I was just listening to
Episode 751 of "This American Life," Act One, "Many a Thing She Ought to Understand," by Diane Wu:
I watched The Sound of Music all the time as a kid.... And a few years ago, I was talking with a friend about how much I loved the movie growing up. And he said, me too, though the Nazis scared me. And I said, what Nazis?
And that's when I learned I'd never seen the second half of the film.
It turns out the movie came out in a two VHS box set. And I, for some reason, had only ever seen the first tape.... The first half makes perfect sense on its own.... It's a movie about a woman named Maria, who is sent to the countryside to babysit a giant family of children with a mean dad, the von Trapps. Maria shows up, bubbly, fun, and teaches them to sing and play and be kids, all against the wishes of their father. But the singing wins him over. They sing together as a family. And finally, at a party, the kids sing a beautiful song for the guests. Farewell. And after that, Maria, having successfully fixed the family, leaves, just like Mary Poppins did when she fixed that family. And that's the end of the movie....
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74 comments:
BWAAAAAAAAAAA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
This is hilarious.
I don't like the movie but one of the daughters is smoking hot and went on to pose for Playboy...
I watched the Godfather on VHS in 1984 when I was a kid.
I remember the first tape ended with Sonny getting killed in the tollbooth.
wow, just wow...
I loved the soundtrack as a kid (one of my sisters had the album), and thoroughly enjoyed the movie, although a few scenes bordered on mawkish) when I finally saw it as an adult.
My first wife was a Cuban who fled from the island as a 15 year-old in 1961, and had never seen the movie. We went to a local stage production of it in our small Midwestern city. She was deeply affected, being reminded so much of the events of her life, and quietly wept during the latter part of the play.
Didn't she wonder about the credits?
I've watched that box set. The aspens in the "Hills Are Alive" sequence all had a wiggle at the top of the screen. Julie sang with a warble. The first few feet of the tape was probably crinkled, but I prefer to remember it as a flaw across all versions of the VHS.
That is hilarious!
Amazing! Why would the whole family have snuck out of the country? And the reason the Captain allowed the family perform in the musical contest was because the Nazis wanted him to serve.
be interesting to list some other movies that could end halfway through.
I suppose, The Budding of Brie would be on that list?
A world viewed without bad guys ever appearing would be wonderful.
What does she mean "What a Nazis"? They're the bad guys, who cause the trapp family to flee. Anyway the big villian is actually Eleanor Parker, who's a snooty no-good-nik, trying to prevent our beloved heroine from landing Chris Plummer.
She was 43, and not Julie Andrews, so she got pushed aside.
When I saw these movies as a kid, usually on TV, I had no idea who the actors were. i thought Parker was just some old actress who got hired for the movie. I had no idea she had been nominated for several AA awards. I also thought Edelweiss was the Austrian national anthem. LOL
I saw the movie with my daughter and wife a few years ago. I thought I'd be bored, but it holds up. Although, I'm not going to watch again anytime soon.
Mary Poppins was abducted and probed. That's why she acted all crazy sometimes the way she did. You didn't know that did you? And do you really think you'd handle it any better? (snort) I like...highly doubt it, man. So just remember that next time you're all like...judging her.
So the reason for the father's wishes for them to be serious is....?
Apparently unimportant to her version of the movie's plot.
The idea that the stern father is preparing the children to survive the horrors of war, very likely without his ongoing guidance and protection, goes right past most of the people watching the movie.
It's his ultimate expression of love for the children that he seeks to maximize their chance of survival.
"I watched The Sound of Music all the time as a kid...."
I think that's the key. I too watched it as a kid and only figured out the Nazi part much later in life. Probably from discussions on the internet as it wasn't something I would have been interested in once I grew out of my singalong phase.
"Didn't she wonder about the credits?"
She was 7 or 8.
The tape ended with the word "Intermission" and that didn't clue her in.
Click on the link and read the whole thing or, better, listen to the show. There's more to this. She watches the whole thing now, as an adult, and gives an opinion or two about the full movie. One opinion is that it's better if you just watch the first half.
"Why would the whole family have snuck out of the country?"
