"Imagine you are watching The Sound of Music on a big cinema screen in 1965." I don't have to imagine it, I did. Even better, I was attending a Catholic elementary school at the time. The nuns loved the movie, and they took us on a field trip to see it when it first came out.
“Maria wears a uniform, the children wear uniforms, and then Austria is taken over by men in uniform” I’ve seen this movie 100 times (literally) and you just blew my mind. Loved the video.
Wish newer movies would have "natural" colors again. They're all dark and have a blue-ish tint now. Not very aesthetically pleasing. But you forgot about the music, as in Sound of Music, lol.
Is there a name for this "everything is blue tinted and darks are over saturated" phenomenon? I see it everywhere but never hear it talked about. I preaonally call it "nexflix colouring" but it must have a proper name
I don't think he forgot about the music. The topic he wanted to discuss was the cinematography. It's not an essay about the whole film, but about how the film looks. And, excepting the audience members with certain synesthesia symptoms, one cannot see the music.
The effort that went into the opening “Hills are Alive” shot was incredible - the helicopter and camera had to arrive and then descend in near autorotation with Julie Andrews running up at exactly the right time - the music for synch being blasted from speakers behind the background trees.
I saw in an interview with Julie Andrews that it was also raining, so they had to dry her off each time they did another take and it would take forever to reset. She said they color corrected the sky in post.
Except that, of course, she only starts singing once the camera cuts to the non-helicopter static shot. It still would have been tricky to time her appearance and the helicopter's arrival, but it's a lot easier than if she had been singing during the tracking shot. I should probably add that the opening for that was an echo of Robert Wise's previous musical, _West Side Story_ , which begins with an aerial shot of New York Harbor, then continues with a sequence of other shots over the city, until finally zooming in on the basketball court where the Jets and Sharks have their first confrontation. Once again, Wise cuts to a static shot on the ground for the first of the iconic finger snaps of the opening dance number.
And with the advancement of camera and drone technology, this shot would be much easier to do today. Amazing how technology can advance so much, so quickly in certain industries. Unfortunately, Kodak didn't "see" the advent of digital photography technology soon enough.
Now it's so much easier with drones and computers! I'll always appreciate the physical and financial effort that went into movies before digital tech really took off.
The Coolidge (a non-profit theater in Boston) occasionally does screenings of Lawrence of Arabia in the original 70mm. The visual ambition of it just takes your breath away. There are many talented filmmakers working today, but the films with the resources to be ambitious in both scale and style rarely are. The respect for the audience's taste and intelligence was just on a different level. We're so lucky to have an ecosystem of theaters here (the Coolidge, the Brattle, the Capitol, Harvard Film Archive) that work to keep the actual cinematic experience of those movies alive.
@@itmightbeciaranthanks for the info - these are names from long ago when I was a student in Boston. I assume/hope they’re thriving. I just returned from a major university reunion in Boston…I wish I had known.
@@manuelorozco7760Mary Poppins is definitely a pinnacle of blending live action and animation pre-Roger Rabbit. Which makes the sequel having to outsource the animation to South Korea all the more tragic. 😂
I was a projectionist in de seventies and eighties and showed this film many times on 70mm. Our theater had a curved screen, 12 meter (40 feet) wide and about 6 meter (20 feet) high. From a technical perspective, this was the most beautiful film to work with, while the music and the story itself is one of my guilty pleasures! The last time that we would perform this film, the distributor wanted to send a 35mm optical copy, but I would not have it! They send me a 70mm copy that they deemed not presentable, but I still wanted to see it first. As it happened, it was disassembled badly, with reels in the wrong sequence and the music intro removed. I reassembled the film, added the musical intro's and played it for myself. It was completely presentable and so we showed this copy. When I shipped it back, it was the last time that I saw it in 70mm. Now I have the HD version, but it isn't nearly as good. I got very nostalgic, seeing this item!
I forgot how crisp and beautiful this film is. Thanks for detailing the technical and cinematographic processes that went into the making of this treasured classic.
I remember as a 7 year old traveling to Nova Scotia for a few weeks to visit my cousins. First time on a plane, first time travelling anywhere more than 100 miles from home. We were free range kids in those days, pushed out the door in the morning and we would just run around and explore. There was a movie theater playing "Sound of Music" and in a week we must have watched it 3 or 4 times. If it wasn't the first movie I had seen in a theater, it certainly was close to being the first. I remember the beauty of the movie and it was so big, the screen. Those were good times, more gentle times and the Sound of Music always reminds me of those days.
Also 7 at the time. (And I too have second cousins in Nova Scotia.) I asked my mother if we could see it again. She couldn't fathom why: "You just saw it!" Yes, it was wonderful - of course I wanted to see it again.
As someone who was old enough, and lucky enough, to see a theatrical reprint on the big screen in the 1980s, the film left a huge impression on me. It was visually stunning and 7 year old me felt completely immersed. The Sound of Music was my gateway into classic films and began my love of musicals.
@@manuelorozco7760The Wizard of Oz was my favorite as a 5 year old. It became even more special to me when I found out my grandmother (who is 101 now) saw it in Mexico in 1939/40!
The Castro Theater in San Francisco showed it often; I never saw it there, because where was I going to park? The actual Von Trapp "children" (now older adults) would attend annual exhibitions of the movie at the Hollywood Bowl. I'd love to see "The Sound Of Music" on the big screen someday.
It was just how a wedding in church should be. Solemn and a powerful thing to do before God and a congregation. So many think it’s just about show and consumption nowadays. I think the wedding dress was exquisite.
I must have watched The Sound of Music over 100 times in my 44 years, and it still has so many surprises left for me. The movie you watch as a kid is not the same movie you watch as a teen, and then when you watch it in your 20s, the perspective changes, in my 30s, it changed again, because I had grown as a movie watcher, and in my 40s, I have young kids now and the movie's themes are even more clear and there is a newer appreciation for the innocence of childhood.
Wow that's absolutely amazing. One story can never grow boring because we are constantly changing as well as the world around us and that, in turn, changes the way we see the story.
I agree. I’ve watched it dozen of times in my life, yet I still seem to have a new experience with each viewing. This video has expanded my appreciation for the film even more.
I've been such a big fan of this movie since I was a little girl, it holds such a warm, special place in my heart. Nearly 30 now, and I've noticed these things too. I smiled reading your comment, knowing that this movie gets to continue to grow with me as it always has. How wonderful. 💗
I happened to find myself in Salzburg a few years ago and on a whim I went on the "Sound of Music" tour. There were many highlights 1. The tour bus filled with every nationality under the sun all singing along to the onboard video. 2. Seeing the gazebo, the church, the abbey, the gardens etc and 3. the fact that when Maria is speaking with Capt Von Trapp outside the Villa the background behind each of them was filmed in two totally different locations!
