The Sound of Music

The second musical in a row to win Best Picture during the height of musicals in the mid 60's. I think it is probably the best musical of all time.  From the first notes how can you not love Julie Andrews.  I first saw this movie when I was visiting my grandparents one summer and I was going through their video tapes to find something to watch and put it in.  Seemed better then other movies they had and I loved it. It also could have something to do with the scenery. I love the mountain scenery.

In case you do not know the story. The movie is about a women who attempting to become a nun but is having a hard time concentrating. The nuns decide it might do her some good to get a little real world experience and send her to become a governess to the 7 Von Trapp children. The Von Trapp family is ruled by the very strict naval Captain Georg Von Trapp and all the kids are mischievous. After a while the kids warm up to her and she teaches the whole family to loosen up and have a good time by singing. Eventually there is a little spark between the captain and Maria and they both have to question some decisions they made and what they want to from the rest of their lives.

This is probably Jule Andrews best performance. You really feel her free spirit and you can understand how that spirit is contagious to the kids and even to loosen up the captain. All the songs are great and catchy (I still do not understand why they play My Favorite Things at Christmas time as the movie or the song has nothing to do with Christmas). They even manage to fit a little action and intrigue in the movie when they try to escape Austria before the Nazi's take over.  The Sound of Music won 5 Academy Awards in total. Including Best Director for Robert Wise who won 4 year earlier for another musical West Side Story. Oddly enough Jule Andrews did not win probably because she won the previous year for Mary Poppins and the Academy has a history of not awarding best acting awards to the same person two years in a row. Also Christopher Plummer was not nominated for best actor as Captain Von Trapp. 

The movie that it was up against that year for Best Picture was Doctor Zhivago which also won 5 awards. Another great movie that didn't get any nominations for it main actor Omar Sharif. This was another epic directed by David Lean after Lawrence of Arabia and The Bridge on the River Kwai but this time he did not get the big prize.

Interesting fact. Julie Christie who beat Julie Andrews for Best Actress in the movie Darling was the first performance with a nude scene to win an Academy Award.

The Sound of Music made AFI Top 100 list at number 55 in 1997 and number 40 in 2007.
Dr. Zhivago was number 39 in 1997 but did not make the list in 2007