August 30, 2005
Christopher Plummer called it ‘The Sound of Mucous’
I hate The Sound of Music.
There, I’ve said it, I feel better now. Ahhh.
Charlie has been asking to watch it, and you know that I would rather put the kids in front of TV than actually have to PLAY with them, so I’ve been obliging (no, not really, but by 5:00 I am all preschoolered out, and it’s a good excuse to eat more Poppycock) and we have been revelling in the lovely tones of Julie Andrews and those kids. Ugh, THOSE KIDS. I hear those voices and I want to throw up (which, by the way, Julie Andrews DID, a couple of times, filming that opening scene, the one where she spins around on the mountain. Too much spinning, too much helicopter-mounted camera, too much Rodgers and Hammerstein).
I used to loooooove this movie; the singing, the dancing, the costumes, the beautiful views of Austria. But now it just irritates the holy hell out of me. We have probably seen it a thousand times in the last three years, I kid you not.* My children know every song and every step of choreography. Henry can recite most of the dialogue. And the other night, Wade was pointing out that every outdoor scene in the first half of the film is framed to include a mountain. Watch for it–it’s there. Then we started talking about what the mountain might represent (the Captain’s Austrian nationalism? Maria’s Catholicism? everyone’s thinly-veiled horniness?) and Henry shushed us. ‘I can’t hear them talking!’ he lamented. Sigh.
Henry had an intense Sound of Music obssession when he was three. He liked to pretend that he was Maria, which included dressing up; he would bring me a receiving blanket and a binder clip and ask me to make him a ‘blankie dress’ (we actually had to make a rule that the ‘blankie dress’ was for home ONLY; he wanted to wear it everywhere, which freaked Wade out. I was just annoyed because the binder clip fell off every ten seconds and had to be put back on again, which was too much work for me). Once he was ‘dressed,’ he would spin around in our family room until he fell down. Or he would renact the ‘I Have Confidence’ song (which was written for the film and is a crime against the original score). He would insist that I be Liesl and Wade be the Mother Superior. We were glad when he outgrew that phase.
Charlie is a more conventional movie viewer; he sits on the sofa with his binkit and sucks his thumb and snuggles and eats Poppycock and says things like, ‘Look, Mommy, a FOUNTAIN! Do you see it?’ It would be so cute if we were watching ANYTHING ELSE. But this movie drives me batty.
Why? you ask. The implausibility! I don’t mean the musical convention of everyone bursting into song and dance at the slightest provocation; I mean things like Maria’s shock that Captain Von Trapp and his first wife had seven children. Come on, this is the 30s! They’re Catholic! OF COURSE they had seven children (I think, in real life, they had more like nine; then the Captain and Maria went on to have three or six or ten more. Something like that). Or that we never see Maria do a single educational thing with those kids. That’s what governesses did–taught. Yes, I know, it messes up the flow of the musical. Whatever.
But my real complaint is this: I have a difficult time finding things that will occupy both my three-year-old and my five-year-old. But Maria is able to engage everyone from five-year-old Gretel to 16-year-old Liesl (who is one rainstorm away from being either a single mother or an Aryan Youth recruit, by the way) with this singing thing? I don’t buy it. And it annoys me to no end.
My favorite character, these days, is the Baroness Schraeder (the sexy one, who ALMOST marries the Captain), if only because she utters what has become one of my favorite movie lines ever: ‘Haven’t you ever heard of a little thing called boarding school?’ Ahhh, the old days. So wonderful.
*The boys have actually only seen the first half of the movie, up to the point where Maria runs away to the Abby because she’s hot for the Captain. I just can’t face explaining the Nazis to my kids, not yet. Wade has shown them the last minute or so, when they are crossing the Alps, and every once in a while the boys ask to see the Von Trapps ‘go hiking.’ Like they were out for a picnic and not running for their lives. And you think they would have put some long pants on Kurt and Friedrich when they fled the Nazis, wouldn’t you? But no. Just one more thing that annoys me.
Posted by Susan @ 2:03 pm • Uncategorized
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August 30th, 2005 at 2:47 pm, Mary P. Says:
Ever noticed that it’s the evil women who are the most interesting? The wicked stepmother in Snow White - way more interesting than her namby-pamby prince-awaiting stepdaughter. My favourite baddie?
Ursula the Sea Witch in “The Little Mermaid”. I never wanted to do anything other than smack spoiled, petulant Ariel, but Ursula? Loved her!! THERE’S a woman with panache!
