Gold though Old. Review on Sound Of Music

My heart wants to beat like the wings of the birds

And I'll sing once more

Maria (Julie Andrews) sings in the Austrian Alps, with Nature in its full bloom, the trees, the flowers, the blue sky with white clouds resembling bundles of pure cotton; all singing with her. The Sound of Music echoes in the mountains, reverberates in your hearts. This is the opening scene of the movie The Sound of Music, the best musical of the 20th Century, a gift of the year 1965.

The direction of Robert Wise, the camera of Ted D McCord blotting the scenic beauty, the musical adaptation of Irwing, and the sound effects of James Corcoran and Fred Hynes; have made this a great musical extravaganza. Maria the inmate of a Salzburg Abbey gets distracted from her missionary duties as the Alpine landscape fills her spirit with restless passion, to sing as free as the wind, as fresh as a morning flower, spreading the fragrance around, when dewdrops fall making sounds like the notes of a piano. The Mother Abbess (Peggy Wood) rightly understanding the incompatibility of Maria for such a life in the monastery, sends her as a governess to the von Trapp family.

Captain von Trapp (Christopher Plummer), a naval officer and a widower, blessed with a band of seven children, wants to educate them with military discipline. But the incorrigible brood, of mischief-mongers, drive their governesses crazy, who flee the house to safety, scared by the their uncouth behaviour. Maria is smart enough to learn the antics of the children and she changes the prescriptions of the Captain. She showers them with love and kindness and takes them out on picnics in the beautiful Alpine countryside. The children bask in the newly found freedom and happiness and reciprocate the love and affection of Maria. She teaches them to sing. They respond to her care with happiness and laughter. The song fills the atmosphere and our moods.

DO a deer, a female deer

RE a drop of golden sun

MI a name I call myself

FA a long, long way to run

SO a needle pulling thread

LA a note to follow so

TI a drink with jam and bread

That will bring us back to DO

Maria and the children stage a puppet show and her charms captivate the father. Many nights later, the Captain wants to introduce his love to the Baroness Schraeder (Eleanor Parker). In the party the Captain and Maria perform a dance. They are tied together in Cupid's chains.

The Baroness tricks Maria to go back to the Abbey and tries in vain to win the affection of the children. Maria comes back with the support of Mother Abbess. The Captain, true to his love, makes plans to make her his life partner. The finale is filled with suspenseful happenings, which develop into an adventurous climax.

The movie is full of songs and dances. Julie Andrews' portrayal of Maria won her many laurels and her singing capability surfaced above to the full appreciation of music lovers. Christopher Plummer as the disciplined and the helpless father has excelled in his performance. The seven children have equally done their part to steal a place in the spectators' hearts. The movie was nominated for ten Academy Awards of which it swept five for the Best Picture, the Best Direction, the Best Musical Adaptation, the Best Cinematography, the Best Film Editing and the Best Sound. This speaks volumes of the greatness of this musical masterpiece.

Based on a true life story, and written by Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein, the movie will go down in the annals of history as a legend with a well cherished mixture of laughter and tears with the most memorable music ever written and dances choreographed by husband-and-wife pair Marc Breaux and Dee Dee Wood.

A favourite with all generations, let this saga refresh our spirits. The Sound of Music will always play in our hearts.

Happy Viewing.