Primarily based on the memoir by Maria von Trapp, The Sound of Music is a musical drama that follows Maria’s (Julie Andrews) time in Nazi-occupied Austria, the place she serves as a governess to the seven youngsters of the widowed naval officer Captain von Trapp (Christopher Plummer), with whom she in the end falls in love.
For followers of the movie, one of many peak highlights is its opening—Maria’s introduction, set towards the sprawling hills, singing “The Sound of Music,” as she claims a merger of her existence with nature.
On this article, we’re going to investigate how this one scene did a lot for the complete movie.
The Scene
The opening sequence of The Sound of Music stays one among cinema’s best character introductions, instantly establishing Maria’s essence by means of each visible spectacle and symbolic which means.
The digicam glides by means of clouds above snow-covered alpine peaks, descending step by step towards the valleys under. Because the digicam descends in the direction of the bottom, a complete totally different world is unveiled earlier than your eyes.
The snow is now changed with lush inexperienced forests, and a blue river flows quietly between the hills. Below the brilliant solar, all the pieces glistens like gold, and the air is full of the delicate chirping of birds.
The digicam sweeps by means of forests and meadows with fluid, purposeful motion, drawing viewers into the panorama. Quickly, you attain an abbey—it is an archaic architectural magnificence. You whiz previous it, dashing towards the plush inexperienced meadows.
As you squint your eyes, you see that there’s any person already there: a younger nun. Her arms are unfold large as if she is attempting to hug the hills and the wind. She begins singing in bliss:
The hills are alive with the sound of music,
With songs they’ve sung for a thousand years.
As she sings joyfully, it strikes you that Maria resides our dream. (On the time, I used to be hell-bent on changing into an actress, all set to journey round to stunning locations and shoot stunning sequences, till I found I’m profoundly camera-shy.)
Whereas the opening is momentous, the music holds a deeper which means, because it reappears within the movie at a heart-warming second. We’ll get to that shortly.
‘The Sound of Music’Credit score: twentieth Century Fox
Behind The Scenes
Whereas the placement within the story is Austria, the scene was really shot about 10 kilometers into Bavaria, Germany.
At the moment, the land was owned by personal farmers. Immediately, a well-known mountain climber owns the place and doesn’t actually respect outsiders (particularly followers) on his property, in keeping with ABC Information.
Robert Sensible had deliberate a six-week shoot, however infamous Salzburg rains prolonged manufacturing by 5 weeks. The climate delays considerably impacted the finances as a result of substantial prices of housing and transporting the crew.
Capturing the music “The Sound of Music” was not a cakewalk. In her memoir, House: A Memoir of My Early Years, Julie Andrews reminisces about how the enduring scene was shot.
She recalled how they might go as much as the placement, hoisted atop large open ox-pulled carts, and he or she would sit atop the digicam tools. The climate was unhealthy, it was freezing chilly, and there have been no loos for miles.
Even technically, the scene was demanding. It needed to be shot from a helicopter, and the timing needed to be completely excellent. It was extraordinarily tough for Andrews to carry out towards the sturdy downward drafts of the helicopter. The sturdy wind from the helicopter blades would throw her to the bottom every time the helicopter stooped low to take its place.
Moreover, it was extraordinarily hazardous for the digicam operator, as the one method to shoot with out casting shadows was to rig the digicam to the operator exterior the helicopter, utilizing solely straps. When the unique digicam operator refused to take the shot attributable to security considerations, with nobody else to fill the place, DP Paul Beeson stepped up.
Regardless of his vertigo, even within the absence of security protocols, the passionate cameraman rigged himself to the digicam to shoot a scene that made historical past.
The birch bushes have been introduced as much as the mountain for the scene, and the flowing brook was synthetic. Lastly, on the final day of the shoot in that location, the crew managed to seize Andrews’ iconic shot in slightly below 20 minutes of daylight.
Themes and Symbolism
What fascinates me about this opening, and the music, is that they collectively paint a crystal clear image of Maria for the viewers.
To me, it is among the most iconic character introductions—not solely visually liberating however a honest peek into the guts and thoughts of the character. I really like how the digicam stays static whereas solely she, the wind, and the brook move within the scene. One music and scene later, you’ll haven’t any questions on Maria’s essence.
Later, Maria appears to be an irresponsible and negligent novice nun who’s not lower out for the life she has chosen for herself.
However while you place her on this scene, you understand she is a type of who consider in grace and divinity past the buildings of faith. She reveres the divine by means of its creations and prefers connecting with it within the Alps moderately than inside an abbey.
‘The Sound of Music’ Credit score: twentieth Century Fox
The scene was handled so powerfully that it leaves an indelible impression on our minds till the tip of the musical. When Maria is launched to the seven motherless youngsters as their governess, each events are fighting their points.
The youngsters are defensive, craving for love, whereas Maria, a troubled nun, struggles to decide on between her non secular duties and her need for a lifetime of her personal. Georg von Trapp is a chilly and distant man who runs the family with strict self-discipline.
Over time, with love and using music to heal them, Maria wins over the kids and brings them collectively as a household. By this time, she’s grown near them and began pondering of them as her personal youngsters.
The reappearance of the music “The Sound of Music” at this level within the movie marks the completion of the character arcs. Every character within the film has reached their full potential.
Georg walks into the home, following “the sound of music”. He sees his youngsters, standing in a choir, singing “The Sound of Music.” His coronary heart is full. Quickly, he joins in; Maria walks in from the opposite room, listening to the captain’s voice. She watches him end the music along with his youngsters from the brink.
The music ends, and the youngsters hug their father. The picture is straightforward however highly effective—the household is lastly reunited. Their love transcends the display, amplified by the music. The second additionally reveals how a lot she has fallen in love with this man.
I watch this musical generally once I’m unhappy, however I do not know why. The joyful ending all the time makes me really feel higher afterward.
Whereas most individuals tear up when Maria and Georg lastly get married, I normally cry at this cathartic “The Sound of Music” scene, the place the kids are lastly again with their father—the von Trapp household turns into complete once more.
Which is your favourite scene from the musical?
