Mountain." My sister now claims she hates the movie, favoring Mary Poppins for her Julie Andrews musical preference, but I'm still partial to The Sound of Music. (My roommate is also apparently not a fan from her response to me playing "Climb Every Mountain" for her. I'm playing it anyway.) I'm a sucker for most musicals, the older the better. As for display content: loved the music hyperlinks and the video. I'm still trying to figure out how to imbed a video on Wordpress.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
The 3 paragraphs about yourself when you were really young was my favorite part of the post. Hearing about you as a 5 or 6 year old was cute and added a very personal touch to the story. My mom also loves the abbey scene (it must be a mom thing). The video was a nice touch (I actually had it playing as I wrote this). It gives us something different than simply reading the entire time, which helps to break up your blog nicely. I might suggest putting it in the middle instead of the end to really break up your blog (I just enjoy videos in the middle rather than the end).
ReplyDelete~Sammy
Just like you, the reason i absolutely love this movie is because my mom introduced it to me at a very early age. EVERY Christmas we watch the movie and my brother's hate us for it. Such a classic! This was a very fast, entertaining read and I enjoyed it all. You do a wonderful jon incorporating photos and I love the layout and style of your blog. Also, I figured out that all I need to do for my settings was make it so only the most recent blog popped up. I figured it out after looking at your again so thank you. I also agree with Sammy, the video would be a nice touch in the middle of the blog. i will alway take a break to listen to that song. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI've actually never seen The Sound of Music, but this post definitely makes me want to sit down and watch it on a rainy day. At first I was worried that the post would be hard to follow since I've never seen the movie, but you put enough person detail into the piece that I could definitely understand the point. I think most children have that one movie that they never stop loving, so that definitely made this post relateable. I love how you included pictures and the video. Strong post, keep it up!
ReplyDeleteI had a smile on my face while I was reading this entire piece. I adore the sound of music, and like almost everyone else has said, it started because my mom loves it. To this day I can walk around campus singing the songs of the movie. I think the very last line of the post was a great way to end it! I love that the links for different songs are right in the text. My only suggestion would be to put the clip higher into the piece. I didn't want to wait until the end to watch!
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