August 30th, 2005 at 3:07 pm, adria Says:
I agree most musicals are evil. Please stop the singing! Did I like musicals as a kid? I just do not remember. Luckily, Daria has not seen The Sound of Music, but I am sure some grandparent will show it to her someday.
August 30th, 2005 at 3:30 pm, M&Co. Says:
It’s interesting about Henry and the blankie dress and that he wanted Wade to be the Mother Superior. And that Wade went along….
Actually it freaked the Husband out when the BoyChild carried a purse for awhile. He didn’t think that was a MANLY thing for a 2 1/2 year old to do. I would laugh at him when he would begin to sputter about WHY the BoyChild shouldn’t be carrying a purse. Like most things that were fun, it passed.
August 30th, 2005 at 6:09 pm, educat Says:
Will you allow that Christpher Plummer is painfully sexy when his voice breaks in Eidlewiess?
If you allow that, I shall accept your entire premise.
August 30th, 2005 at 6:12 pm, Misfit Hausfrau Says:
Susan–I thought I was going to have to beat you with my imaginery beatin’ stick when I read your first statement. But I read on and I do sympathize with your displeasure.
I have to put it on record that I loathe musicals. I think Brigadoon is the absolute stupidest thing I have ever seen. Don’t even get me started on Carousel and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers or the Wizard of Oz.
HOWEVER. I love love love love love love love LOVE The Sound of Music. I cannot help myself. I just do. I fantasized that they were my real family because I looked more like them than I did my family.
And now, I am teaching Baby Girl the soundtrack. Ladee o ladee o ladee hee hoo!!!!!
August 30th, 2005 at 6:13 pm, Misfit Hausfrau Says:
Oh yeah–I’m with Educat! I WEEP when Christopher’s voice breaks. WEEP!!
August 30th, 2005 at 8:22 pm, Susan Says:
Hausfrau, you get back to me when Baby Girl is screaming, ‘I want the goat song! Again! AGAIN!!!’ and all you have heard for three days is the damn goat song because that’s the ONLY song she wants. Over and over. (That never happened here, by the way–it was the ‘Goodnight’ song. Over and over and over and where is the remote or a hammer to smash the VCR oh my god make it STOP.)
It’s not so cute then.
August 30th, 2005 at 10:56 pm, Llama Says:
Confession time for me: I have NEVER watched The Sound of Music. Ever. For a while there I was actively avoiding it (I don’t know why) but since deciding that I wouldn’t mind seeing it, I just haven’t had the chance. I can’t be bothered renting it out and whenever it’s on TV I always end up missing it. The only bit I ever seem to catch is when all the kids are going to bed and singing the “hey, we’re off to bed” song. So I’ve seen that one bit about 5 times and nothing else…
August 31st, 2005 at 12:31 am, McSwain Says:
I LOVE The Sound of Music. I sing the goat song all the time until my 6-year-old son says, “Mom, STOP!!! I DO NOT WANT THAT SONG STUCK IN MY HEAD!!” You all would like him.
July 26th, 2006 at 6:12 pm, Anonymous Says:
Oh my goodness,I love the part when Chris he gets choked up on Edelwiess! I love it.
November 9th, 2006 at 6:24 am, Anonymous Says:
Well, I for one have moved from love to loathing too. Brought up on The Sound of Music as a kid (we had the LP!)I knew every word to every song and Julie Andrews simply WAS Maria. When I saw a photograph of the late Maria Von Trapp I was devestated. When you have seen the movie as often as I have its not difficult to spot the weaknesses; all those sentimental Hammerstein lyrics; overdoing the mountain views in the first half; and those appalling children trying to act. Ughhh, I shudder at the thought. But it is 2006 - now 41 years after its release, and musical film has come on a long way - so lets not not be too harsh. Its still a concept with great appeal - good story, love interest, humour, good v. evil, a bit of religion and children. What more does a family need? But please folks, give it a chance. And when you have, NEVER watch it again!
April 30th, 2007 at 6:39 pm, Orson Smelles Says:
It’s one of the few musicals that I actually like… it’s had the opposite effect on me through the years.
I hated it as a child, as my mom would play the soundtrack constantly (and sing along, which got old quickly), but today I appreciate Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer… and the mountains, for that matter.
So I disagree, but I can kinda see where you’re coming from at the same time.