My grandfather was a mexican factory worker in a very small town in Guanajuato. I have no idea where he saw this movie but he adored it. My father bought a VHS in Texas for him and we used to watch it every summer we visited him in the country. I miss him so much. Thank you for making this video. Im sure he would love this.
We saw this with the family a few months ago. I was shocked at how beautiful this film really is-visually, musically and thematically. Yes, I had seen it many times as a child, but I had a fresh appreciation for just how exceptionally good this film is.
The movie was filmed in non chronological order...the easier scenes like My Favorite Things sequence were filmed first, harder scenes came later, the epic opening scene was filmed last. The movie was already story boarded...as to which scenes to proceed with principal photography. Film editing put those scenes into chronological order...film editing is one of the awards this movie won!
Most movies are filmed out of order, based on the needs of production (e.g. filming all scenes that take place at a specific location before moving on to another location). But it's not "random"
Stanley Kubrick boasts that he shot some of his movies (The Shining) in chronological order. Star Wars 1977 was another classic shot in random order...and also won award for Film editing!
I was taken by my great Aunt, against my wishes I might add, to see this in the old Capitol cinema in Cardiff when I was about 13 years old. I wanted to go to see The Guns of Navarone instead but Auntie Nancy was paying so to The Capitol we went. We sat upstairs in the Circle and the screen looked vast. Needless to say the impact of this film was huge too - aurally, musically and visually. It played at the Capitol for 2 years and whenever I went to stay with my Aunt and Uncle part of the treat was to go into Cardiff and see this again. That happened 3 or 4 times if I remember correctly. On TV it's ok but on the big screen it blows your socks off !
I don't know if people today know that there weren't multiplexes then. A movie would play at one theater for months sometimes if it was a hit. Sound of Music played for years in many cities. It was a massive hit.
Thank you for reminding us what a masterpiece The Sound of Music is. Seeing all these moments reminds me that I haven't seen it in a long time. I will have to track it down to watch it again soon. I hope it sees a theatrical re-release in the theaters one day.
I have so many versions of this film. Got rid of the old VHS, which couldn’t do it justice. I then got it on DVD, which looks awful by today’s standards. It later was released on Blu-Ray, a vast improvement. Then there’s the 25th anniversary edition, the 40th, even the 50th. A THX Edition and a Limited Edition. Each version has different additional features, from cast member interviews to visits around Salzburg and other fun behind-the-scenes specials. All of them, highly recommended. For some reason, it has yet to be released on 4K. I am still hoping it will, one of these days.
I have so many versions of this film. Got rid of the old VHS, which couldn’t do it justice. I then got it on DVD, which looks awful by today’s standards. It later was released on Blu-Ray, a vast improvement. Then there’s the 25th anniversary edition, the 40th, even the 50th. A THX Edition and a Limited Edition. Each version has different additional features, from cast member interviews to visits around Salzburg and other fun behind-the-scenes specials. All of them, highly recommended. For some reason, it has yet to be released on 4K. I am still hoping it will, one of these days.
Man, this makes me want to watch The Sound of Music for the thirteenth time. Thank you for bringing exposure to this classic. Everyone deserves to tear up when Christopher Plummer sings Eidelweiss. 💗
In the movie Christopher Plummer's voice was replaced by that of Bill Lee. Plummer's Edelweiss tracks are available on TSOM DVD collections -- and (probably) UA-cam.
A terrific video essay, and a much needed corrective for this important movie which is generally over praised by its fans and unfairly dismissed by its detractors. Looking at it from a craftsmanship perspective makes me appreciate it all the more. Thank you!
I first saw it on a second run back in the late 1970s in India. I was a wee thing but fell in love immediately and never forgot it. When we came to the US and my family realized it was a staple of Christmas TV movies, my dad taped it as soon as VCRs arrived. Thank you for making this lovely, informative video.
There is so much to praise about Sound of Music, the pinnacle of movie musicals (almost, but not quite, rivaled by the original West Side Story). But this video specifically is easily one of the best UA-cam videos I've ever seen. Brief but extremely informative, it celebrates everything that went into the filming of the movie that made it a cinematic masterpiece. I wish more videos were like this. I don't mind longer videos, but so often they feel at least partially stuffed with filler and often could benefit from some major editing. This video did exactly what the title promised in a way that makes me want to watch Sound of Music immediately for the fifteenth time? The twentieth? Wonderful job and much appreciated!!
I think "Fiddler on the Roof" is another contender. Flawless casting, great cinematography, great soundtrack, on location filming (although they couldn't get permission to film in the USSR, so they ended up settling for Yugoslavia), and so on.
@@reginabillotti You won't hear an argument from me. I played the part of Motel in a community theater presentation of the musical, and I have so many fond memories of that beautiful play and amazing music. And the filmed adaptation is astonishing.
"Imagine you are watching 'The Sound of Music' on a big cinema screen in 1965." I don't have to imagine it. I was there. I saw TSOM in February of 1966 (I was 6 at the time) in its original road show engagement; reserved seats, intermission, exit music. This was not my first time going to the movies but it was the first time we all went as a family in our Sunday best. I recall my Father getting seats not too close to the screen so we could take in the entire picture without moving our heads and I bear witness that it looked (and sounded) like a billion. One of my happiest childhood memories.
Something not said here because it’s a technical appreciation of a director’s and crew’s approach to film-making - is that all Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘big 5’ musicals transferred from stage to screen magnificently to be gorgeous films and huge commercial successes (long term over decades) - Oklahoma!, Carousel, The King and I, South Pacific and The Sound of Music. The original State Fair, a film with songs rather than a stage musical, and Flower Drum Song, also make movies beautiful to look at. It’s interesting to me that these transfers from one medium to another are so wonderful - so too was West Side Story, Cabaret and Chicago, but so often stage musicals just don’t transfer well, they flop or they have to be so altered that they are almost unrecognisable as the original show. There’s something about each Rodgers and Hammerstein show which, despite being specific local stories, that makes them universal and worthy of the full cinematic treatment with which they were endowed.
The interesting thing is that for Director Robert Wise, this was just a side project he worked on while he was waiting to get pro-production approved for his movie Sand Pebble. His name is often overlooked when it comes to great directors but he’s made so many incredible films.
Robert Wise did A+ directorial work in just about every genre Hollywood had: Musicals (SOM and West Side Story); horror (The Haunting); biopic (Somebody Up There Likes Me, I Want to Live); SciFi (The Day the Earth Stood Still); War Film (The Sand Pebbles); Romantic Comedy (Two for the Seesaw); Western (Two Flags West). He was brilliant.
Wise also directed my favorite ghost story, "The Haunting" based upon Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House". He was a very versatile director.
I never realized how masterful every shot in this picture is. It doesn’t even matter what you think about the content, every picture outside as well as inside is just breathtakingly beautiful.
