第 1 章
The Hills Are Alive: A Cultural Phenomenon That Changed Cinema Forever
In a meadow outside Salzburg in June 1964, a 28-year-old Julie Andrews was freezing. Rain had left only one unpaved road to reach the filming location for The Sound of Music's iconic opening scene. Despite Fox executives pressuring director Robert Wise about the overbudget production, they needed this perfect shot of Andrews spinning across the Alpine landscape. Take after take, she was repeatedly knocked down by the helicopter's downdraft, pulling grass from her costume between shots. This pivotal moment would establish whether audiences could accept a nun bursting into song. The gamble paid off spectacularly-five Academy Awards and cultural impact spanning five decades. The film transformed the real Maria von Trapp-a complex woman who married her employer, inherited seven children, had three more, and led her family to international singing stardom while escaping the Nazis-into nothing less than a secular saint. Today, The Sound of Music remains one of the most beloved films ever made, with over 1.2 billion viewers worldwide and a soundtrack that has sold over 20 million copies, making it the most commercially successful movie musical of all time.
第 2 章
The Real Maria: Far from Julie Andrews' Portrayal
Maria's traumatic childhood under her tyrannical uncle Franz left her with lifelong insecurities. Seeking escape through education at Vienna's State Teacher's College, she found solace wandering Austria's mountainous countryside. Unlike the petite Julie Andrews portrayal, the real Maria was substantial and sturdy-a formidable, blunt woman with boundless energy often compared to Katharine Hepburn in her no-nonsense practicality. After a spiritual revelation in the Alps and a moving Palm Sunday service, Maria joined Nonnberg Abbey at nineteen, seeking the love and security her life had always lacked.
Though unsuited to cloistered life, Maria constantly broke rules to experience the surrounding natural beauty, often preemptively kissing the floor before looking out windows. When the opportunity arose to tutor Captain von Trapp's daughter, the nuns likely welcomed her departure.
Captain Georg von Trapp, a decorated naval hero who had lost both his career after WWI and his wife Agathe to scarlet fever, hired Maria to tutor his daughter Maria who was too weak from illness to walk to school. The captain did use a bosun's whistle, though only to locate his children on the large estate, not as the disciplinary tool depicted in the film. Unlike the film's cold martinet, Georg was actually warm and loving, while Maria-emotionally stunted from her loveless childhood-needed thawing.
The captain's marriage proposal was far from the romantic gazebo scene portrayed in the film. Maria was standing on a stepladder polishing a chandelier when the children announced, "Poppa says he will marry you." Her reaction was not joy but devastation, feeling her heart "which had so longed to give itself entirely to God, felt rejected." She only agreed after the Mother Superior convinced her it was God's will.
Whether the family began singing before Maria's arrival remains disputed-Maria claimed "they didn't sing" while daughter Maria recalled their home "sounded like a musical conservatory" with various instruments. After Maria and Georg married in November 1927, their musical life changed dramatically when Father Franz Wasner arrived. Initially there to say mass in the family chapel, Wasner transformed their casual singing into something more professional, becoming the true architect of the Trapp Family Singers.
第 3 章
From Stage to Screen: The Journey to Hollywood
The collaboration between Maria von Trapp and Father Wasner produced the Trapp Family Singers, who achieved considerable success in Europe before fleeing Austria in 1938. Their story first reached American audiences through Maria's 1949 memoir "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers," which caught the attention of German filmmakers who created two successful films: Die Trapp-Familie (1956) and Die Trapp-Familie in Amerika (1958).
Broadway producers Leland Hayward and Richard Halliday (husband of Mary Martin) optioned the film rights and approached Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II to write a single song for a planned non-musical adaptation. Instead, the legendary duo proposed creating a full musical. With Hammerstein's health failing, they worked quickly to complete what would be their final collaboration.
The Broadway production opened in 1959 starring Mary Martin, who was twenty years too old for the role but brought star power and box office draw. Though critics were divided-some finding it overly sentimental while others praised its craftsmanship-audiences embraced the show. It ran for 1,443 performances and won six Tony Awards including Best Musical.
