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The Sound of Music

  • 1965
  • G
  • 2h 52m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
276K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
732
62
Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Charmian Carr, Angela Cartwright, Duane Chase, Nicholas Hammond, Kym Karath, Heather Menzies-Urich, and Debbie Turner in The Sound of Music (1965)
Trailer for The Sound Of Music: 50th Anniversary
Play trailer0:56
11 Videos
99+ Photos
Classic MusicalEpicPeriod DramaBiographyDramaFamilyMusicalRomance

A young novice is sent by her convent in 1930s Austria to become a governess to the seven children of a widowed naval officer.A young novice is sent by her convent in 1930s Austria to become a governess to the seven children of a widowed naval officer.A young novice is sent by her convent in 1930s Austria to become a governess to the seven children of a widowed naval officer.

  • Director
    • Robert Wise
  • Writers
    • Georg Hurdalek
    • Howard Lindsay
    • Russel Crouse
  • Stars
    • Julie Andrews
    • Christopher Plummer
    • Eleanor Parker
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.1/10
    276K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    732
    62
    • Director
      • Robert Wise
    • Writers
      • Georg Hurdalek
      • Howard Lindsay
      • Russel Crouse
    • Stars
      • Julie Andrews
      • Christopher Plummer
      • Eleanor Parker
    • 596User reviews
    • 98Critic reviews
    • 63Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #230
    • Won 5 Oscars
      • 18 wins & 13 nominations total

    Videos11

    The Sound of Music: 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collectors Edition
    Trailer 0:56
    The Sound of Music: 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collectors Edition
    The Sound of Music
    Trailer 1:12
    The Sound of Music
    The Sound of Music
    Trailer 1:12
    The Sound of Music
    The Sound of Music
    Trailer 1:56
    The Sound of Music
    Oklahoma!
    Trailer 1:12
    Oklahoma!
    'Sound of Music' Anniversary Sing-A-Long
    Clip 0:22
    'Sound of Music' Anniversary Sing-A-Long
    The Sound of Music: 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition
    Clip 1:22
    The Sound of Music: 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition

    Photos279

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    Top cast48

    Edit
    Julie Andrews
    Julie Andrews
    • Maria
    Christopher Plummer
    Christopher Plummer
    • Captain Georg von Trapp
    Eleanor Parker
    Eleanor Parker
    • The Baroness
    Richard Haydn
    Richard Haydn
    • Max Detweiler
    Peggy Wood
    Peggy Wood
    • Mother Abbess
    Charmian Carr
    Charmian Carr
    • Liesl von Trapp
    Heather Menzies-Urich
    Heather Menzies-Urich
    • Louisa von Trapp
    • (as Heather Menzies)
    Nicholas Hammond
    Nicholas Hammond
    • Friedrich von Trapp
    Duane Chase
    Duane Chase
    • Kurt von Trapp
    Angela Cartwright
    Angela Cartwright
    • Brigitta von Trapp
    Debbie Turner
    Debbie Turner
    • Marta von Trapp
    Kym Karath
    Kym Karath
    • Gretl von Trapp
    Anna Lee
    Anna Lee
    • Sister Margaretta
    Portia Nelson
    Portia Nelson
    • Sister Berthe
    Ben Wright
    Ben Wright
    • Herr Zeller
    Daniel Truhitte
    Daniel Truhitte
    • Rolfe
    Norma Varden
    Norma Varden
    • Frau Schmidt
    Gilchrist Stuart
    • Franz
    • (as Gil Stuart)
    • Director
      • Robert Wise
    • Writers
      • Georg Hurdalek
      • Howard Lindsay
      • Russel Crouse
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews596

    8.1276.3K
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    Summary

    Reviewers say 'The Sound of Music' is cherished for its iconic songs, enchanting performances, and stunning visuals. Themes of love, family, and freedom resonate deeply, though the film's portrayal of Nazism is criticized. Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer deliver standout performances, while the cinematography is lauded. However, some find the sentimentality, pacing, and character depth lacking. Despite these critiques, its cultural impact and emotional resonance endure.
    AI-generated from the text of user reviews

    Featured reviews

    dweck

    In My Personal Top-Ten of All Time

    Has Julie Andrews ever appeared on film more beautifully than in this film? Has she ever sung with such richness and gusto as is captured here? As a big fan of hers, I can watch this musical over and over and just sigh.