I love your video so much! My Dad was in the Navy stationed for training at Treasure Island the summer this was in theatres. He would go into San Francisco every chance he could and after locking his uniform in a locker & donning street clothes, he would head to the theatre and watch a matinee of The Sound of Music before joining other friends to get dinner etc. He told me he probably watched it at least 30-50 times while it remained in theatres (it stayed on screens for many months because back then a film that kept selling tickets would stay at theatres indefinitely.) While I was growing up, having been born less than ten years after that summer, we would watch the film on television any time it aired, and my Dad would tell me how much he wished I could have seen it on the big screen. THEN IN 2015 TO CELEBRATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY, WE GOT TO SEE IT TOGETHER AT THE THEATRE! What a treasured memory it is for me, to see it with him as he saw it in that time while he was such a young man. Your video is something I would absolutely share with him now if I were able to, because he would have loved your insights! Then again, maybe wherever he is, beyond the Earth, he DOES have a way to see your video and remember this special memory with me 💞🎶💞🎶💞
How special you got to share the breathtaking experience of watching it in theater with your father. Thank you for sharing your family’s experience of the movie.
My older brother used to watch this film regularly, usually late and after a couple of beers, and he would always cry at the opening shot and at the closing. Strange to see a grown man who was not really into musicals react to this film in such a striking way. It made me adore him all the more. I really miss him.
As a tiny tot, I knew the songs from my Dad's record player before the movie finally arrived at our local cinema in rural South Africa. I was in awe, and bugged every grown-up I knew to take me, I think I saw it 4 times before it left...and over and over since. To this day my most favourite movie of all time, bar none.
Your introduction exactly describes my experience. My mom took me to see the Sound of Music when I was little and was immediately mesmerized by the opening sequence. Years later my brother asked me if I wanted to go see Star Wars. As many may remember in the beginning no one heard of the movie. I didn’t know what it was. “Is it scary?” I asked my brighter. We went and sat in the theater. When it opened with the huge space ship soaring overhead I was equally amazed. I have never seen a movie since then that has equaled those two opening sequences. Amazing films!
Photographed on Eastman's 50T with Bell & Howell 2709, Mitchell BFC, & the Modern Cinema Systems MCS-70 cameras by Ted D. McCord, the precision that went into these scenes had no other choice but to be visually priceless.
i watched this movie countless times as a kid, and when i watched it as an adult i was SHOCKED to find that it was 3 hours long. I was like how did i sit through that so many times all those years as a KID? It's a great film, obviously!!
This is a prefect example of top tier cinematography. So much modern media has distracting cinematography and film direction. Great cinematography allows the audience to truly be enveloped by the media and forget they're merely watching a movie. They feel as though they're truly there observing the action. This is really quite difficult to do in a musical because it's so stylized and breaking out into song is as far from realistic as it gets. But The Sound of Music pulls it off! I went my entire childhood having never seen this movie. It happened to be playing at a theater on my 18th birthday, so my mother and I went and it was extraordinary on a theater screen. As long as producers, directors and cinematographers continue to make moves that are intended to be shown in a theater, I don't think the movie theater will ever die.
This is the first movie I ever saw in a theater. My grandparents took me. I still remember the excitement as the curtains pulled back to give us the full widescreen. It was wonderful.
When I was a young child, we didn't have much. We had one small TV in the whole house with a "rabbit ears" antenna and a VHS player hooked up. We had about 10 movies on VHS, and that was it. The Sound of Music was one of them. It had to be released on two different VHS tapes because it has such a long run-time, with the official orchestral Intermission music starting off the second tape. We watched this movie probably 50 times or more, before we could finally afford to get cable. ❤❤❤
this was a favorite film of mine as a kid when I knew nothing about films- revisiting as an adult I was absolutely taken aback by how beautiful it is visually!
My favorite movie of all time. I watched it at 6 years old, and my parents tell me that I replayed the DVD over and over for weeks. This movie taught me how to sing, and I'll always be thankful.
This film has always held a special place in my heart. Its one of the few films I remember the way I FELT while watching it. I was very young. Maybe 9. Im 39 now and I still think it's just brilliant. Few films, even films today, seem to be able to capture what this one did. Andrews was something else.
We saw it at the Ritz Theater in Greenville, Alabama at the behest of our aunt in New Orleans who insisted my pipe-organ loving and playing musician mother hear the organ in the wedding scene. I was in the fourth grade and of course, I fell in love with Charmian Carr's exquisite portrayal of Liesl, and -- if I'd had my druthers as a marrying man -- I'd have whisked her down the aisle as fast as Rolf could ride his little bicycle! Splendid in every way! Thank you for this presentation.
Fantastic video! I don’t have much of a film background, but your explanations were so well-thought-out that I was able to understand and appreciate even the highly technical aspects. And all that while being so succinct with your writing, not to mention your solid editing! It’s a brilliant review that gives justice to its similarly brilliant subject. Hope more people get to watch and appreciate this!
I’ve seen 1000s of movies in my lifetime. I’m 60. Til this day, Sound of Music is still my number one. And I don’t mean “#1 Musical”, “#1 love story”, “drama or comedy”. I mean number one in all. I still keep my original double LP from 1967, 2 years after the movie came out, still an infant. It is a sacred item. Then the CD, then 35th anniversary DVD, the purchased stream. I have it in every single media it exists. No movie in history has had such a big impact in my life, because of its glorious beauty, music, acting, filmography and photography. I absolutely adore SOM forever.
Your video analysis is, itself, a masterpiece of script and production. One of the most remarkable UA-cam’s I’ve seen in sometime. Subscribed with thanks.
My dear aunt Marie took me to see this and it changed my life. Because of this music has been a staple in my life since the age of 5 and I'm 65 now. There has never been another film like this.
Great video!! Really blew my mind with how the shots worked, the colourgrading, the beautiful music, i knew there was something so beautiful about the visuals of this movie and you put it exactly into words, from an artists’ pov the sound of music is a dream. Usually people talk about the music and the story but I like your original take on why it's a masterpiece.
I first saw this film when I was 9 years old. It ran in the same theatre for over a year. I am now just about 71 and have watched The Sound of Music at least once a year since it was first broadcast on TV and personally owned several copies over the years as technologies have changed. I have travelled to Salzburg and visited many of the locations filmed for the movie and been thrilled to see it is all so real and relatively unchanged. It is definitely my favourite film and for me the very best filmed musical based on a Rogers and Hammertstein show. The cinematography, the songs the drama the comedy the humanity the darkness and the light all blend together in the perfect story of the struggles and dangers so many people have faced and still face today and yet there is still love and hope. This film has always given me so much - especially hope. I hope someone out there who has never seen it, gets that opportunity soon.
I saw it in 1965. I was too young to appreciate the technical aspects of the film but I loved the story and the movie. Decades later on home video my kids also loved the film. What a classic!