When 20th Century-Fox acquired the film rights in 1960 for $1.25 million, the studio was recovering from the financial disaster of Cleopatra. Producer Richard Zanuck saw The Sound of Music as a potential savior for the struggling studio, but finding the right creative team proved challenging. Acclaimed screenwriter Ernest Lehman, fresh from his success with West Side Story, recognized the material's cinematic potential despite its sentimentality, understanding that its timeless themes of faith, love, and family would resonate with audiences.
The search for a director proved surprisingly difficult as A-list directors avoided the project. Stanley Donen refused involvement despite having invested in the Broadway show, while Gene Kelly bluntly told Lehman, "Ernie, go find someone else to direct this piece of shit!" After legendary director William Wyler reluctantly agreed then backed out, Lehman convinced Robert Wise to take the helm, despite Wise having previously declined the project for being too saccharine.
第 4 章
Crafting a Visual Masterpiece: The Production Team
Robert Wise assembled an extraordinary team of Oscar-winning professionals to create the visual world of The Sound of Music, balancing fantasy and reality while showcasing fourteen show tunes. His first-choice collaborators-production designer Boris Leven, cinematographer Ted McCord, editor William Reynolds, and costume designer Dorothy Jeakins-brought decades of expertise to the project, ensuring the film would achieve the perfect blend of romantic fairy tale and authentic Austrian setting.
Production designer Boris Leven was considered so essential that Wise contacted him immediately after signing on himself. Born in Moscow in 1908 and trained as an architect, Leven had built a legendary Hollywood career with nine Oscar nominations, winning for his work with Wise on West Side Story. Known for his extraordinary eye for detail and ability to blend the genuine with the theatrical, Leven was determined to avoid stereotypical alpine cliches.
Cinematographer Ted McCord was Wise's only choice to capture the balance between gilded ballrooms and towering Alps. With a career dating back to 1917, McCord had mastered outdoor cinematography through his work on Westerns like The Hanging Tree. His photography demonstrated remarkable range-from the deep shadows of Johnny Belinda (earning an Oscar nomination) to the gritty realism of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
Editor William Reynolds, who began his career as a prop mover before rising to prominence at 20th Century-Fox, had first worked with Wise on 1951's The Day the Earth Stood Still. His editing philosophy was refreshingly understated: "Try to make the best possible version of what you as editor take to be the director's idea of the film. I'd like to think that when people see films, they're not aware of editing."
Costume designer Dorothy Jeakins brought extraordinary attention to detail, creating character development through thoughtful mixtures of colors and textures. For The Sound of Music, she avoided "fancy dirndls," creating understated yet memorable costumes that perfectly suited the film's fairy-tale proceedings. Her perfectionism extended to using only period-authentic materials, even when they wouldn't be seen on camera.
第 5 章
Finding Maria: Julie Andrews' Career-Defining Role
In retrospect, casting Julie Andrews as Maria seems inevitable, but in summer 1963, it was far from an easy decision. Andrews remained an unknown quantity on film, with Mary Poppins yet to be released and The Americanization of Emily just beginning production. Despite her Broadway success in The Boy Friend, My Fair Lady, and Camelot, studio executives wanted a proven movie star with box office clout.
Richard Rodgers wanted Andrews for the role, having known her talent since she auditioned for Pipe Dream in the mid-1950s. When Andrews landed My Fair Lady instead, Rodgers had generously encouraged her to take that opportunity. Later, Rodgers and Hammerstein created Cinderella with Andrews in mind, which became "the greatest screen test ever for The Sound of Music" according to R&H president Ted Chapin.
Robert Wise considered Andrews' lack of conventional Hollywood glamour a plus for playing Maria. Her fresh-scrubbed beauty and slightly reserved personality seemed ideal, and her Broadway experience had taught her how to tone down gestures for camera. After viewing just five minutes of the unreleased Mary Poppins footage, Wise declared, "Let's go sign her right now."
Andrews signed for $225,000 without profit participation, after negotiating down from Fox's demanded four-film deal to two. She immediately impressed Wise by asking, "Now what are we going to do to take all the schmaltz out of this?" Andrews prepared meticulously, studying the score with her singing teacher Lilian Stiles-Allen, yet made her performance appear effortless. The musical team of Saul Chaplin, Irwin Kostal and Bobby Tucker worked to showcase Andrews' crystalline voice, with Chaplin comparing her musical instincts to Judy Garland's.
