The Sound of Music 5-Disc 50th Anniversary Edition
Category: Blu-ray's and DVD's
Wow. 50 years. This movie is just as entertaining today as it was in 1965 when it premiered in theaters. The Sound of Music is a beloved film and has been enjoyed by generations of viewers. Who doesn’t know the story or the music by Rodgers & Hammerstein? If you don’t then you have been living on Mars. Well, even then you might have heard it because the film has been translated into over 30 languages! (Ok, so Martian isn’t one of them!) Anyway, this new 5-disc 50th Anniversary Edition is something that every household will treasure.
The story is based on the lives of Maria von Trapp and her family, with Julie Andrews in the starring role. One of the bonus discs is a new 50 minute documentary “The Sound of a City: Julie Andrews Returns to Salzburg.” I was captivated by this new documentary as Andrews takes viewers back to the locations where many of the exterior scenes were filmed. This documentary is filled with so many interesting facts as well as beautiful scenery.
“The city of Salzburg hardly seems to have changed” Andrews says of the fifty years since she was there filming the movie. She says it is “mind boggling” to think it was a half century ago when she and the rest of the cast and filmmakers were there filming in some of the most beautiful locations of the city. Viewers will discover that many of the locations in the movie were not the actual locations represented, however the Nonnberg Abbey was where they really filmed the Abbey scenes. Currently only 22 women now reside in this peaceful Abbey.
Julie Andrews brought her young daughter Emma to Austria fifty years ago and shares stories of having her family on set with her, as well as stories of meeting the real Maria von Trapp. “The joy of making music” she says was something the two women shared.
In the documentary viewers learn about the marionette theater, which actually created a Sound of Music marionette show in 2007 and it has been popular ever since. The city offers a Sound of Music bus tour to many of the filming locations.
While most of the interior scenes were filmed in the soundstages of the 20th Century Fox studio, the wedding of Maria to Captain Von Trapp was filmed in Mondesee Abbey, and Andrews recalls this event. Besides the Abbeys, Ms. Andrews takes viewers to the lakeside palace, which was where they filmed some of the scenes, which were supposed to be the back yard of the von Trapp family home. This is truly an engaging and amazing documentary.
There are also plenty of interactive features in this edition besides the documentary. Viewers will learn more about the filming locations, the real von Trapp family, and Rogers & Hammerstein. The music is an important part of the film, and these composers are legendary in American music history. Another fun feature includes various performances by Julie Andrews, as well as screen tests by some of the actors who hoped to be cast in the film. Can you imagine Mia Farrow as Liesl? Her screen test was interesting and she would have made a good Liesl. Kim Darby also tested for the role.
There are also sing-alongs and an interactive movie mode which, when set, allows viewers to learn more about specific features while watching the movie.
The five discs include a Blu-ray, a DVD, an exclusive CD soundtrack, and hours of bonus features. My recommendation is to watch the feature film one night then the next night watch the 50-minute documentary with Julie Andrews and the other bonus features. This is truly a viewing event for the entire family.
The Sound of Music is rated G.
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.
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