I recently got to see this classic in a theater with a large screen and lounge seats. I never thought that viewing this movie on a TV screen would give it justice. I'm glad I waited. The movie was projected on DCP format and actually didn't look bad. Unfortunately DCP's don't include the stereo tracks, do only got the sound from the theater's front speakers. The screen luckily was big enough that a true 70mm print could have been projected on it. Still holding my breath for a 70mm print to show st the Loft Theatre in Tucson, where I got to see another classic West Side Story in 70mm.
What has changed the most since 1965 is the concept of fatherhood. Baron Von Trapp's near complete non-involvement in the upbringing of his children was normal back then, but he comes off as a very strange cat today.
No. Michael Todd did not say that Todd-AO - the "AO" stands for American Optical - was "cinema out of one hole". He said it was "CINERAMA out of one hole". He and his partners developed it to compete with Cinerama, which famously was shot on three strips of film and required three projectors to show it in special theaters. Todd wanted something much easier to film and project - and much cheaper. It used 65 mm film, just like standard 70mm, but filmed at 30 fps instead of 24.
Absolutely correct. Cinerama -- with jaw dropping visuals -- was expensive to produce, difficult to film. Todd wanted a process that would simulate Cinerama without the cost or inconvenience (of filming).
Thank You for clearing this up. I watched this clip 5 times trying to clearly hear what he was explaining, but it still sounded incorrect to me. Your explanation makes much more sense i.e, 65mm original and 65mm prints with 70mm aspect ratio projected at 30fps. However, with the theaters with only 35mm projection equipment at 24fps, was the frame rate somehow adjusted on the print or were the 35mm prints projected at 30 fps? Just curious?
@@timemachineguy1 Only the first two Todd-AO productions _(Oklahoma!_ and _Around the World in 80 Days)_ were shot at 30fps. To allow for compatibility when shown at non-Roadshow engagements, "at popular prices", these films were shot simultaneously at 24fps using 35mm cameras equipped with CinemaScope lenses. The balance of Todd-AO productions were shot at the traditional speed of 24fps.
@@roxiesdad9804 Not to mention the exhibit was hard as heck as well. With 3 projectors running their own third of the image in their own projection rooms at 26 fps 6 perf. With a fourth reel for the sound. And all that needing to stay perfectly in sync for the 3 hour runtimes. With a fourth backup projector standing by with its own reel to cover any disruptions or hiccups. It was truly, a very silly contraption that only lasted a few years, on a few locations. When it was reduced down to a single projector running a single strip of film while retaining enough clarity and still having multichannel surround sound... It's no wonder the powers that be gave up on the format completely. I say that with no real disdain to the format itself and its contributions in being the IMAX of its day. Mostly used for glorified travelogues and 2 full narrative films. I have a curious fascination with the format. As it was so short lived, so few titles produced. I aim to get ALL of the films done for the format on bluray. It's a futile endeavour. Most of the films are more timecapsules than actually fun to watch. But it is doable (if someone actually finally releases the Brothers Grimm movie).
When I was a kid, in the 1960's, my parents took the family and my grand parents to the Eglinton Theatre in Toronto to see this film. I remember going to this day. I've never been a big musical movie fan, but this musical film makes it to my favourites list!
I was in my early teens when I was persuaded to see this film somewhat against my own feelings and couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed it. Yes the photography and projection on to a huge screen was awesome even after I had already experienced Cinerama. The 60’s was the last decade of going to movie theatres to see spectacular productions in large auditoriums unlike today’s boring boxes. So lucky to have experienced the end of the golden age.
My Mom took me to this movie when I was nine or ten. I felt like I see and hear something really beautiful. I didn't understand much of the story but I remember this strange nice new feeling inside of me. I guess that's when I started to realize the power of beautiful art without knowing what it actually is.
I was born in 1990 and this is still my absolute favorite movie. I grew up watching this movie, and I don't ever remember a time when The Sound of Music was not a part of my life. It taught me so much about family, music, history, and what it means to accept change. I love this movie and I always will.
My native language is Spanish. I saw this beautiful movie for the first time in 1967 in Mexico City. I loved it. The first song I ever sang in English was Do- re - mi. (I was six years old back then) I have seen this movie many times in my life. I bought the LP record when I was a kid and I learned all the songs. It was the first movie I understood completely in English. I love languages and Broadway Musicals, all because of the Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. God bless Julie Andrews. If I have good English it's because of her. I have probably seen this movie 10 times, if not more. Television and movies were awesome back in the 60's and 70's. I'm currently watching Flipper right here on UA-cam. Even though I am 63 years old, I still enjoy all these wonderful shows.
This was my favorite movie growing up (or at least tied). My 1.5 year old recently watched half of it in one sitting, which is quite impressive for a 1.5 year old.
My mum took me to see this, at the biggest cinema in Manchester, when it came out. I was 11. I remember being very impressed by its look. I am sure it gave me my love of motion pictures.
I was taken to the theatre to see this movie in 1968, I was 8 years old, it was at a grand theatre in the city of Aberdeen in Scotland, called " His Majesty's Theatre". An ornate structure built in 1906 and seating for 1400 people. It is something that has etched in my memory, the sheer spectacle of watching it on a huge screen, I remember it being like a 3D image, I'm assuming it was a 70mm presentation, I felt totally transported to another world, and of course being a child myself at the time I totally related to the children in the movie.
@@ghound-md5ey ah thank you so much, well I haven't been to Aberdeen for at least 30 years, lived in Stonehaven as a child for a number of years, then 40 years in London, I have some very happy memories of Aberdeen and Stonehaven I will return soon now that I am retired! All the best.!
It broke my heart learning about the REAL Von Trapp family. Maria IRL was a nightmare. All the children literally had to run away, even into adulthood, to escape her choke hold.
Because it's shot on the most beautiful film stock you could ever get your hands on with some of the finest lenses ever created. It doesn't need a lot more analysis than that.
Bravo! A terrific essay on a fantastic file. Boris Leven was the production designer. He was as much responsible for the overall mood and visual experience of this stellar cinematic work of art as the director, cinematographer, or costume designer. The art of cinema is a group effort.
Coupla things: * A narrower aperture would result in a great depth of field, not shallower one as you say with regards to the close ups. * Green is not a primary colour - perhaps "base colour" would be a better term.
McCord's work in the Abbey scenes is stunning...and I still don't know how he got the depth of field he did in the long tacking shot through the church during the wedding procession. For more of McCord's use of shadow and light Check out Robert Wise's 'Two for the Seesaw'...some really beautiful stuff there too.
It was breathtaking! I was 10 years old and seeing it in the theater was amazing. The movie has it all: great music, beautiful acting, gorgeous cinematography, I was hooked!
This film has always been a favorite of mine. I cant remember how many times i rewatched it.. and now seeing this indepth review on how great the cinematography this film had, the more it solidifies that this film truly is one of the greatest film ever!
I dont think people who have only seen it on ABC on a TV understand how overwhelming it is in 70 on a big screen. One of my best filmgoing experiences.