For Captain von Trapp, Wise remained convinced Christopher Plummer was perfect despite the actor's initial reluctance. Plummer had impressive theatrical credentials but little interest in playing what he considered "a stick figure in an operetta." Wise flew to London to personally convince him, and Plummer eventually agreed on condition he could work with screenwriter Ernest Lehman to add depth to the character. Though Plummer remained somewhat condescending about the material (even dismissing "Edelweiss" as "boring, schmaltzy, and trite"), he came to appreciate Lehman's work in transforming the captain into a worthy partner for Maria.
第 6 章
Seven Perfect Children: Casting the von Trapp Family
Robert Wise faced the challenge of casting seven children who could sing, dance, and act professionally while still appearing natural and believable as siblings. After auditioning over two hundred children across London, New York, and Los Angeles, Wise prioritized authenticity over musical ability, knowing vocals could be enhanced in production.
Finding the right Liesl proved particularly difficult. After screen testing established actresses like Lesley Ann Warren, Teri Garr, Shelley Fabares, Sharon Tate, and Mia Farrow, Wise ultimately cast unknown 21-year-old Charmian Farnon (renamed Carr at Wise's suggestion) despite concerns about her age. Her natural charm, striking blue eyes, and genuine talent for singing and dancing won over the production team.
For Friedrich, Wise found 13-year-old Nicholas Hammond, whose natural, unpretentious reading during his New York audition perfectly matched the director's vision for the 14-year-old character. Heather Menzies, also 14, was cast as 13-year-old Louisa, providing the one blonde child Wise wanted among the von Trapps.
Eleven-year-old Angela Cartwright, already a veteran of seven television series, was cast as the direct and outspoken Brigitta. Despite being the only seasoned actor among the children, she exhibited none of the precocious style that would have harmed the sense of family unity.
Thirteen-year-old Duane Chase won the role of Kurt with his wide-open grin of boyhood exuberance. Seven-year-old Debbie Turner, with only a few commercials on her resume, was cast as Marta, the second youngest child. Five-year-old Kym Karath, already possessing three professional credits, won the role of youngest child Gretl with her hilarious, self-assured audition.
The supporting cast was equally impressive, with Eleanor Parker as Baroness Elsa von Schraeder, Richard Haydn as Max Detweiler, Peggy Wood as the Mother Abbess, and Dan Truhitte as Rolfe. Each brought dimension and authenticity to roles that could have easily become stereotypes in less capable hands.
第 7 章
On Location: The Challenges of Filming in Salzburg
As filming of "Maria" wrapped on the Los Angeles soundstage, the sixty-person Sound of Music company flew to Austria in April 1964 for what they expected would be a brief, enjoyable six-week location shoot in Salzburg. The production team arrived to find electricians had already spent three weeks installing cables for the elaborate shooting schedule.
Julie Andrews worked nonstop, starting each day at 6:00 AM in hair and makeup while coping with her own self-doubts about motherhood-portraying the super stepmother of all time while having to leave her one-year-old daughter Emma Kate in the care of others. Meanwhile, Christopher Plummer enjoyed great chunks of free time, exploring the countryside and indulging in "the beer, the quiche, the schnapps" until he "looked like Orson Welles" and needed new costumes.
The "Do-Re-Mi" sequence became the film's musical centerpiece, conceived by Ernest Lehman as a montage that would compress an entire summer into nine minutes. Choreographers Marc Breaux and Dee Dee Wood meticulously planned the sequence across nine different locations throughout Salzburg, drilling the children for weeks in Los Angeles before filming began. Despite challenging weather conditions-freezing temperatures and constant rain delays in the mountain scenes-the team persevered, with Julie Andrews keeping spirits high by singing to the children during breaks.
The sequence's effectiveness came from Robert Wise's insistence on authentic locations rather than studio sets, avoiding the pitfalls that had plagued other musical adaptations. When editor William Reynolds assembled the rough cut, even veteran cinematographer Ted McCord was impressed, recognizing they had created "one of the all-time classic movie musical numbers"-essentially the world's first music video.
For the title song sequence, Andrews was transported to the meadow in an ox cart alongside camera equipment, wrapped incongruously in a mink coat. Upon arrival, the meadow's owner screamed obscenities in German, concerned his cows weren't producing milk due to the disruption. After relining and refilling an artificial brook and strategically placing "trees" and canvas for dappled lighting, they finally got twenty precious minutes of sunshine. Andrews hopped on stones, tossed pebbles perfectly timed to the prerecorded music, and completed take after take with unwavering precision and energy, creating the iconic sequence that would earn her a place in cinema history.
