By Clement Olumba
For 60 years a particular movie has continued to appeal to every generation with the cast members remaining forever young as a result. That movie is THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Originally a stage play, it is the movie version that gave it the worldwide fame and recognition it has enjoyed till date. It is a 1965 movie Produced and Directed by Robert Wise with Saul Chaplin as Co producer; the film explored the the life of the Von Trapp family in Austria, during the time of Adolph Hitler’s Nazi era. They were a musically talented family who had to leave their homeland and eventually found their way to the United States of America where their fame began to grow.
When filming began on March 26, 1964 and concluded in September of 1964, little did Robert Wise and the entire cast know that they were creating a wonderful piece of motion picture that will become a timeless movie. It was not the smoothest of filming during the six months it took as the cast and crew endured quite a lot of challenges including very bad weather to finish the production and give the country and the world this ‘all’ generation loved movie when it was officially released on the 2nd of March 1965 in the United States.
So sixty years down the line, children whose parents were not even born at the time the movie was released, are watching it and can still relate to it as if it had just been released. Such is the powerful influence this movie has continued to wield on every generation of viewers. Unfortunately however, after 60 years, majority of the cast and crew members have passed on. Also the original family members whose story was the background of the movie, has also passed on with the only surviving member being Johannes Von Trapp the overall last child and third of the three children Maria Von Trapp bore Geog Von Trapp as his second wife. He has continued the family legacy while the Von Trapp estate is also administered by his daughter.
The original cast members were: Julie Andrews – Froline Maria, Christopher Plummer- Capt. Geog Von Trapp (late), Chamian Carr- Liesl Von Trapp (late), Heather Menzies – Louisa Von Trapp (late), Nicholas Hammond – Friedrich Von Trapp, Duane Chase – (Kurt), Angela Cartwright (Brigitta), Debbie Turner (Martha) and Kim Karath (Gretl). The other two main support cast members Richard Hadyn who played the warm uncle Max Detweiller and Eleanor Parker who played the Baroness have also passed on just like the producer/director Robert Wise.
It can be argued that no movie before or after has had the kind of generational impact sound of music has had, not because some other films have not attained the categories of being all time classics, but because it’s theme, it’s songs and acting as well as the relatable characters, and story have all combined to place it in a league of its own. Songs like Edelweiss, My favourite things, Doremi, 16 going on 17, among others have all withstood the times, and being song by newer viewers as though they were just newly recorded; It remains to be seen if there will ever be another movie that will reach the same height or surpass the sound of music. Time will tell.
Till then, Here is 60 Great Cheers to a Timeless Piece of Family Friendly Movie, The SOUND OF MUSIC.