The colour in The Sound of Music is beautiful! Also, I live just over an hour's drive from Salzburg and I love seeing the location shots of places where I have walked and spent time.
"Imagine you are watching The Sound of Music on a big cinema screen in 1965." I don't have to imagine it, I did. Even better, I was attending a Catholic elementary school at the time. The nuns loved the movie, and they took us on a field trip to see it when it first came out.
That's so neat to hear they loved the movie!
@@good1day726 I think, deep down, they all wanted to be Maria.
@@stflaw Ha! I don't blame them!
Ahh, me too. 60 years ago.😂
at the Coronado?
Something in our collective humanity peaked with this film. It was and always has been magnificent.
our collective humanity peaked with the Sound of Music?? lol 🤣🤣🤣your sarcasm is delicious!!
😢❤
@@BernardProfitendieuit’s sad that you can’t see it
@@aquila4228 Which specific part of the movie is the exact peak of collective humanity? the Lonely Goatherd?? ahahaha! *AHAHAHAHAHA*
How do you solve a problem like BernardProfit? You ignore him. Some people simply can’t understand that level of artistic beauty and perfection.
“Maria wears a uniform, the children wear uniforms, and then Austria is taken over by men in uniform” I’ve seen this movie 100 times (literally) and you just blew my mind. Loved the video.
Wish newer movies would have "natural" colors again. They're all dark and have a blue-ish tint now. Not very aesthetically pleasing. But you forgot about the music, as in Sound of Music, lol.
They're all graded in Da Vinci Resolve 😢
@@phoebexxlouise Editors can color-grade footage to look like _Sound of Music's_ in DaVinci Resolve, they just don't do it.
The use of digital cameras today helps make the footage look fake and honestly it doesn’t do the colours in scenery and costumes justice.
Is there a name for this "everything is blue tinted and darks are over saturated" phenomenon?
I see it everywhere but never hear it talked about. I preaonally call it "nexflix colouring" but it must have a proper name
I don't think he forgot about the music. The topic he wanted to discuss was the cinematography. It's not an essay about the whole film, but about how the film looks. And, excepting the audience members with certain synesthesia symptoms, one cannot see the music.
The effort that went into the opening “Hills are Alive” shot was incredible - the helicopter and camera had to arrive and then descend in near autorotation with Julie Andrews running up at exactly the right time - the music for synch being blasted from speakers behind the background trees.
I saw in an interview with Julie Andrews that it was also raining, so they had to dry her off each time they did another take and it would take forever to reset. She said they color corrected the sky in post.
Except that, of course, she only starts singing once the camera cuts to the non-helicopter static shot. It still would have been tricky to time her appearance and the helicopter's arrival, but it's a lot easier than if she had been singing during the tracking shot.
I should probably add that the opening for that was an echo of Robert Wise's previous musical, _West Side Story_ , which begins with an aerial shot of New York Harbor, then continues with a sequence of other shots over the city, until finally zooming in on the basketball court where the Jets and Sharks have their first confrontation. Once again, Wise cuts to a static shot on the ground for the first of the iconic finger snaps of the opening dance number.
And with the advancement of camera and drone technology, this shot would be much easier to do today. Amazing how technology can advance so much, so quickly in certain industries. Unfortunately, Kodak didn't "see" the advent of digital photography technology soon enough.
Now it's so much easier with drones and computers! I'll always appreciate the physical and financial effort that went into movies before digital tech really took off.
She said she was blown to the ground by the prop wash on each take.
It does still look so stunning. This and Lawrence of Arabia were the pinnacle of real film beauty of the 1960s.
They both take my breath away
How about Mary Poppins
The Coolidge (a non-profit theater in Boston) occasionally does screenings of Lawrence of Arabia in the original 70mm. The visual ambition of it just takes your breath away. There are many talented filmmakers working today, but the films with the resources to be ambitious in both scale and style rarely are. The respect for the audience's taste and intelligence was just on a different level. We're so lucky to have an ecosystem of theaters here (the Coolidge, the Brattle, the Capitol, Harvard Film Archive) that work to keep the actual cinematic experience of those movies alive.
@@itmightbeciaranthanks for the info - these are names from long ago when I was a student in Boston. I assume/hope they’re thriving. I just returned from a major university reunion in Boston…I wish I had known.
@@manuelorozco7760Mary Poppins is definitely a pinnacle of blending live action and animation pre-Roger Rabbit.
Which makes the sequel having to outsource the animation to South Korea all the more tragic. 😂
I was a projectionist in de seventies and eighties and showed this film many times on 70mm. Our theater had a curved screen, 12 meter (40 feet) wide and about 6 meter (20 feet) high. From a technical perspective, this was the most beautiful film to work with, while the music and the story itself is one of my guilty pleasures! The last time that we would perform this film, the distributor wanted to send a 35mm optical copy, but I would not have it! They send me a 70mm copy that they deemed not presentable, but I still wanted to see it first. As it happened, it was disassembled badly, with reels in the wrong sequence and the music intro removed. I reassembled the film, added the musical intro's and played it for myself. It was completely presentable and so we showed this copy. When I shipped it back, it was the last time that I saw it in 70mm. Now I have the HD version, but it isn't nearly as good. I got very nostalgic, seeing this item!
Fascinating story. Thanks for sharing.
What a wonderful story of the technical behind the scenes. As a person who worked in IT for 3 decades, this is so interesting. Thanks.
What a great story and thank you for your dedication and integrity to help maintain this movie's legacy. Thanks fpr sharing!
Really appreciate hearing about your experience! Thank you for your commitment to keeping the film’s magic alive!
> Our theater had a curved screen, 12 meter (40 feet) wide and about 6 meter (20 feet) high
Cinerama!
“I’m sorry, Captain- but I do not know YOUR whistle.”
Never fails to get a chuckle out of me.😝
Brat
I forgot how crisp and beautiful this film is. Thanks for detailing the technical and cinematographic processes that went into the making of this treasured classic.
Thank you for teaching me what I didn’t know about a film I’ve watched at least a dozen times.
You’re welcome!
A dozen! Try 100!
I remember as a 7 year old traveling to Nova Scotia for a few weeks to visit my cousins. First time on a plane, first time travelling anywhere more than 100 miles from home. We were free range kids in those days, pushed out the door in the morning and we would just run around and explore. There was a movie theater playing "Sound of Music" and in a week we must have watched it 3 or 4 times. If it wasn't the first movie I had seen in a theater, it certainly was close to being the first. I remember the beauty of the movie and it was so big, the screen. Those were good times, more gentle times and the Sound of Music always reminds me of those days.
Also 7 at the time. (And I too have second cousins in Nova Scotia.) I asked my mother if we could see it again. She couldn't fathom why: "You just saw it!" Yes, it was wonderful - of course I wanted to see it again.
I was 7 at the time. I remember my parents taking me to see it.