第 8 章
From Preview to Phenomenon: The Film's Reception
The Minneapolis preview audience braved freezing temperatures to attend the screening, packing the theater to capacity. Despite the questionable opening text about "golden days of the 1930s," viewers were completely engrossed by the film. The audience fell in love with Julie Andrews, sighing with pleasure after each song, and adored the children, especially little Gretl. At intermission, they gave a spontaneous standing ovation. The preview scorecards were overwhelmingly positive: 223 "excellent," 3 "good," and 0 "fair."
Following the sensational preview responses, Fox granted publicists a generous $3,000,000 advertising budget. The release strategy was carefully calibrated: 131 theaters, reserved seats, and limited daily showings to position The Sound of Music as a genuine moviegoing event. After rejecting twelve versions of promotional artwork, the team settled on the iconic image of Julie Andrews cresting a hill, guitar and carpetbag swinging freely, with Christopher Plummer stern and forceful to the side, and seven grinning children in matching yellow outfits behind her.
By the March 2, 1965 premiere at the Rivoli Theatre in Manhattan, Fox executives had revised their box office estimates upward to $60 million. The sophisticated New York audience arrived with high expectations. As the film began with breathtaking aerial shots of the Salzkammergut lake district accompanied only by the sound of wind, the audience held its collective breath. When Julie Andrews appeared, twirling with arms spread wide and bursting into "The hills are alive," the audience fell in love.
Despite terrific advance reviews from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, The Sound of Music was savaged by big-city critics. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times dismissed it as "operetta kitsch," while Pauline Kael delivered perhaps the harshest assessment, declaring the film would be "the single most repressive influence on artistic freedom in movies for the next few years." This hostility reflected a broader cultural shift away from sentiment toward irony and ambiguity in 1960s cinema, with critics seemingly enraged by the sheer effectiveness of this resolutely old-fashioned film that refused to embrace the era's growing cynicism.
Despite critics' disdain, The Sound of Music became a global phenomenon through extraordinary word-of-mouth. The film's unprecedented popularity stemmed from its moral certainty in an increasingly ambiguous cultural landscape. In this black-and-white universe, the good were godly, the villains were Nazis, and the pain of real life simply didn't exist in Maria von Trapp's world. This fantasy became a form of wish fulfillment for audiences who wanted to live inside the movie.
第 9 章
Legacy and Impact: Fifty Years of The Sound of Music
When Oscar nominations were announced in early 1966, The Sound of Music and Doctor Zhivago emerged as frontrunners with ten nominations each. At the ceremony, The Sound of Music won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Robert Wise. Though Julie Andrews lost Best Actress to Julie Christie, her performance remained indelible in the public consciousness.
The film's global impact was extraordinary. In the Philippines, police were called to control unruly crowds demanding holiday tickets. Country by country, continent by continent, the film consistently broke box office records, pleasing millions while frustrating critics. The film's extended roadshow release generated such profits that Fox stockholders received a one-third increase in quarterly dividends.
However, the film flopped dramatically in Germany and Austria. While officially attributed to competition from the popular German-language Die Trapp-Familie films, the real reason likely involved the Nazi-era setting. The film reminded Austrians of their complicity with Hitler-a history many preferred to forget. When Fox's Munich branch manager cut the entire final third of the film to remove Nazi imagery, he was promptly fired.
As The Sound of Music's grosses soared, Julie Andrews became the hottest movie star on the planet. By 1967, she had replaced Doris Day atop box office rankings after starring in the highest-grossing films for three consecutive years. The overwhelming success created impossible expectations-audiences demanded she embody her flawless screen characters in real life.
For years after The Sound of Music, Christopher Plummer's worst career nightmare seemed realized. Despite his impeccable theatrical resume, to the public he remained Captain von Trapp. Fifty years later, a mutual rapprochement occurred between Plummer and the public. Working nonstop in theater and film, he won Tony Awards for Cyrano (1974) and Barrymore (1997), finally claiming an Oscar at age 82 for Beginners (2010).
