Robert Wise is a director with an impressive list of credits who came out of the studio system. He started out at RKO as an editor, working on Orson Welles' early films, including "Citizen Kane" and "The Magnificent Ambersons" before becoming a director in the '40s. After proving himself proficient in multiple genres, including horror, noir, and science-fiction, he started producing films in the '50s. After the success of "West Side Story," which he won his first Best Director Oscar for, he was keen to work on his dream project, a war film called "The Sand Pebbles." However, production delays prompted him to take on a "fill in" project in 1964, another musical adaptation. This would be "The Sound of Music," which would become one of the most financially successful films ever made.
"The Sound of Music" is based on the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical, which had to be significantly revised on its way to the screen. Screenwriter Ernest Lehman and Wise spent significant efforts trying to cut down the sentimentality of the musical, and rework the lead roles to be more complex and interesting. Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer both had significant reservations about signing on to the film, because the original versions of the characters were so one-dimensional. A common criticism of the musical was that it was too saccharine, a criticism that would also dog the film version. Some existing songs were deleted, and new songs were written by Richard Rodgers specifically for the film, including "I Have Confidence" and "Something Good." All the existing dance choreography was abandoned so that the filmmakers could take advantage of shooting on location in Salzburg, resulting in one of the least stagey musical adaptations of its era.
In spite of all the concern about "The Sound of Music" being too simple and too sentimental, I suspect that this was also a major reason for its success. As far as family entertainment goes, it's hard to beat. This was one of the first live-action musicals I encountered as a child, through the easy-to-sing numbers like "Do-Re-Mi," "My Favorite Things," and "Edelweiss." I didn't quite understandd what was going on with the Nazis when I watched the film when I was younger, but Fraulein Maria going out into the world and endearing herself to the von Trapp children was easy to understand, as was the more difficult business of Maria falling in love with their father. "The Sound of Music" remains so wonderfully accessible, its no wonder it was a worldwide hit - with the exception of Austria and Germany, where the rather inaccurate, Hollywoodized portrayal of the famous Trapp family understandably rubbed the wrong way.
However, the film doesn't care remotely about resembling reality. Wise and Lehman knew that they were in the business of constructing a fairy tale, a piece of heartwarming spectacle meant to fill three hours with music and dance and stunning cinematography. From the first, sweeping shot of Maria singing to the green hills of Bavaria, the filmmakers built their film around the musical numbers, all carefully staged to show off picturesque views of Austria and the talents of their charming cast. Between this and "Mary Poppins," Julie Andrews became everyone's favorite leading lady, and would rarely find a film role so suited to her particular talents again. Her exuberance when performing songs as simple as "Do-Re-Mi" is infectious, and her comedic skills are impeccable. Christopher Plummer vocally disliked the film, but he's so good as the stern Captain von Trapp that trying to escape its legacy proved impossible. And frankly, I'm still a little stunned that this was Charmian Carr's only film role.
I haven't seen "The Sound of Music" in years now, but it was a staple of my childhood, frequently aired on television around the holidays, and was the subject of countless retrospectives and specials over the years. It didn't occur to me until I was an adult that the film was something of an outlier of its time - a lavish movie musical when musicals were on the wane in Hollywood. Its success, along with a few others, was enough to keep the genre going for another decade. And Robert Wise was eventually able to get "The Sand Pebbles" made, a very fine adventure film that is not remotely as memorable as "The Sound of Music."
What I've Seen - Robert Wise
The Body Snatcher (1945)
The Set-Up (1949)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
I Want to Live! (1958)
Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
West Side Story (1961)
The Haunting (1963)
The Sound of Music (1965)
The Sand Pebbles (1966)
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
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