The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical drama film produced and directed by Robert Wise. It is an adaptation of the 1959 stage musical, composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. The film stars Julie Andrews as Maria, a spirited young Austrian woman who leaves the convent to become a governess for Captain von Trapp's seven unruly children, played by Christopher Plummer. The film also features Richard Haydn, Peggy Wood, Charmian Carr, and Eleanor Parker.
The plot follows Maria as her charm and songs win the hearts of the children and their father. However, when Nazi Germany unites with Austria, Maria is forced to attempt a daring escape with her new family. The film was a commercial success, becoming the number-one box office movie in the United States just four weeks after its release.
The Sound of Music was filmed in Todd-AO by Ted McCord and produced with DeLuxe Color processing. Aerial footage was photographed with an MCS-70 camera, and the sound was recorded on a 70 mm six-track using a Westrex recording system. The sets used for the film were based on the storyboards of sketch artist Maurice Zuberano, who accompanied Wise to Austria to scout filming locations in November 1963.
The film has received critical acclaim and has been recognized for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance. In 1998, the American Film Institute (AFI) listed The Sound of Music as the fifty-fifth greatest American film of all time and the fourth greatest film musical. In 2001, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Cast
- Julie Andrews as Maria
- Christopher Plummer as Captain von Trapp
- Eleanor Parker as The Baroness
- Richard Haydn as Max Detweiler
- Peggy Wood as Mother Abbess
- Charmian Carr as Liesl von Trapp
Other notable cast members include Nicholas Hammond as Friedrich, Kym Karath as Gretl, Angela Cartwright as Brigitta, Debbie Turner as Marta, and Duane Chase as Kurt. Bill Lee overdubbed Plummer's singing.
After the success of the film, the cast members went on to have varied careers. Julie Andrews continued to act in films and on stage and also became a children's author and a television personality. Christopher Plummer had a long and successful career in film and television, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2012. Eleanor Parker continued to act in films and television until her death in 2013. Charmian Carr pursued a career in interior design and also wrote a memoir about her experience making the film.
Director: Robert Wise
Writer: Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers, Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse, Ernest Lehman
Box Office Gross: $159,436,802
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Kids & Family, Musical
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 2, 1965
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Aug 24, 1990
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 19, 2015