As someone who was old enough, and lucky enough, to see a theatrical reprint on the big screen in the 1980s, the film left a huge impression on me. It was visually stunning and 7 year old me felt completely immersed. The Sound of Music was my gateway into classic films and began my love of musicals.
The Wizard Of Oz was my gateway. Then The King & I then The Sound Of Music. Is it okay to have three gateways?
@@manuelorozco7760The Wizard of Oz was my favorite as a 5 year old. It became even more special to me when I found out my grandmother (who is 101 now) saw it in Mexico in 1939/40!
@@Duquedecastro That’s cool!
Oh - absolutely the same for me!
The Castro Theater in San Francisco showed it often; I never saw it there, because where was I going to park? The actual Von Trapp "children" (now older adults) would attend annual exhibitions of the movie at the Hollywood Bowl. I'd love to see "The Sound Of Music" on the big screen someday.
.....church wedding for me was one of highlights...soo beautiful and solemn with powerful music
Thanks to that my brother wants to sing "How do you solve a problem like (Esther)?" at my wedding some day 😭😂
It was just how a wedding in church should be. Solemn and a powerful thing to do before God and a congregation. So many think it’s just about show and consumption nowadays. I think the wedding dress was exquisite.
@@MaisiewupppIkr!!!
I must have watched The Sound of Music over 100 times in my 44 years, and it still has so many surprises left for me. The movie you watch as a kid is not the same movie you watch as a teen, and then when you watch it in your 20s, the perspective changes, in my 30s, it changed again, because I had grown as a movie watcher, and in my 40s, I have young kids now and the movie's themes are even more clear and there is a newer appreciation for the innocence of childhood.
Wow that's absolutely amazing. One story can never grow boring because we are constantly changing as well as the world around us and that, in turn, changes the way we see the story.
I agree. I’ve watched it dozen of times in my life, yet I still seem to have a new experience with each viewing. This video has expanded my appreciation for the film even more.
I've been such a big fan of this movie since I was a little girl, it holds such a warm, special place in my heart. Nearly 30 now, and I've noticed these things too. I smiled reading your comment, knowing that this movie gets to continue to grow with me as it always has. How wonderful. 💗
This is true!
I happened to find myself in Salzburg a few years ago and on a whim I went on the "Sound of Music" tour. There were many highlights 1. The tour bus filled with every nationality under the sun all singing along to the onboard video. 2. Seeing the gazebo, the church, the abbey, the gardens etc and 3. the fact that when Maria is speaking with Capt Von Trapp outside the Villa the background behind each of them was filmed in two totally different locations!
added to my bucket list!!
My grandfather was a mexican factory worker in a very small town in Guanajuato. I have no idea where he saw this movie but he adored it. My father bought a VHS in Texas for him and we used to watch it every summer we visited him in the country. I miss him so much. Thank you for making this video. Im sure he would love this.
We saw this with the family a few months ago. I was shocked at how beautiful this film really is-visually, musically and thematically. Yes, I had seen it many times as a child, but I had a fresh appreciation for just how exceptionally good this film is.
The movie was filmed in non chronological order...the easier scenes like My Favorite Things sequence were filmed first, harder scenes came later, the epic opening scene was filmed last. The movie was already story boarded...as to which scenes to proceed with principal photography. Film editing put those scenes into chronological order...film editing is one of the awards this movie won!
That’s actually how all movies are shot. But I didn’t know the editing for Sound of Music had won awards, so the things you learn!
I think you need to consult a dictionary on the meaning of “random”.
Most movies are filmed out of order, based on the needs of production (e.g. filming all scenes that take place at a specific location before moving on to another location). But it's not "random"
Stanley Kubrick boasts that he shot some of his movies (The Shining) in chronological order.
Star Wars 1977 was another classic shot in random order...and also won award for Film editing!
@@sciagurrato1831 the movie was shot in "non chronological" order...okay?
I was taken by my great Aunt, against my wishes I might add, to see this in the old Capitol cinema in Cardiff when I was about 13 years old. I wanted to go to see The Guns of Navarone instead but Auntie Nancy was paying so to The Capitol we went. We sat upstairs in the Circle and the screen looked vast. Needless to say the impact of this film was huge too - aurally, musically and visually. It played at the Capitol for 2 years and whenever I went to stay with my Aunt and Uncle part of the treat was to go into Cardiff and see this again. That happened 3 or 4 times if I remember correctly. On TV it's ok but on the big screen it blows your socks off !
Very nice
I don't know if people today know that there weren't multiplexes then. A movie would play at one theater for months sometimes if it was a hit. Sound of Music played for years in many cities. It was a massive hit.
Now I wish I could see it in the cinema!!!
@@hiridavidfeign, big theatres, too. 500+ patrons at a time.
Thank you for reminding us what a masterpiece The Sound of Music is. Seeing all these moments reminds me that I haven't seen it in a long time. I will have to track it down to watch it again soon. I hope it sees a theatrical re-release in the theaters one day.
You’re welcome!
I watch it just about every year. Probably have seen it over 40 times. Enjoy it every time😌
Perhaps next year (2025) for the 60th Anniversary Disney will rerelease it in theaters.
I have so many versions of this film. Got rid of the old VHS, which couldn’t do it justice. I then got it on DVD, which looks awful by today’s standards. It later was released on Blu-Ray, a vast improvement. Then there’s the 25th anniversary edition, the 40th, even the 50th. A THX Edition and a Limited Edition. Each version has different additional features, from cast member interviews to visits around Salzburg and other fun behind-the-scenes specials. All of them, highly recommended. For some reason, it has yet to be released on 4K. I am still hoping it will, one of these days.
I have so many versions of this film. Got rid of the old VHS, which couldn’t do it justice. I then got it on DVD, which looks awful by today’s standards. It later was released on Blu-Ray, a vast improvement. Then there’s the 25th anniversary edition, the 40th, even the 50th. A THX Edition and a Limited Edition. Each version has different additional features, from cast member interviews to visits around Salzburg and other fun behind-the-scenes specials. All of them, highly recommended. For some reason, it has yet to be released on 4K. I am still hoping it will, one of these days.
Man, this makes me want to watch The Sound of Music for the thirteenth time. Thank you for bringing exposure to this classic. Everyone deserves to tear up when Christopher Plummer sings Eidelweiss. 💗
You’re welcome!
In the movie Christopher Plummer's voice was replaced by that of Bill Lee. Plummer's Edelweiss tracks are available on TSOM DVD collections -- and (probably) UA-cam.
@@roxiesdad9804 🤯
Or be awed when he cuts in to dance. Stunning.
I’ve seen TSOM 11 times
A terrific video essay, and a much needed corrective for this important movie which is generally over praised by its fans and unfairly dismissed by its detractors. Looking at it from a craftsmanship perspective makes me appreciate it all the more. Thank you!