That's after the intermission. She didn't see that. Didn't even see the Maria and the dad become a couple.
Note: I've never seen this movie. Only read about it.
I did once see the musical in live theater.
It's interesting that the 3 best movie musicals signaled the death of the form: My Fair Lady, Sound of Music and Fiddler on the Roof.
'I remember the first tape ended with Sonny getting killed in the tollbooth.'
What? I was just about to watch it!
I'm just going to leave this here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOZlp-gjw68
Many old blockbuster movies had an intermission break, so you could “step into the lobby for whatever is your hobby”.
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver-white winters that melt into springs...
These are a few of my favorite things
When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad
So long, farewell, I'll see you all tomorrow.
It reminds me of Phoebe in "Friends." Her mother had never let her see a sad ending. (E.g., "Old Yeller.") So when Phoebe finally does see the ending, she becomes very upset...and then starts binge watching movies with sad endings.
Yes, I know that "Sound of Music" has a happy ending. But young Diane never saw the scary bad men in "The Sound of Music."
I had forgotten that some classic films were so long that they came on two tapes for VHS. The only films I have ever seen in theater that had an actual intermission were "The Godfather" and "2001, A Space Odyssey". I have seen quite a few films over the years of a similar length, but an actual intermission seems to have become a thing of the past sometime in the 1970s.
I was dragged to a live performance in NYC on my first big out of town trip. And my family full of women just loooved the movie, and watched it whenever it was on.
It was just stupid cringe to me.
You've never seen Sound of Music?!
I'm even more gobsmacked now.
As a musical theater geek in high school, I joined the smirking about The Sound of Mucus, but I've always loved the movie (and have never seen the play). When I learned that it was based on a true story, I loved it more.
I have to admit the second half drags, and most of the songs are reprises. But still a big fan.
A few song switches from the stage production, which is the first time I ever went to the theater.
I'll admit to loving this movie - I love the songs... all of them.
don't care if this makes me a geek.
As an adult we watched a DVD of some long movie but the DVD had a defect so the DVD player skipped a handful of chapters on the disk. We never noticed...Out of Africa maybe?
Doh! There's a lot she did Nazi.
"And I, for some reason, had only ever seen the first tape"
The fuck is a tape?
I had the same thing, sort of. I must have been about five, we saw the movie in a theater with my parents, and there was an intermission just when Maria leaves. (They used to do that with long movies.) The lights went on, a curtain came across the screen, and I thought the movie was over and told my parents, "That was fun." They laughed, and told me there was a whole second half to come.
Ann,
Haven't seen the Movie?
towards the end there is a scene where the "Palestinian" (oops, i mean "Hitler youth") shouts "They are behind the Rocks"!
"I have seen quite a few films over the years of a similar length, but an actual intermission seems to have become a thing of the past sometime in the 1970s."
We were in Dublin when "Fellowship of the Ring" came out. The theater stopped for an intermission so everyone could go outside for a smoke. I wonder if Ireland still does that.
How did you manage to miss this movie, Ann?
This is one of those movies where the city is a character. One source says the Sound of Music is the main reason 70% of the tourists from the U.S. and the Far East visit Salzburg, Austria each year, eager to see some of the dozen filming locations in and around the city. People love to retrace the steps or recreate the scenes of Maria and the children skipping through the city square, gardens, cemetery, chapel and more. Japanese couples who love the movie fly to Salzburg to get married at Mirabell Gardens (I was told there are several weddings a day scheduled far in advance). I have no idea why the movie is so popular among Asians.
I had never thought about it that way, but the first half is its own story. Hero encounters a challenge, endeavors to overcome it, is victorious. The second half of the movie is essentially Season 2 with the hero and her new family encountering a new challenge to overcome. It is a rather jarring genre shift from romantic comedy to war time thriller, but that's how the true story occurred, more or less.
Notably, the soundtrack for The Sound of Music was essentially the #1 album in the UK for 4 years. It was the top album in 1965, 1966, and 1968, and only #2 in 1967 because of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was #4 in 1969.
The credits to the film all run at the beginning along with a moving slide show of Salzburg, just after Julie sings the title song.
