Robert Wise directed the musical blockbuster, The Sound of Music, from a screenplay written by Ernest Lehman, based on the 1959 stage musical composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Lindsay and Crouse.
Grade: B+ (***1/2* out of *****)
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Theatrical release poster by Howard Terpning
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The text was inspired by Maria von Trapp 1949 memoir “The Story of the Trapp Family Singers.”
It stars Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, with Richard Haydn, Peggy Wood, Charmian Carr, and Eleanor Parker.
Set in Salzburg, Austria, it is a fictionalized retelling of Maria von Trapp’s experiences as governess to seven children, her eventual marriage with their father Captain Georg von Trapp, and their escape during the Anschluss in 1938.
When initially released by 20th Century Fox, March 2, 1965, as limited roadshow theatrical release, the musical received mixed reviews, but it was a commercial bonanza, the number-one box office after 4 weeks, and 1965’s highest-grossing film.
By November 1966, The Sound of Music had become the highest-grossing film in history, surpassing Gone with the Wind, holding that distinction for five years.
The film was popular throughout the world, breaking previous box-office records in 29 countries.
Commercial Appeal
The Sound of Music had an initial theatrical release that lasted four and a half years, and two successful re-releases. It sold 283 million admissions worldwide and earned a total worldwide gross of $288 million against a budget of just $8 million.
Critical Status
The film also received the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement, and the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Musical.
Since its release, the film is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. In 1998, the American Film Institute (AFI) listed The Sound of Music as the 55th greatest American film of all time, and the fourth-greatest film musical.
In 2001, the US Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
Oscar Context
Oscar Nominations: 10
Picture, produced by Robert Wise
Director: Robert Wise
Actress: Julie Andrews
Supporting Actress: Peggy Wood
Cinematography (color): Ted McCord
Film Editing: William Reynolds
Score (Musical) (Adaptation): Irwin Kostal
Art Direction-Set Decoration (color): Boris Leven; Walter M. Scott and Ruby Levitt
Costume Design (color): Dorothy Jeakins
Sound: James P. Corcoran
Oscar Awards: 5
Picture
Director
Sound
Music Score
Film Editing
Oscar Context
The 1965 competition for Best Picture was rather weak. Stanley Kramer’s flawed and pretentious “Ship of Fools” and the screen adaptation of the Broadway comedy “A Thousand Clowns” stood no chance of winning. The other two contenders were made by British directors, David Lean’s “Doctor Zhivago,” a romantic spectacle, and John Schlesinger’ “Darling!” clearly the most innovative of the nominees, earlier singled out by the New York Film Critics.
For most Academy members, the choice was between “The Sound of Music” and “Doctor Zhivago,” each of which received ten nominations. At the end of the day, the awards were also equally divided, with each movie getting five, though, except for screenplay (Robert Bolt), “Doctor Zhivago” received mostly technical awards, such as Color Cinematography (Freddie Young), Color Art Direction-Set Decoration (John Box and Terry Marsh), and Color Costume Design (Phyllis Dalton).
Credits:
Produced, directed by Robert Wise
Screenplay by Ernest Lehman, based on The Sound of Music by Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse
Uncredited: The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp
Cinematography Ted McCord
Edited by William Reynolds
Music by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II (songs); Irwin Kostal (score)
Production: Argyle Enterprises
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date: March 2, 1965 (US)
Running time: 174 minutes
Budget $8.2 million
Box office $287.8 million
