"I go to the hills, when my heart is lonely... I know I will hear, what I've heard before... My heart will be blessed by the sound of music, and I'll sing once more."
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| Directed by: Robert Wise Starring: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer Screenplay by: Ernest Lehman Cinematography by: Ted McCord Editing by: William H. Reynolds Music by: Richard Rodgers (music & lyrics) Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) Irwin Kostal (musical score) Running time: 174 mins Budget: $8.2 million Box-office: more than $286 million |
Well, I credit The Sound of Music as the film that never fails to save me, after extreme stress and depressive episodes incurred by Life that almost always bankrupts my soul. There's something so happy with this film, that the moment I see Julie Andrews up in that mountain (or hill), all of my problems melt away. Maybe it's because this movie was a big part of my childhood and it reminded me of the time when I felt safe & without any real-life worries. It's a comforting, nostalgic trip.
Without further ado, here are five reasons why The Sound of Music still remains my all-time favorite movie.
5. One thing I absolutely love about old movies is how wholesome they are. Imagine a sixteen-year-old girl sneaking out to - wait for it - sing & dance with her lover boy! Cheesy, and yet so cute to watch.
4. Gretl is so adorable! The Von Trapp kids are all cute (especially Kurt who seemed like a future "flamer" lol) but Gretl is an absolute doll.
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| When asked to sing. LOL. Like a boss. |
On a side note, when I was younger I really thought that Rose McGowan was Brigitta when she was a kid. Of course the age gap didn't make sense, and I tried to justify that maybe Brigitta (the actress) is McGowan's mother. Of course it's not true. Anyway.
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| Brigitta, the bookworm/daydreamer |
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| Rose McGowan |
3. CAPTAIN VON TRAPP. Need I say more? When he first appeared (in the ballroom), each time without fail I'm like "oh my gosh, oh my gosh!"
So manly and handsome. I can't believe I'm crushing on Christopher Plummer.
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| Christopher Plummer as Capt. Von Trapp |
One thing I have noticed during my recent re-watch is that I thought he kinda looks like Michael Fassbender. Don't you agree?
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| Fassie |
Oh you don't believe me? Here's another pic of the Captain.
2. How do you solve a problem like Maria? My favorite song & scene in the movie. Even when I'm in my gloomiest mood, when this scene plays, I can feel the dark clouds hanging over my head dissipating, my heart swelling with joy, and I can feel myself going back to that wonderful moment in my life where I had absolutely no worries. Hakuna Matata. I love these nuns!
And last but not the least, the reason why the charm of TSoM never tarnishes is of course because of --
1. Julie Andrews as Maria. There's something about Maria (no, it's not hair gel) that is so charming and light-heartedly good that you feel the room she's in lights up because of her aura. She's a rare kind of human being that you can't help but love. She's awesome. I loved her so much that up until college I had this nun alter ego. Oh how amused my friends were. -_-
Maria is so hilarious especially her scenes with the Captain.
TSoM could get remade over and over, but I don't think anyone could ever replace Ms. Andrews.
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| Oh how I love Maria, that flibbertigibbet! |
Is The Sound of Music the greatest film ever made?
OF COURSE NOT... I felt that there were too many repetitions of the same songs in several scenes. They could have made more songs OR they could have cut down the running time. Almost three hours of gallivanting, prancing, yodelling & stuff could get a bit tired to most people. It could have been trimmed down a bit. Some people say the characters are just too damn perfect and unrealistic - well, I say, it's a damn feel-good Hollywood musical, what do you expect? You want the real characters & story, read the book... or watch a documentary. And again, I rolled my eyes when I saw the kids wearing the curtain costume. I was like, Maria, try telling kids today to wear something as appalling as that and they'll skin you alive.
BUT EVEN SO... It's funny, it's cute. It makes me laugh, it lightens up my mood. To me, that's more than enough. It has served its purpose.
I also wanna give props to Eleanor Parker as Baroness Elsa von Schraeder who deserves credit for portraying such subtle classy villainy. That even though you feel you wanna smack her in the face, you would think twice because you know she's just a woman being territorial. An underrated character, yet an important one.
In conclusion, The Sound of Music, despite its flaws, still remains my favorite movie of all time. I don't think I will ever get tired of watching this until I'm old and grey. And while I can understand why some people don't like this film, I may be nodding my head listening to them rant about how disgustingly cheesy TSoM is, but I'll be secretly doing this in my mind. LOL.
My Rating: 4-4.5/5 as a movie. It's not perfect. But as it's the ONLY movie that makes me happy even after numerous re-watch, I give it a 5/5 for always making me smile.
"The Sound of Music was one of the honored films of 1965, receiving ten Academy Award nominations (winning five Oscars, including Best Picture)" - Wikipedia
THE SOUND OF MUSIC, THEN & NOW:
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| Is it just me or does Friedrich (oldest Von Trapp boy) look like Mitt Romney? |
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| :'( |
YOUR POINT OF VIEW: Not counting the ones who already played Maria, who do you think has the right innocent charm & capability to be as good, if not better, as Julie Andrews? (impossible, I know. But please humor me.)
Let me know what you think, LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW, let's talk!
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Oh my goodness! Christopher Plummer DOES look like Michael Fassbender! Love your review (always do, my dear). I, too, find pleasure in watching this film. I've always thought Julie Andrews is the perfect Maria, and always will be. Thank you for bringing a smile to my face with this one. Now I want to watch it!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you agree, but I still think Plummer is hotter than Fassie hehehe! how about Friedrich as Mitt Romney look alike? LOL.
DeleteThank you for reading my review (and commenting!) as always, I do enjoy reading other people's views and reactions :)
A very interesting read indeed! I am an opposite - Sound of Music is not exactly my cup of tea but the fact you made me read the full post, needs full credit!! Checking out your other posts now!
ReplyDeleteVery much appreciated Websnacker!! thank you for commenting as well :)
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