Just the other day, the hills came alive with the sound of music on the Oprah Winfrey show. That’s right, the cast of The Sound of Music reunited on the show for the first time in 45 years, since the movie first came out in 1965.
Besides being a winner of 5 academy awards, including Best Picture, The Sound of Music quickly became a Hollywood classic, and is still the most popular movie musical in the cinematic history.
For those who have been living in a cave for the last 45 years, The Sound of Music is the story about a young vivacious nun who leaves an Austrian convent to become a governess to a wealthy widowed Naval officer and his seven children. The Von Trapp children had a history of being little troublemakers, and caused many governesses quit their position- but not Maria. Maria was tough and full of spirit, and eventually brought songs, music and fun into the Von Trapp family household.
Liesl, Louisa, Friedrich, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl all walked onto Oprah’s stage when Captain Von Trapp blew his infamous whistle, as seen in the movie. It was quite strange to see the Von Trapp children, no longer as children-they are all grown up now!
We all remember Captain Von Trapp who appeared to be hard and strict at first, but eventually Maria was able to reveal his soft loving side. The memorable role belonged to the handsome actor Christopher Plummer. Although Plummer just turned 80-years-old, he is still charming and sharp as ever. In fact, the talented actor admitted that because of his age, he’s been getting more work now than he’s ever gotten. Just last year, Plummer landed his first Oscar as Best Supporting Actor nod for his role as Leo Tolstoy in ‘The Last Station.’
And, let’s not forget the one and only, legendary musical icon Julie Andrews. There’s something about Ms. Julie Andrews that gives me that warm fuzzy feeling inside. When I first saw The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins, I dreamt of Julie Andrews coming to my house and being my nanny- I still do to this day. There’s something so comforting and genuine about her angelic voice, and that big radiant smile, and that enchanting sparkle in her eyes. Unfortunately, Julie Andrew’s also talked about the devastating tragedy of losing the one thing she loved and treasured most about herself- her singing voice. While doing a Broadway play, the dame suffered from a throat condition, which is harmless and common for many singers to get. However it was a botched surgery that permanently damaged her vocal cords and silenced Julie Andrews from singing ever again. Losing her extraordinary gift in singing did not put the star out of show business; she continued Broadway shows, and films, such as the Princess Diary movies. The 68-year-old even played the animated queen character in Shrek 2. In addition to her busy acting career, Julie Andrews partnered up with her Daughter Emma, and has written over twenty best-selling children’s books, The Julie Andrews Collection.
I’ll never forget the first time I saw The Sound of Music, and that one scene when Julie Andrews is spinning in lush green fields of the Austrian Alps, as the camera pans in, and then Julie Andrews belts out: The Hills are Alive with the sound of music. Right at that moment, I felt goosebumps all over, and to this day, despite having seen it a trillion times, I still get goosebumps when I watch that scene. The Sound of Music is still the most popular movie musical ever made. Why? Because it never its magic, its fun, and its ability to lift your spirits no matter what mood you’re in.
No comments:
Post a Comment