    Wise and his cinematographer have photographed Andrews in a manner that no other director has--even her husband. Watch the scene where Maria watches the Captain sing Edelweiss with the kids. Wise turns her into a gauzy angel. It is a fantastic moment among hundreds that this movie contains.

    I am firmly in a camp that says Julie Andrews was completely, utterly, and regrettably robbed when the 1965 Oscars were handed out. She embodied Maria Von Trapp, wholly and with every fiber of her being (just watch the scene in which she races the boys in a segment of "Do-Re-Mi"; she runs at the camera with utter abandon here, no holding back. Or consider the shot at the end of this song, where she places her hand atop her head--it's as if even SHE can't believe she's hitting that note).

    The Julie Christie performance that beat Andrews is now all but forgotton. "The Sound of Music," however, lives on and on.

    "The Sound of Music" is a bit bittersweet for me, given that audiences tastes would soon turn away from big-budget musicals in general and Julie Andrews specifically. But what a legacy it (and she) have left!
    Poseidon-3

    The perfect film musical......

    This film is a triumph in all departments. Every aspect, from the cinematography to the acting, the sets to the costumes, the music, choreography, script, is top notch. While the film is family friendly and has a sweet story, it is constantly amazing the way people attack it as saccharine and sugary. This can certainly be said of the stage show, but the movie version has been carefully produced to provide a more well-rounded vision. Ernest Lehman worked wonders with the underdeveloped and unremarkable dialogue of the play. He inserted so many moments of wit, humor, romance and poignancy that are nowhere in sight in the original. the art directors purposefully chose muted settings and colors. Each of the actors bent over backwards to provide a brilliant performance. Andrews is already down in history for the performance of a lifetime (and a voice to match), but Plummer is not to be forgotten. Not only is he regal and handsome, but his decision to play the Captain as a complex, sophisticated man with a sly dose of sarcasm was wonderful. His steely, stern persona is eventually melted down by the irrepressible Andrews to great effect. Every supporting performance is also delivered with the right amount of appeal, humor or menace as called for in the script. However, the one that takes the cake....that amazes each time, is the slinky, catty, toweringly glamorous Parker as Baroness Schraeder. Wisely, her songs were cut, further separating her from all the glee around her, so that she could whip out such zingers as "Why didn't you tell me....to bring along my harmonica?" or when she's told that Andrews may not make a great nun, "If you need anything, I'd be happy to help you." The character is given a much more polished and integral position in the film versus the stage and virtually every line of her dialogue (unlike in the play) is a howler. Though Wood was lovely in her role as the Mother Abbess, it was Parker who should have gotten an Oscar nod....and WON! Every expression, every syllable, every glance belies the decades of experience Parker gained as a leading lady during the 40's and 50's. Her clothes by Dorothy Jeakins are awe-inspiring. This type of film-making is GONE. The location photography, the simplicity of story and design, the sheer good-spiritedness of it all...they just can't do this anymore. Thankfully, there's this flawless gem to turn to when one just want to feel good. But saccharine? No..... Compare this to other beloved musicals with their garish colors and sugary story lines ("Seven Brides...", "Singin' in the Rain", "...Molly Brown", "The Music Man", to name just a few...) They are all highly enjoyable, but are hardly less sweet than this! Just one word.....Nazis!! Though virtually everyone knows the outcome, there is still genuine suspense at the climax of "The Sound of Music". The film has it all.
    michyh

    Timeless Classic

    One of my all-time favorite movies. It might be on the sweet side, but sometimes that's just exactly what is needed. Anyway, there is Christopher Plummer as the captain to balance out all that sweetness. I always thought he had a great voice and terrific screen presence in this film.