When I was a kid we would visit my grandmother at Christmas, and watch The Sound of Music in a cinema. It was an annual tradition,
I first saw it on a second run back in the late 1970s in India. I was a wee thing but fell in love immediately and never forgot it. When we came to the US and my family realized it was a staple of Christmas TV movies, my dad taped it as soon as VCRs arrived. Thank you for making this lovely, informative video.
There is so much to praise about Sound of Music, the pinnacle of movie musicals (almost, but not quite, rivaled by the original West Side Story). But this video specifically is easily one of the best UA-cam videos I've ever seen. Brief but extremely informative, it celebrates everything that went into the filming of the movie that made it a cinematic masterpiece. I wish more videos were like this. I don't mind longer videos, but so often they feel at least partially stuffed with filler and often could benefit from some major editing. This video did exactly what the title promised in a way that makes me want to watch Sound of Music immediately for the fifteenth time? The twentieth?
Wonderful job and much appreciated!!
As a millennial I consider The Greatest Showman as the last great movie musical weve had
I think "Fiddler on the Roof" is another contender. Flawless casting, great cinematography, great soundtrack, on location filming (although they couldn't get permission to film in the USSR, so they ended up settling for Yugoslavia), and so on.
@@reginabillotti You won't hear an argument from me. I played the part of Motel in a community theater presentation of the musical, and I have so many fond memories of that beautiful play and amazing music. And the filmed adaptation is astonishing.
The soul is alive everytime i watch this masterpiece of a film
"Imagine you are watching 'The Sound of Music' on a big cinema screen in 1965." I don't have to imagine it. I was there. I saw TSOM in February of 1966 (I was 6 at the time) in its original road show engagement; reserved seats, intermission, exit music. This was not my first time going to the movies but it was the first time we all went as a family in our Sunday best. I recall my Father getting seats not too close to the screen so we could take in the entire picture without moving our heads and I bear witness that it looked (and sounded) like a billion. One of my happiest childhood memories.
Something not said here because it’s a technical appreciation of a director’s and crew’s approach to film-making - is that all Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘big 5’ musicals transferred from stage to screen magnificently to be gorgeous films and huge commercial successes (long term over decades) - Oklahoma!, Carousel, The King and I, South Pacific and The Sound of Music. The original State Fair, a film with songs rather than a stage musical, and Flower Drum Song, also make movies beautiful to look at. It’s interesting to me that these transfers from one medium to another are so wonderful - so too was West Side Story, Cabaret and Chicago, but so often stage musicals just don’t transfer well, they flop or they have to be so altered that they are almost unrecognisable as the original show. There’s something about each Rodgers and Hammerstein show which, despite being specific local stories, that makes them universal and worthy of the full cinematic treatment with which they were endowed.
Cinderella 1997 with Brandy was my introduction to Rogers and Hammerstein. Yet I consider Grease THE gold standard of stage to screen adaptations
The interesting thing is that for Director Robert Wise, this was just a side project he worked on while he was waiting to get pro-production approved for his movie Sand Pebble.
His name is often overlooked when it comes to great directors but he’s made so many incredible films.
Couldn’t agree more about Wise.
Robert Wise did A+ directorial work in just about every genre Hollywood had: Musicals (SOM and West Side Story); horror (The Haunting); biopic (Somebody Up There Likes Me, I Want to Live); SciFi (The Day the Earth Stood Still); War Film (The Sand Pebbles); Romantic Comedy (Two for the Seesaw); Western (Two Flags West). He was brilliant.
Wise also directed my favorite ghost story, "The Haunting" based upon Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House". He was a very versatile director.
I never realized how masterful every shot in this picture is. It doesn’t even matter what you think about the content, every picture outside as well as inside is just breathtakingly beautiful.
I love your video so much!
My Dad was in the Navy stationed for training at Treasure Island the summer this was in theatres. He would go into San Francisco every chance he could and after locking his uniform in a locker & donning street clothes, he would head to the theatre and watch a matinee of The Sound of Music before joining other friends to get dinner etc. He told me he probably watched it at least 30-50 times while it remained in theatres (it stayed on screens for many months because back then a film that kept selling tickets would stay at theatres indefinitely.)
While I was growing up, having been born less than ten years after that summer, we would watch the film on television any time it aired, and my Dad would tell me how much he wished I could have seen it on the big screen.
THEN IN 2015 TO CELEBRATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY, WE GOT TO SEE IT TOGETHER AT THE THEATRE! What a treasured memory it is for me, to see it with him as he saw it in that time while he was such a young man.
Your video is something I would absolutely share with him now if I were able to, because he would have loved your insights! Then again, maybe wherever he is, beyond the Earth, he DOES have a way to see your video and remember this special memory with me 💞🎶💞🎶💞
How special you got to share the breathtaking experience of watching it in theater with your father. Thank you for sharing your family’s experience of the movie.
I defy anyone not to cry when she comes into frame over the hill in the opening shot.❤❤🎉😢 An amazing and beautiful technical breakdown in this video.
My older brother used to watch this film regularly, usually late and after a couple of beers, and he would always cry at the opening shot and at the closing. Strange to see a grown man who was not really into musicals react to this film in such a striking way. It made me adore him all the more. I really miss him.
One of the most beautiful films ever made.
As a tiny tot, I knew the songs from my Dad's record player before the movie finally arrived at our local cinema in rural South Africa. I was in awe, and bugged every grown-up I knew to take me, I think I saw it 4 times before it left...and over and over since. To this day my most favourite movie of all time, bar none.
Your introduction exactly describes my experience. My mom took me to see the Sound of Music when I was little and was immediately mesmerized by the opening sequence. Years later my brother asked me if I wanted to go see Star Wars. As many may remember in the beginning no one heard of the movie. I didn’t know what it was. “Is it scary?” I asked my brighter. We went and sat in the theater. When it opened with the huge space ship soaring overhead I was equally amazed. I have never seen a movie since then that has equaled those two opening sequences. Amazing films!
Photographed on Eastman's 50T with Bell & Howell 2709, Mitchell BFC, & the Modern Cinema Systems MCS-70 cameras by Ted D. McCord, the precision that went into these scenes had no other choice but to be visually priceless.
i watched this movie countless times as a kid, and when i watched it as an adult i was SHOCKED to find that it was 3 hours long. I was like how did i sit through that so many times all those years as a KID? It's a great film, obviously!!
Thank you for explaining how all the photographic and film making techniques was as much a contribution as the music, singing and acting. Wonderful!
When I was a little chil in the 80s, I watched this every day before going to school for years. It's still one of my favorites.
If there's a word describing this movie, is TIMELESS.
This is a prefect example of top tier cinematography. So much modern media has distracting cinematography and film direction. Great cinematography allows the audience to truly be enveloped by the media and forget they're merely watching a movie. They feel as though they're truly there observing the action. This is really quite difficult to do in a musical because it's so stylized and breaking out into song is as far from realistic as it gets. But The Sound of Music pulls it off!