Ann Althouse said...
Note: I've never seen this movie.
I've long suspected you were a Soviet agent.
"'I remember the first tape ended with Sonny getting killed in the tollbooth.'
What? I was just about to watch it!"
Sonny makes a miraculous recovery at the ER.
I got one that'll outdumb this. When I was a kid my school put on "Waiting For Godot". It seemed as done as it was going to get at the end of Act I, and everyone went out to mill around, so I left, thinking I had seen a one act play. Now, on reflection, it was indeed as done as it was going to get, so not for the last time my cluelessness worked better than wisdom.
LOL - i just listened to it. Wu thought it ended at intermission and so did her Dad. Anyway, I can understand why people think the 1st half is much better. All the good songs come in the 1st half.
Don't know why they had to make the movie 140 minutes. They probably could've cut 20 minutes out of the 2nd half. Maybe people wanted a long movie back then with an intermission. My sister said we didn't get a color TV till '68, so maybe people just wanted to soak up the big sceen technicolor.
BTW, Pauline Kael called it the "Sound of Mucus" and Gene Kelly refused to direct it, thought it was too lowbrow for him (Yeah, great move Gene. So, you did Hello Dolly). Its weird how people back then turned there nose up at it.
Anyway Hollywood moved on the "Hip" musicals like "Paint your wagon" with Lee Marvin and CLint having a threesome with Jean Seaberg.
I think families are still sitting round and watching The Sound of Music with their very young kids - over and over. Anyhow, that's been going on in branches of my family since the movie came out. It'd be interesting to list the movies of which that is still true. Riverdance was also popular. Then, for some, a few years later came Galactic Quest, peak sophistication, which introduced concepts like parody and reality v. the movies.
I bet families are still sitting round and watching The Sound of Music with their very young kids - over and over. Anyhow, that's been going on in branches of my family since the movie came out. It'd be interesting to list the movies of which that is still true. Riverdance was also popular. Then, for some, a few years later came Galactic Quest, peak sophistication, which introduced concepts like parody and reality v. the movies.
Films I remember with intermissions are Gone With the Wind, Ben Hur, The Music Man, Lawrence of Arabia, My Fair Lady, Dr Zhivago Ice Station Zebra, and The Longest Day.
I’ve also never seen Jaws, Apocalypse Now, The Sting, Raiders of the Lost Ark, or The French Connection. I saw a lot of movies in the 70s, but I took an attitude about some movies that were very popular and I never saw them.
My take is a little different. When my daughter was three or four "The Sound of Music" and Disneys "Pinnochio" were the only movies she'd watch. Over and over and over and over and over......I hate them both.
You should see Apocalypse Now. Skip the rest.
Titanic had an intermission…
I'm old enough to remember movies with intermissions; my DVD of The Blue Max includes it.
Speaking of FOTR, when I saw it in the theater there was a woman there with her little kids, and they all seemed enthralled but were surprised when it ended, apparently not being familiar with the story.
My wife and I went to Salzburg and environs, but not because of the von Trapp story.
How the devil did she get through all of that thinking she saw the whole movie when she only saw one half?
The Sound of Music and the Lions-Bears fame were staples on tv during the 1970s.
'Sonny makes a miraculous recovery at the ER.'
I feel much better now.
'I’ve also never seen Jaws, Apocalypse Now, The Sting, Raiders of the Lost Ark, or The French Connection.'
I've never seen a single, iconic, 'coming-of-age' movie of my generation either.
Just never got around to it...
The Von Trapp family has a connection to Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin:
"1920s – 1980
The
Haven Motel with its adobe cabins sits south of Fort Atkinson on highway 12 on the way to Whitewater. Built in the late 1920s by the Lein family, it was originally called Lein’s Cabins and advertised as the only motel between Chicago and Minneapolis. During the time that the Lein’s ran the business, they hosted quite a few celebrities from Ozzie and Harriett Nelson to Joe Lewis to the Von Trapp family of Sound of Music fame."
Here's a picture of it before the property was overtaken by brush and volunteer trees.
"One opinion is that it's better if you just watch the first half."