    Julie Andrews at her freshest and best...her singing is wonderful, the alps are wonderful, the songs are memorable, and the story line never gets boring.
    9gbrumburgh

    Sometimes saccharine can be a good substitute.

    1965's "The Sound of Music" is everything a bad musical should be. Providing more sap than a forest full of Vermont maples, it has coy, silly songs, an inane, innocuous script, and unbelievably sugary characters. So why is it one of my favorite musicals? OK, go ahead. Shoot me at twenty paces. But after all this time, it still remains a guilty pleasure. I find myself going for a tub of rocky road ice cream and Rodgers & Hammerstein's immortal classic whenever the real world gets to be too much. I seem to play it a lot around tax time.

    And I'm not alone. Why is it still considered the most popular musical of all time? Well, first of all they spared no expense. The extremely well-produced blockbuster has gorgeous, eye-popping scenery. From the first moment Julie Andrews flails her arms and circles around on that beautiful sunny hillside singing the rousing title song, I know I'm being swept away to another world. I'm not in Kansas anymore...or L.A., anyway. The panoramic Salzburg background complements and never intimidates or takes away from the characters or their story (like the other R & H extravaganza "South Pacific.") That in itself is an incredible feat.

    Now about those songs. Almost every one of them is absolute drivel. So what makes them work? Easy. The utter joy and sincerity of the cast who sings the infectious, hummable tunes, which are backed by extremely moving orchestrations and an exceptionally beautiful score. It's hard to resist Maria prancing about, pillow-fighting with a bunch of knee-highs and gushing about her most favorite things. Or the austere Captain Von Trapp (the meticulous Christopher Plummer) turning to butter after hearing his brood sing in perfect harmony for the first time (with no prior lessons even) and joining right in. Or the Mother Superior's soaring number that unknowingly forewarns Maria to head for the hills (I mean, mountains) before the Nazis escort them elsewhere. Or the 16-year-old going on 17 squealing with delight after receiving her first kiss. Or the kids working up a clever little ditty to leave their formal party guests when its time for bed. Or two people declaring their love in a moonlit gazebo. The songs work because they come straight from and aim for the heart, not the head, which is exactly the place the viewer should be coming from when watching this movie. If the songs don't transcend the script (which they didn't prior to the 70s), they certainly transcend the mood.

    The script is undeniably trite and probably the film's weakest link. But again, the characters play it straight all the way. Not one actor looks embarrassed. Every scene is done with total enthusiasm and total commitment, and the performers who are telling the story are pitch-perfect and picture perfect.

    And as for the characters. Try and think of anybody better than jubilant, crop-haired Julie Andrews as a postulant nun who has gorgeous pipes, can make play clothes out of curtains, can set up and operate marionette shows at the drop of a hat, and is confident enough to convince a man that a failed nun is ideal marriage material. I certainly can't. Thank heavens for her Oscar-winning "Mary Poppins" the year before or we might have gotten Julie LONDON instead! After all, Andrews did lose out on "My Fair Lady" the year before. But now certifiably bankable, she proved she could handle this dream role. Andrews is cutely silly, cutely stubborn, cutely astute, cutely shattered and cutely...well, cute. She gives the most wholesomely appealing musical perf since Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz." To actually make you forget Mary Martin in the Broadway role takes some doing and she does it effortlessly. Christopher Plummer is all seriousness, handsomely patrician, and quite a catch for anybody...much less a nun. I can't think of anyone more suitable for this role either. As for the Seven Little Foys, I mean the Von Trapp children, they are adorable and perfect in their own ways too, whether they are marching or singing, creating their own individual personalities by film's end.

    Richard Haydn as Max and Eleanor Parker as the flamboyant, haughty Baroness provide wonderful catty relief. Despite having their musical numbers snatched away from them, they make up for it with droll, sophisticated humor. The elegant, perfectly coiffed Parker is particularly delicious as Maria's chief romantic rival, getting some of the film's best zingers and delivering them with biting understatement. Parker developed a devout cult following after this role. Peggy Wood's Mother Superior is suitably reverent and inspiring.

