"When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad. I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad."
My favourite things -Julie Andrews.
Today was one of these days. No, no! No dog bit me or bee stang me. It was a very difficult day and it really made me sad. But, as I was walking home from a tiresome obligation, my Spotify list may sensed that I was feeling blue and suddenly this melody came out of the headphones. A smile spread across my face and I started singing with Julie Andrews. (Okay, if you have read me a little, you will surely understand that I was walking rhythmically, almost dancing in the street).
So, today I will talk to you about one of my favorite movies, The Sound of Music.
Are you ready for a trip to pre-war Austria?
We are in 1938, just before the start of World War II. Maria (Julie Andrews), a probationary nun in a catholic monastery, has problems with some other conservative nuns because of her free spirit. Mother abbess, in order to calm the spirits, sends Maria as a nanny to the von Trapp family.
Admiral von Trapp, a widower and father of seven, a man of military discipline that enforces even to his kids, is looking for a woman nanny who can "bear" his children, as all previous nannies have run away. Maria, despite all the misbehavior of the children, treats them with love, big smiles, and lots of singing. In the end she wins their hearts.
And not only the hearts of the children... Maria will also win the Admiral's heart with her vitality, her love for life and her innocence. They get married but the historic turmoil of WWII begins and as Austria is annexed to Germany by the Nazis through Anschluss, the couple, opposed to the Nazis, along with the children escape to Switzerland.
The film is based (loosely) on the true story of the von Trapp family, which was a singing band for many years, both in their homeland Austria and in America, where they fled to escape the Nazi regime. Of course this is not a faithful dramatization of their story, but it has several accurate points in it.
So, let's talk about the movie.
From the first scenes we see the contrast between the Admiral (Christopher Plummer) and Maria. The admiral raises his children with military discipline, giving orders and orders with a whistle. He is a man who has an organized, calm life and wants to keep it that way.
However, Hurricane Maria, who enters its home, changes everything. After gaining the trust of his children, Maria reminds them what it is like to be a child, to play, to climb trees, to go cycling, boating, to fill your day with laughter and songs. Because Maria's life has a lot of song and she wants to teach it to children. (Do-re-mi is one my favourite songs. And you must know that is a very common song used for teaching English. And yes, I have sung it too in an event oraganised by our school)All the songs in this film are magnificent. Check out the ones that chidlren sing. "(Dear 16) Going on 17" is a great rhythm (even though I disagree with some of the lyrics). But, I simply adore "So Long, Farewell" that is sung by all the children. The little ones steal the show. (I also sung that)
Apart from the songs, though, the protagonistic couple are magnifcent in their roles. Julie Andrews often shows off her comedic talent in the film, as in the scene with the boat where she falls into the water. But what is most crucial to me is the innocence that exudes, an innocence that fascinates not only the Admiral, but also us the spectators and makes us like her unconditionally.
Christopher Plummer in the role of the grumpy in the beginning,as much as he surprises us with his austerity, in the end when he is smiling and is happy afterwards, gets our admiration. Even if he was dubbed in the scenes where he had to sing, this does not reduce his stage presence at all. His chemistry with his co-star makes their love story even more convincing.
I will not claim that it is a perfect movie. Certainly the actors play their roles extremely well, but as for the formation of some characters, there are some issues. For example, the admiral seems to oppose the Nazis because he does not want to go to Berlin to serve in the navy, not because he is totally opposed to Nazi ideology. Or the character of Uncle Max, who does not specify exactly what his role is.
But I will ignore them for now. And the reason is that the whole movie exudes happiness. And that is enough for me today. Because just listening to the song from the movie brought a smile to my face and I know that I will sleep calmer despite the difficult day I went through. And in my mind will play the song "My favorite things" ***The melody of happiness*** (incidentally, this is the title of the film in Greek).Thank you for reading!