The seven actors who portrayed the von Trapp children maintained a genuine bond that lasted decades after filming ended. Though they hadn't all gathered with Andrews and Plummer since the 1965 premiere until their 2010 Oprah reunion, they remained in constant contact, supporting each other through life's milestones. Each actor found their own path after the film: Charmian Carr became an interior designer for clients including Michael Jackson; Nicholas Hammond acted in Spider-Man and relocated to Australia; Heather Menzies worked with Julie Andrews again in Hawaii; Angela Cartwright starred in Lost in Space; Duane Chase became a geologist; Debbie Turner runs a floral design company; and Kym Karath studied art history in Paris.
第 10 章
The Real von Trapps: Life After Hollywood
The von Trapp family's true story differed significantly from the Hollywood version. After Georg lost their money trying to save his friend's bank in 1932, Maria dismissed servants, closed parts of their villa, and took in boarders. Seeing greater financial potential, she pushed the family toward public performances despite the captain's initial objections that it was undignified.
When touring brought them to Stowe, Vermont in 1941, they discovered a ramshackle house with mountain views reminiscent of Austria. As daughter Lorli observed, "My father saw the house. My mother saw the view." The family renovated the property, gradually establishing what would become the Trapp Family Lodge by 1950.
Maria's boundless energy extended to establishing a music camp where paying guests learned the von Trapp singing style. Her Catholic faith remained central to her identity, insisting on giving free concerts at abbeys despite her children's grumbling. The family faced significant hardships-Werner and Rupert being drafted during WWII, Maria suffering health crises including high blood pressure and convulsions, and daughter Martina dying in childbirth in 1951.
The ten children followed diverse paths. Rupert became a doctor in Rhode Island. Agathe never married and worked as a kindergarten teacher. The second Maria became a missionary in Papua New Guinea for 32 years. Werner ran a dairy farm deliberately distancing himself from the Lodge. Hedwig taught handicrafts and singing in Hawaii. Johanna married and had seven children in Austria. Martina died young in childbirth. Rosmarie struggled emotionally but experienced a spiritual turning point at forty. Eleonore (Lorli) married and raised seven daughters. Johannes, the youngest, took over lodge operations from Maria when finances neared collapse, though this created new family tensions.
In the fifty years since leaving Austria, the von Trapps faced conflicted feelings from their homeland. Recognition grew over time, with Maria receiving the Honorary Cross First Class for Science and Art Cultural Endeavors in 1967. The circle finally closed when The Sound of Music premiered onstage in Salzburg at the Landestheater on October 23, 2011-73 years after the family fled. The production confronted Austria's Nazi past directly, with actors in Nazi uniforms standing guard at theater exits during the climactic scenes. When Johannes and his children joined Nicholas Hammond onstage at the opening night curtain call, the roaring audience response completed the reconciliation between Salzburg, the von Trapps, and The Sound of Music.
第 11 章
A Timeless Cultural Touchstone
While the home video market of the 1980s changed The Sound of Music from an annual television event to an everyday viewing option, it propelled the film to unprecedented global popularity. The film became a record holder for most weeks on bestselling video and DVD charts. In China, where it was one of only five films permitted by Mao, the movie resonated deeply with audiences who saw parallels to standing up against oppressive regimes.
In Austria, tourism flourished with over 300,000 of Salzburg's million annual visitors coming specifically because of the film. The official Sound of Music tours attract 200 visitors daily at peak season, with popular sites including the relocated "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" gazebo and the Mirabell Gardens stairs featured in "Do-Re-Mi."
The Sound of Music's enduring appeal transcends generations and cultures. As Robert Wise identified, the family unit remains the central reason for "the enduring quality of this story." The film offered hope and nostalgia, allowing viewers to experience a world that "never ever was" but that fulfilled deep emotional needs. For many, the film's continued appeal lies not just in the story itself but in memories of watching it for the first time, particularly during childhood.
In 1965, as the counterculture gained force and America seemed divided by Vietnam and racial unrest, The Sound of Music became the first major pop cultural monument erected by traditional audiences against a rapidly changing society. More than fifty years later, it remains a cultural touchstone-a film that continues to inspire, comfort, and transport audiences to a world where problems can be solved with a song, where goodness triumphs over evil, and where the hills are forever alive with the sound of music.
