The Movie
Now, maybe this could just be our little secret, but I think that The Sound of Music is one of the most wonderful movies ever made. Yes, I'm the same guy who recently extolled the virtues of RoboCop so, like I said: "Shhh...."
An inspiring true story, The Sound of Music introduces us to The von Trapp Family, headed by father Captain von Trapp (Christopher Plummer, bringing a macho gravitas to what could have otherwise been a stock character), a retired U-boat commander raising his seven children alone after the untimely death of his wife. Maria (the incomparable Julie Andrews, fresh off her Oscar win for Mary Poppins, yes, another singing nanny) is the latest in a long line of governesses hired to keep the troublesome tykes in line. They really only want their father's love, and through Maria's gift of song they are soon able to reconnect with their staid patriarch.
Maria meanwhile is studying to be a nun and was certainly not expecting to fall in love, but that's exactly what happens. Before we roll our eyes and think this movie is going to be all jamborees and longing glances, keep in mind that it is set in Austria, in the early days of World War II, and the Nazis intend to recruit The Captain whether he wants to go or not. (He most certainly doesn't.)
There's drama, romance, some big laughs, a cheer and quite possibly a few tears over the course of its three hours. Screenwriter Ernest Lehman made many essential changes in his adaptation from the stage play, while stripping away much of the notorious schmaltz. Released in 1965, The Sound of Music was a period piece and also very traditional in its style and tone, even as pop culture and society as a whole was rapidly changing. Perhaps because it represented a throwback to simpler times, or maybe because it is just a monumental entertainment, the film would defy all expectations and become the first to dethrone Gone with the Wind as the highest-grossing motion picture in history.
I'd be remiss if I did not acknowledge the enduring music and lyrics of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, here at the top of their game with tunes such as "Do-Re-Mi," "My Favorite Things" and the showstopping "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," plus some new songs written specifically for the restructured movie version. And I can't say enough about director Robert Wise, who across his sixty-year career showed not only a versatility that no modern director can match, but an incredible aptitude for every genre he visited. In a span of only five years, he would twice take home the Oscars for both Best Director and Best Director, including a set for The Sound of Music.
The Sound of Music was produced in a modified version of the high-quality Todd-AO format, a decision which continues to pay off decades later, in the digital age. This new 2.2:1 8K master was created from the original camera negative and meticulously restored, frame by frame, for one of the most gorgeous presentations I've ever seen. (I personally go all the way back to the 1973 theatrical reissue.)
Gone are the issues of shifting, inaccurate color, replaced by sometimes lush, sometimes subtle, always stable hues. The Austrian location photography fairly explodes with fine detail, and even in the soundstages--the bricks of the abbey, the pattern of the wallpaper in the reverend mother's office--the image is typically razor-sharp. Ted McCord's cinematography is heavy with shadows and silhouettes, and the blacks here are deep and lifelike, right down to the folds in the nuns' habits. The worst I can say is that I saw some grain and noise, a little compression in backgrounds, but the jaw-dropping good here far exceeds those minute flaws.
The Sound
The brand-new high-resolution, 7.1-channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack created for this Blu-ray from the original six-track elements is at times downright breathtaking. The redesigned mix is wider but never hokey, with a generous spread of the music and effects, and appropriate crowd sounds and other surround flourishes. Irwin Kostal's orchestrations are exquisitely spacious, with clarity in all the instruments, particularly their high notes. The seemingly ceiling-less trebles also help sell the bit with The Captain's shrill whistle.
The Extras
The gang at Fox has outdone themselves with this elaborate three-disc set, beginning with the four-layer Bonus View feature, "Your Favorite Things: An Interactive Celebration." There's "Making Music: A Journey in Images" picture-in-picture photos, some never seen before; "The Sing-Along Experience," "Many a Thing to Know" facts and trivia about the movie and the real story, and the "Where Was It Filmed?" live quiz. We can switch any of these on or off before we start or while we watch, using the color keys on the remote.
There's also a "Music Machine" that will take us directly to any song and a Sing-along mode which adds lyrics. Audio commentary is provided by stars Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and Charmian Carr, choreographer Dee Dee Wood and real-life family member Johannes von Trapp, with an additional track by director Robert Wise. BD-Live powers Fox's Live Extras, with What's New, Live Lookup and an exclusive three-and-half-minute featurette with Broadway star "Laura Benanti on The Sound of Music."
Disc Two, another Blu-ray, brings the interactive "Musical Stages," set up as an exploration of the von Trapp home, where we can discover lots of new featurettes in HD, in four main categories: The Songs, The Show, The Family and The Restoration. The sound restoration segment is even in DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1! There's also an interactive tour of Salzburg, Austria, "A City of Song," complete with informative video, photos and text.
A large assortment of vintage featurettes from laserdiscs and DVDs past is assembled here, including a 1965 promotional short remastered in HD, plus the outstanding full-length "The Sound of Music: From Fact to Phenomenon." The "Rare Treasures" section reveals some brief, some unusual, but all really amazing clips, while the Publicity gallery shares an old Fox Movietone News reel and more.
Disc Three is a remastered DVD edition of the movie with the "Sound of Music Tour: A Living Story" program, Sing-along mode and Music Machine option.
Final Thoughts
A big, beautiful musical about true love, courage, and finding our place in the world, The Sound of Music has now yielded one of the most outstanding discs of the year, brilliantly restored both visually and sonically, with extras that make this latest home video release a joyous celebration on every level.
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