4. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)

History has not been kind to The Sound of Music. It is often considered to be the most treacly, mushy, and all-around cheesy movie ever made. C'mon, when the heroes are NUNS, you know something strange is going on. Yet despite all of this criticism, no one can dispute that The Sound of Music stands next to The Wizard of Oz as one of the most popular movie musicals ever.

It is 1939 and Julie Andrews is Maria, an Austrian nun who seems to be, well, a little different from the other nuns (could it be because she's 40 years younger than everyone else? . . .). So Mother Superior sends Maria away from the abbey to be a governess (that is, a nanny) to the seven children of Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). O Captain, my Captain! Of course, Maria and the Captain fall in love, though Maria's vow of chastity seems to be a slight problem.

Yeah, yeah, there are a couple subplots: another woman vies for the Captain's affection, the eldest Von Trapp daughter is in love, and the Nazis are out to force the Captain to work for their nefarious cause. Will the Von Trapps make it? Well, this ain't Schindler's List. Children don't die in this movie.

When Music was released, it became a smash, becoming the top-grossing film of all time. There were stories popping up all over the place about how some people saw the film more than 200 times, reciting the words verbatim. It went on to win the Best Picture Oscar.

So what elevates it above just being a normal good movie? Several things. First and foremost, there's the music. The songs are undeniably catchy, and have become part of American vernacular. We often forget that the song "Doe, a deer, a female deer . . ." was in this movie, as were "My Favorite Things," "So Long, Farewell," and "Climb Every Mountain." Second, the movie was actually filmed in Salzburg, Austria, providing a wonderful travelogue of the country. From Julie Andrew's famous opening twirl on a hill, to the children's visit to the big city, it is a viscerally beautiful film to watch. Third (and perhaps most importantly), there is an innocence and optimism surrounding the film that modern movies just don't have anymore. Sure, they fight Nazis. But they also have puppet shows and sing-alongs. For those of you who aren't afraid to not look cool, this movie is definitely worth a look.

Notes:

  • Nominated for 10 Academy Awards
  • Won 5 Academy Awards: Picture, Director, Editing, Score, Sound
  • Until 1978's Grease, the most successful movie musical ever
  • Placed #55 on the American Film Institute's "100 Greatest Movies" List