The Sound of Music is a musical set in Austria during the late 1930s; Maria, an aspiring nun, is sent to be the nanny for Captain Von Trapp’s seven children after their mother died years before. While the Captain has strict rules and guidelines for those living in his home, Maria challenges some of these rules by teaching the kids music. The Sound of Music beautifully developed the theme of the importance of music through the characters, script, and songs. For example, one of the most popular songs in the film, “Do-Re-mi,” uses the musical scale to create lyrics in a nuanced way. Maria explains to the kids the foundations of music while singing it and making it easier to learn. While the children quickly learn to love music and the carefree nature of it, their father was harder to convince.
The writers of this film did a phenomenal job developing the character of Captain Von Trapp. He slowly came around to the idea of being lighthearted in a way that seemed realistic and kept the viewers engaged. The first half of this movie builds tension between Maria and the Captain as well. She disobeys the Captain’s orders, challenging his character and lead him to become more carefree. They overcome this conflict when the Captain becomes less harsh towards his kids; romantic tension between the two begins to build. The Sound of Music has two developing plots and themes throughout the movie. The original conflict is between Maria and the Captain over his rules.
The second half of the movie is more based on the historical aspects of this time period. In 1938, during the time frame of the movie, the Nazi’s invade Austria and recruit the Captain to work for them. However, Captain Von Trapp does not support the Nazi’s and is forced to escape in order to avoid working for them. The seven kids, Maria, and the Captain escape Nazi infused Austria to hike their way to Switzerland in order to avoid the war. The two storylines embedded in this movie complement each other well; while the themes are polar opposites, I think they blend nicely and make a more balanced movie. These two subplots also feed into the overarching storyline of Maria finding herself. At the beginning, Maria is in a convent wanting to be a nun, and by the end of the movie, she runs off to Switzerland with her husband, Captain Von Trapp and his kids. The Sound of Music is one of the best films of all time; the plot is engaging for all ages, it has historical aspects, the songs are phenomenal, and the fabulous Julie Andrews is in it. I would highly recommend watching the film because it blends more serious historical aspects with the theme of happiness and it all ties back to Maria and her internal conflict.
