The opening scene from this film has been parodied umpteen times, and I think that just goes to show just how impactful Robert Wise's adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein story has been on cinema. The idea that one could have seven children is, frankly, quite terrifying (I have none) so I can readily empathise with poor old Julie Andrews "Maria" as she is despatched from the safety of her nunnery to be the governess to this extended brood in the home of Captain von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). After an initially hostile reception from both father and youngsters alike, "Maria" soon ingratiates herself with all concerned - except, perhaps, for the Captain's beau Eleanor Parker who is wonderfully elegant and aloof as the "Baroness" - and romance gradually takes firm hold. The anschluss injects some seriousness into the fluffiness of the plot - the family must adjust to their new Nazi "protectors", but when the Captain is invited to take up a commission in the Navy they realise that they must act. Though a little cheesy at times, Andrews and Plummer are terrific, the songs are the stuff of musical legend, and I suspect one of the things that makes this more enduring is the fact that it is based on truth. The happiness tinged with the peril of the enveloping ruthlessness of the Nazis gives this an authenticity that would have been felt by many in Europe as Hitler was in the ascendancy and Wise manages to capture a little of that feeling. It's got some classy supporting performances from Peggy Wood (the Mother Abbess), a super Richard Haydn as the charming, if slightly opportunistic "Uncle Max" and even the ordinarily upstanding nuns get in on the act. There is definitely a chemistry between the two stars as their love story enfolds with the help of the children, a rather lavish puppet show - and a bit of Strauss! It looks great, too - musical cinema at it's best, this...
