Barnes & Noble

Based on the Rodgers & Hammerstein hit musical -- the duo's last -- The Sound of Music arrived in 1965 with an already celebrated score of songs and the reigning Best Actress Academy Award winner, Julie Andrews, to its credit. From its breathtaking opening aerial shot of an enraptured Andrews gamboling across an Austrian hillside and bursting out in the film's title song, it was clear that the film would soar above its stage-bound origins. With the new THX-certified release of The Sound of Music DVD, these and the many other classic scenes -- gloriously shot on 70mm film -- come vibrantly alive as never before. The film earned Andrews another Oscar nomination and placed her on a cultural pedestal, where she would later grow uncomfortable. (She played off her image as the world's most wholesome woman in her husband Blake Edwards's 1981 satire, S.O.B.) With wonderful songs ("My Favorite Things," "Do-Re-Mi," "Climb Ev'ry Mountain"), spectacular Austrian locations (verdant fields, snow-capped mountains, stone gardens), and the story's true-life roots, the film enjoyed phenomenal success and earned ten Academy Award nominations. It won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. This double DVD includes outtakes, still photographs, interviews, and performer biographies. It is a fitting presentation for an all-time favorite. Kevin Giordano

All Movie Guide

One of the most popular movie musicals of all time, The Sound of Music is based on the true story of the Trapp Family Singers. Julie Andrews stars as Maria, a young nun in an Austrian convent who regularly misses her morning prayers because she enjoys going to the hills to sing the title song. Deciding that Maria needs to learn something about the real world before she can take her vows, the Mother Superior (Peggy Wood) sends her off to be governess for the children of the widowed Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). Arriving at the Trapp home, Maria discovers that her new boss is cold and aloof, and his seven children virtual automatons-at least, whenever the Captain is around. Otherwise, the kids are holy terrors, as evidenced by the fact that Maria is the latest in a long line of governesses. But Maria soon ingratiates herself with the children, especially oldest daughter Liesl (Charmian Carr), who is in love with teenaged messenger boy Rolf. As Maria herself begins to fall in love with the Captain, she rushes back to the Abbey so as not to complicate his impending marriage to a glamorous baroness (Eleanor Parker). But the children insist that Maria return, the Baroness steps out of the picture, and Maria and the Captain confirm their love in the song "Something Good." Unhappily, they return home from their honeymoon shortly after the Nazis march into Austria. Already, swastikas have been hung on the Von Trapp ancestral home, and Liesl's boyfriend Rolf has been indoctrinated in the "glories" of the Third Reich. The biggest blow occurs when Von Trapp is called back to active duty in the service of the Fuhrer. The Captain wants nothing to do with Nazism, and he begins making plans to take himself and his family out of Austria. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 024543045106
• Source: 20TH CENTURY FOX
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.20:1
• Sound: THX-Supervised Mastering, Dolby Digital Surround
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: English, Español
• Time: 2:55:00
• Sales Rank: 609

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Family Fun Pack
• The Rodgers & Hammerstein Collection
• Family Time Features Box Set
• Best Picture Collection
• The Fox-MGM Hollywood Musicals Collection

Features:

DVD MENU