The story of Robert Wise’s classic film
“The Sound of Music”.......
Life’s lessons packaged with profound truths in a great film meant for all, forever....
Love conquers all. A woman’s love
for music, children and Nature brings everlasting dramatic changes in an
Austrian family during the days of Nazi rule.
Maria plans to be a nun but isn’t
cut out for it. Reverend Mother of Salzburg Abbey in Austria sends her to be
the governess of the seven motherless children of Captain Von Trapp, a retired
Naval Officer. Their hostility towards governesses is no match for Maria’s kind
heart that helps her realize that they are growing up in a loveless stifling
environment of discipline enforced by their father.
When the Captain is away from
home, Maria’s love for the hills and trees takes her and the children to the
lap of Nature. There she gives them the first lessons of music and the
long-forgotten taste of freedom from a strict routine by picnicking on lush green
meadows, running with rivers, climbing on trees and rowing boat in a placid
lake, and wins over seven hearts effortlessly. Straightforward that she is,
during an argument with the Captain, Maria tells him to bridge the growing gap
between him and his children through love again. The haughty and authoritarian
Captain talks tough with her only to be overwhelmed by a song his children,
tutored by Maria, sing to the baroness. Overnight he mellows down to an
affectionate father.
With time, Maria and Captain get
drawn towards each other but the baroness plays spoilsport. Stung by her words
Maria returns to the Abbey, confused by her own feelings towards Captain.
Meanwhile the baroness gets engaged to Captain. Shocked that Maria has left for
good, the children, in desperation, try to meet her in vain. Reverend Mother,
with the wisdom of her silver years, advises Maria never to run away from
problems, rather face them, by returning to Captain’s house.
Almost instinctively, Captain
calls off his engagement to the baroness. The moment it dawns on him that he is
in love with Maria, he hesitatingly approaches her in his sprawling garden
where two hearts unite at last! With the Nazis capturing Captain’s dear
homeland, a sudden call of duty far away from home threatens to separate him
from his family but music again comes to their rescue! During their performance
at a concert, they cleverly leave the place to seek refuge in the Abbey from
where they finally escape to Switzerland, to freedom!
What I and you too may love about this evergreen
film “The Sound of Music”......
A musical, it is a breath of
fresh air, soothing nerves and souls. Music here holds the characters and
events, bonding seven children, their governess and their father effortlessly
with the passage of time. The charm of the story lies in the different
struggles of the different people who are all striving to overcome obstacles in
the path towards happiness – the story of millions of us. The children try to
come close to their father, Captain tries to forget memories of his dear, dead
wife and Maria tries hard to be a nun.
Without the silent struggle, the
journey of each of them would lose its song.
“Sound of Music” is etched in my
mind for its eternal truth – life
is all about what choices we make. Maria chooses to bond with the children
in the face of hostility. Dictatorial Captain chooses to metamorphose into an
affectionate father and later again chooses to break his engagement to marry
Maria who brings sunshine in his life. The film deftly shows what optimism can
do. Maria’s initial hesitation evident during her first trip to Captain’s house
as she asks herself “Why am I so scared?” is swiftly replaced with a confidence
growing from her great attitude. She is an embodiment of courage and an infectious
optimism as she returns to Captain’s house to find out if she is destined to
share his future and later when she gently urges Lisl, Captain’s teenager
daughter, to move on with life after her first heartbreak.
“Sound of Music” magnetizes me
with ethereally beautiful scenes of Austria’s natural beauty of hills crowned
with trees sheltering chirping birds, lakes interspersing green meadows and
brooks tripping over stones.
The director gives every
character a fair share of screen presence (wise Reverend Mother, scheming
baroness, suave Max and so on) and gives us a balanced mix of humour, love,
joy, suspense and happiness, laced with feelings of patriotism and finally
peace as significant events of world history – rise of Hitler and the Nazi rule
– unfold, forming the backdrop. I love the unique way two different kinds of
love – blossoming passionate teenage love and a calm, matured love that later
culminates in marriage – happen in the same garden, both in silvery night, at
two different points of time.
The film’s evergreen songs
carry many beautiful messages.
“Climb every mountain” encourages you to cross obstacles to hunt for your dream and live it.
Maria's beautifully sung “nothing comes from nothing”, helps one realize that beautiful moments take birth in noble actions of the past.
And if you yearn to overcome sadness, you could begin humming “a few of my favourite things”!
“Climb every mountain” encourages you to cross obstacles to hunt for your dream and live it.
Maria's beautifully sung “nothing comes from nothing”, helps one realize that beautiful moments take birth in noble actions of the past.
And if you yearn to overcome sadness, you could begin humming “a few of my favourite things”!
“Sound of Music” is life’s lessons packaged with
profound truths - “walls are
not built to shut out problems” and one has to face them, “you have to live the
life you were born to live” and good times follow difficult times just as “the
sun comes out” after the night.
One single film carries so many
gifts that I too realized later!
The rest is in my book Rays and Rains (e-book available at a much lower price).
A look at Rays and Rains
Reviews
A look at Rays and Rains
Reviews
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