Agreed. It turns into a different movie, "and then this happened, and then that happened" and didn't have the same kind of character driven plot.
Ann, if ever there was a reason for you to start a new blogpost series, it would seem the "Ann goes back to watch classic movies she's never seen because she took an attitude about them" is about as good a reason as you'll ever get! Jaws, Raiders, Sound of Music, Apocalypse Now ... that series of blogposts could be quite fun. Your eye for language, fashion, plot, character, the era each movie was made in and reflects, the actors who were stars and are gone or perhaps have changed... all great fodder for the blog. Just an idea from a longtime reader who hardly ever comments but still enjoys your POV as much as I did when I started reading many years ago.
As we were leaving theater after "The Fellowship of the Ring", there is another couple ahead of us but close enough that we could overhear them.
"That was sure weird ending", said the wife to her husband. I guess there were the some people who had no idea it was based on a trilogy...
But can you synch it to Pink Floyd?
I just watched 2001: A Space Odyssey for the first time since I was a teen. What a terrible movie. Sooooooo slow. Almost nothing happens. No characters that I cared about.
Ann, you really should see The Sting. It deserved all the awards it got. Newman and Redford are far better together than in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Robert Shaw is a villain for the ages; David Ward’s script is crackerjack; the ending heart-stopping. Plus Marvin Hamlisch’s fantastic adaptations of Scott Joplin classics for the score. Released on Christmas Day, fifty years ago this year. A true classic.
"Speaking of FOTR, when I saw it in the theater there was a woman there with her little kids, and they all seemed enthralled but were surprised when it ended, apparently not being familiar with the story."
I am someone very familiar with Tolkien, and when I went with my sister and her husband, both big Tolkien fans too, to see "The Hobbit" in 2011, we were about 90 minutes into the movie when I first realized there was no way the story could be completed by the end of the film since it was going soooooooo slow. I turned to my sister and asked her, "Is this a two-parter?"
My sister replied, "No, it the first of a three parter." I wanted to walk out right then and there, and I never went back to see the next two parts. Fucking ridiculous making that book into a trilogy.
"but I took an attitude about some movies that were very popular and I never saw them."
I take an attitude about a lot of movies that are popular, but it is almost always because I have seen them, or seen enough of them to know not to bother finish watching them.
Of the movies you listed, all them are great films, but based on the taste in film you have displayed in the blogs over almost two decades, it is very unlikely you would like any of them
Ian Nemo said...
... "Waiting For Godot"
That is the most tedious play I've ever seen in my life.
Right up there with Dinner with Andre.
Just watched the Julie Andrews film that followed the release of The Sound of Music--Torn Curtain. Hitchcock, but unlike Doris Day she didn't get to sing.
Ann Althouse said...
"I’ve also never seen Jaws, Apocalypse Now, The Sting, Raiders of the Lost Ark, or The French Connection. I saw a lot of movies in the 70s, but I took an attitude about some movies that were very popular and I never saw them."
That's how I feel about the Barbie movie, but the ones you mention? Wow.
Gem Quincyite said...
"They are behind the Rocks"!
Thanks foe the tip: I'm sampling that.
Yancey Ward said...
"Sonny makes a miraculous recovery at the ER."
That's crazy talk. Sonny comes back after Marlin Brando and Sonny's little brother, Mikey, use magic on him, like Jon Snow. Then Maria becomes the leader, and the entire Von Trapp family gets rich in the Las Vegas olive oil business. And be sure not to miss the big song and dance routine set in Cuba: "The hills are alive with the sound of commies,..."
Mr. Majestyk said...
"I just watched 2001: A Space Odyssey for the first time since I was a teen. What a terrible movie. Sooooooo slow. Almost nothing happens. No characters that I cared about."
You had to be high.
No, Rusty, I wasn’t high. It’s just a bad movie.
Big LOTR (and BOTR) fan, but the first Hobbit movie was all I could stomach.
I've seen (at least on TV) all the movies that Prof lists, but wouldn't care to see any of them again.
This is kind of like thinking the ending of Full Metal Jacket is when Private Pyle shoots himself in the head with this M14.
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