I now blog over at The Eyre Guide! This blog is an archive of my past posts.


Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Awesome Adaptations (14) - The Sound of Music

Posted by Charlene // Tags: ,

Awesome Adaptations is a weekly bookish meme, hosted at Alisa Selene’s books blog, Picturemereading.  Anyone can play along! Each week there is a new category of adaptation to blog about. Any format (television series, film, web series, etc.) is acceptable as long as it is based in some form on a book. If you’re playing along on your own blog, just mention Picturemereading in your post and include the banner above. Let them know which film you’d pick and why it is an awesome adaptation worth watching. Oh, and don’t forget to share the link to your own post in the comments for that week’s challenge so that everyone can read your thoughts!

An awesomely gorgeous-to-look-at adaptation
Title: The Sound of Music
Adapted from The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp

I go to the hills when my heart is lonely
I know I will hear what I've heard before
My heart will be blessed
With the sound of music

There's a lot that makes this film awesome.  Music, actors, story, romance, suspense.  It's like the perfect film.  I've loved this movie since I was young, and I didn't even like musicals that much back then.  Even though I have so much I could say about this film, I'll save it for another time and focus on the visual aspect.

When I was young, I used to fast-forward over the first couple minutes of the film.  You know those gorgeous aerial shots of Austria?  Younger me couldn't be bothered by the beauty, I wanted the singing and acting.  The filmmakers were smart though and started the film by showing that this was not going to be a stage-adapted musical filmed on lame stage adapted sets.  Maria sings about the beauty of the hills and how the beauty fills her like a song and the audience is going to see it as well as hear it.  I appreciate that now.  The setting sets up the character of Maria and how grounded and pure of heart she is.  It also reinforces the national pride Captain Von Trapp has for his country, which is so sorely tested by those terrible Nazis.  And it is so telling that when Maria needs to rehabilitate the kids she shows them the beauty of Salzburg and the mountains.   The setting is almost a character in itself - it provides solace to all the characters and provides a way out for the Trapp family when they can no longer stay in Austria.

The fact that you can still take Sound of Music tours in Austria and view all the film locations shows how much the setting and backdrop has added to the film's appeal and beauty.  Even though I'm mostly focused on the on-location filming, the set designs of this movie - especially the Trapp family home - is stunning work and so lovely.  It's like every still of this movie is designed to please the eye - even the costumes the characters all wear are simply gorgeous and completely enhance the visual appeal of the movie.  Even if they are not completely accurate to the time and country, they are aesthetically pleasing, simple and perfect for each character.  And some of those actors aren't bad to look at either... okay I'll stop.  If you haven't seen this movie, do yourself the favor and enjoy.  I love it so much, and the visual aspect is only a small part of the appeal.

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2 comments:

  1. Love this movie! Still wish there was a full Jaystony version to enjoy!

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    1. Oh that would fulfill a dream of mine! I guess a TARDIS is our only hope though! :)

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