National Classic Movie Day ~ Sound of Music

This post is part of the My Favorite Classic Movie Blogathon in celebration of National Classic Movie Day (May 16th). Click here to view the schedule listing all the great posts in this blogathon.
 
I have a confession to make. The Sound of Music (1965) is not my absolute number one favorite movie. On most days that honor goes to Casablanca (1942). When it came to selecting a film to celebrate National Classic Movie Day, though, I wanted to go with a movie favorite that embodied the sentiment of the holiday: one that profoundly affected my life. For me, that movie is The Sound of Music.

~Theatrical Poster - Source~

Now I know a lot has been written about Sound of Music because of its recent 50th anniversary. I don't want to bore you by rehashing information that has already been narrated far better than I could ever write. Instead, this is a purely personal post about how a movie has touched my heart through the years.

My mom recorded Sound of Music on VHS when my brothers and I were kids. It was the perfect family film. Because of the age range of the von Trapp children, year after year we had someone new with whom to identify. There were love stories for young (Liesl and Rolfe) and old (Maria and the Captain), action for the boys (the Captain versus the Nazis), and songs for all. We laughed together--sometimes at parts that were not intended to be funny (in particular, we thought the oldest von Trapp boy's facial expressions were hilarious). My brothers and I watched the movie so many times that whenever I watch the film today, I still half-expect a fuzzy line to roll across the screen where the tape had been stopped to edit out commercials.

"Sixteen Going on Seventeen"

The songs in Sound of Music became the soundtrack to my life. In grade school, our choir teacher used "Do-Re-Mi" to teach us the musical scale of notes. When twelve or thirteen, I went around the house singing "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" because I had a crush on a boy a year older than me. The song remains a favorite of mine not only for sentimental reasons, but also for the fabulous dance routine in the gazebo. (Come to think of it, this could be where my love of gazebos originated.) For those rough teenage years of feeling restless and out of place, "Maria" described how I viewed myself: a big contradiction. In young adulthood I hummed "I Have Confidence" during each new move and endeavor, and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" continues to be an inspiration for every new adventure on which I embark. I expect "Edelweiss" will take on its own significance as I age, a final farewell song as it was for Hammerstein when he wrote it.*

*For those who don't know, Hammerstein was dying of cancer when he wrote "Edelweiss."

In addition to familial bonding and songs, I could relate to Sound of Music in a way I could not with other films. Here was a positive image of my religion and more importantly, of strong Catholic women. 

Mother Superior (Peggy Wood)

The nuns looked like the nun doll my dad had given me. His deepest wish was that I should become a nun someday, and on the screen was the process of how this was accomplished--along with the counterargument that not everyone was cut out for religious life! I also related to Maria's great love of nature. Like Maria, I found inspiration in the beauty of a mountain, meadow, and rose. Chills ran down my spine every time that wide shot of the mountain zoomed in on Maria as she belted out "The Hills are Alive"  (which, having attended the 50th anniversary viewing, is even more amazing on the large screen).

Finally, Sound of Music was the first movie that inspired me to go to the library and do research. I was twelve and discovered that the film was based on real people. I wanted to know more, so I checked out a book about Maria von Trapp. I can't remember the title of the biography, but it ignited a burning desire to learn as much as I could about the films I watched. It has taken years to get to this point, writing a classic movie blog, but it has been a rewarding journey, and I owe much of it to The Sound of Music.