    For those who tear "The Sound of Music" apart for its shameless, sugar-coated manipulations, well, I can respect that. But to attack it for its political and historical inaccuracies is like attacking "Peter Pan" for being a subversive plot that encourages young children to run away from home. It's ludicrous. Despite the fact that it's based on a true story, we're not watching "The Sound of Music" for stark realism. Like a sparkling and lavish Ernst Lubitsch operetta, we want a feel-good movie, with feel-good songs, with a feel-good story, and a feel-good ending. Nothing more. If you want a movie that presents a potent depiction of pre-war Austria or anti-Nazi sentiment, rent "Holocaust" or "Schindler's List." Here, we want to believe that a group of nuns can tear out an automobile carburetor and save the world! Period.

    I suppose the reality-based MTV generation cannot truly respect or relate to the relative innocence and pure escapism like "The Sound of Music." If this movie was made today I'm afraid the Von Trapp children would not be dangling out of trees for fear of drive-by shooters. It's a tough new world today, sad to say. The 50s and 60s are looking better all the time.

    Anyway, for what it's worth, "The Sound of Music" is indeed schmaltz, but its QUALITY schmaltz at its very, very best.
    10davispittman

    Fantastic family friendly musical classic

    The Sound of Music (1965) is an all time classic family musical that has always been one of my favorites. Ever since I was child, I would watch this movie and just love every minute of it. This movie really was destined for greatness from the beginning, anyone at all could have seen that. Between the A list cast, great performances, top notch singing, and the enchanting story.... there's no wonder people still love it to death. Julie Andrews stars as Maria, who is a nun, but not a very good one, and she gets sent to be a governess to the Von Trapp family. The Von Trapp family is a very well to do family in Austria. The father is a former captain and the mother died some time ago. Christopher Plummer plays captain Von Trapp, and he does a great job. Every member of the cast does a great job with their performances, both singing and non. The singing alone in this film is just astounding, every single musical number is just as good, if not better than the previous one. If you do not care for musicals, then I wouldn't really suggest this movie to you. It really is a lot of singing, but it is great singing by talented artists, which is really why it will forever have a place in classic great cinema. 10/10 for The Sound of Music. Enchanting story with lovely entertaining music.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Christopher Plummer accidentally said the word "Captain" to Julie Andrews during the argument scene. Despite the error, producer and director Robert Wise thought it was that amusing, and liked it so much, he kept it in the movie.
    • Goofs
      Georg von Trapp was an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Navy in World War I, commanding ships based from ports on the Adriatic coast of Croatia, an Imperial province. In 1918, the Empire was dissolved, leaving Austria a landlocked country, and Von Trapp out of a job in the process. "Austrian Navy" sounds like an oxymoron to viewers unaware of the historical context.
    • Quotes

      Maria: When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.

    • Crazy credits
      The 20th Century Fox logo is played in complete silence.
    • Alternate versions
      The 1996 video fits the movie onto one VHS cassette by removing the Intermission screen as well as the Entr'acte.
    • Connections
      Featured in Film Review: Julie Andrews (1967)
    • Soundtracks
      Prelude
      (1959) (uncredited)

      Music by Richard Rodgers

      Played during the opening aerial shots

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    FAQ21

    • How long is The Sound of Music?Powered by Alexa
    • Mary Martin originated the role on Broadway; was she considered for the movie?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 1, 1965 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Facebook
      • Official Site
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
    • Also known as
      • La novicia rebelde
    • Filming locations
      • Felsenreitschule, Salzburg, Austria(music festival scenes)
    • Production companies
      • Robert Wise Productions
      • Argyle Enterprises
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $8,200,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $159,287,539
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $413,497
      • Sep 9, 2018
    • Gross worldwide
      • $159,500,547
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 52 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.20 : 1

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