I went my entire childhood having never seen this movie. It happened to be playing at a theater on my 18th birthday, so my mother and I went and it was extraordinary on a theater screen. As long as producers, directors and cinematographers continue to make moves that are intended to be shown in a theater, I don't think the movie theater will ever die.
I was a fan of this movie since I was 13. Yet it took me seven years to give it a second viewing.
This is the first movie I ever saw in a theater. My grandparents took me. I still remember the excitement as the curtains pulled back to give us the full widescreen. It was wonderful.
When I was a young child, we didn't have much. We had one small TV in the whole house with a "rabbit ears" antenna and a VHS player hooked up. We had about 10 movies on VHS, and that was it. The Sound of Music was one of them. It had to be released on two different VHS tapes because it has such a long run-time, with the official orchestral Intermission music starting off the second tape. We watched this movie probably 50 times or more, before we could finally afford to get cable. ❤❤❤
this was a favorite film of mine as a kid when I knew nothing about films- revisiting as an adult I was absolutely taken aback by how beautiful it is visually!
My favorite movie of all time. I watched it at 6 years old, and my parents tell me that I replayed the DVD over and over for weeks. This movie taught me how to sing, and I'll always be thankful.
I watched it for years in full screen vhs and when I finally saw it on DVD widescreen my god, just saw it in 4K recently and it’s just flawless
How did you see it in 4K??
This film has always held a special place in my heart. Its one of the few films I remember the way I FELT while watching it. I was very young. Maybe 9. Im 39 now and I still think it's just brilliant. Few films, even films today, seem to be able to capture what this one did. Andrews was something else.
We saw it at the Ritz Theater in Greenville, Alabama at the behest of our aunt in New Orleans who insisted my pipe-organ loving and playing musician mother hear the organ in the wedding scene. I was in the fourth grade and of course, I fell in love with Charmian Carr's exquisite portrayal of Liesl, and -- if I'd had my druthers as a marrying man -- I'd have whisked her down the aisle as fast as Rolf could ride his little bicycle! Splendid in every way! Thank you for this presentation.
Fantastic video! I don’t have much of a film background, but your explanations were so well-thought-out that I was able to understand and appreciate even the highly technical aspects. And all that while being so succinct with your writing, not to mention your solid editing! It’s a brilliant review that gives justice to its similarly brilliant subject. Hope more people get to watch and appreciate this!
I’ve seen 1000s of movies in my lifetime. I’m 60. Til this day, Sound of Music is still my number one. And I don’t mean “#1 Musical”, “#1 love story”, “drama or comedy”. I mean number one in all. I still keep my original double LP from 1967, 2 years after the movie came out, still an infant. It is a sacred item. Then the CD, then 35th anniversary DVD, the purchased stream. I have it in every single media it exists. No movie in history has had such a big impact in my life, because of its glorious beauty, music, acting, filmography and photography. I absolutely adore SOM forever.
Seeing this compilation of scenes just made me realize how beautifully and fundamentally composed each shot is.
This is one of the best UA-cam videos I have ever seen. Really, really good job!! 🎉🎉
Your video analysis is, itself, a masterpiece of script and production. One of the most remarkable UA-cam’s I’ve seen in sometime. Subscribed with thanks.
My dear aunt Marie took me to see this and it changed my life. Because of this music has been a staple in my life since the age of 5 and I'm 65 now. There has never been another film like this.
Great video!! Really blew my mind with how the shots worked, the colourgrading, the beautiful music, i knew there was something so beautiful about the visuals of this movie and you put it exactly into words, from an artists’ pov the sound of music is a dream. Usually people talk about the music and the story but I like your original take on why it's a masterpiece.
Saw the sound of music for the first time a few days ago on my 12 year shitty tv and it still took my breath away. Absolutely stunning and moving
A Wise masterwork.
What a magnificent video. Writing Editing narration. Bravo. Most enjoyable to watch.
I first saw this film when I was 9 years old. It ran in the same theatre for over a year. I am now just about 71 and have watched The Sound of Music at least once a year since it was first broadcast on TV and personally owned several copies over the years as technologies have changed. I have travelled to Salzburg and visited many of the locations filmed for the movie and been thrilled to see it is all so real and relatively unchanged. It is definitely my favourite film and for me the very best filmed musical based on a Rogers and Hammertstein show. The cinematography, the songs the drama the comedy the humanity the darkness and the light all blend together in the perfect story of the struggles and dangers so many people have faced and still face today and yet there is still love and hope. This film has always given me so much - especially hope. I hope someone out there who has never seen it, gets that opportunity soon.
In my unpopular opinion, the best Rogers and Hammerstein movie has to be State Fair
I saw it in 1965. I was too young to appreciate the technical aspects of the film but I loved the story and the movie. Decades later on home video my kids also loved the film. What a classic!
Thank you for looking at this film through an entirely different lens, figuratively speaking.
Couldn’t have said it better.😊
You’re welcome!
Why am I so early?
This is one of the greatest movies ever made.
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. You made me appreciate it even more.
I read it was also the first Golden Age musical shot on location outside the US. Thank you for this deep dive.
But I thought An American In Paris was actually shot in Paris
I recently got to see this classic in a theater with a large screen and lounge seats. I never thought that viewing this movie on a TV screen would give it justice. I'm glad I waited. The movie was projected on DCP format and actually didn't look bad. Unfortunately DCP's don't include the stereo tracks, do only got the sound from the theater's front speakers. The screen luckily was big enough that a true 70mm print could have been projected on it. Still holding my breath for a 70mm print to show st the Loft Theatre in Tucson, where I got to see another classic West Side Story in 70mm.
What has changed the most since 1965 is the concept of fatherhood. Baron Von Trapp's near complete non-involvement in the upbringing of his children was normal back then, but he comes off as a very strange cat today.
It’s so great that doesn’t matter how old the movie is, the children n adults still love it!
No. Michael Todd did not say that Todd-AO - the "AO" stands for American Optical - was "cinema out of one hole". He said it was "CINERAMA out of one hole". He and his partners developed it to compete with Cinerama, which famously was shot on three strips of film and required three projectors to show it in special theaters. Todd wanted something much easier to film and project - and much cheaper. It used 65 mm film, just like standard 70mm, but filmed at 30 fps instead of 24.
Absolutely correct. Cinerama -- with jaw dropping visuals -- was expensive to produce, difficult to film. Todd wanted a process that would simulate Cinerama without the cost or inconvenience (of filming).
Thank You for clearing this up. I watched this clip 5 times trying to clearly hear what he was explaining, but it still sounded incorrect to me. Your explanation makes much more sense i.e, 65mm original and 65mm prints with 70mm aspect ratio projected at 30fps. However, with the theaters with only 35mm projection equipment at 24fps, was the frame rate somehow adjusted on the print or were the 35mm prints projected at 30 fps? Just curious?
@@timemachineguy1 Only the first two Todd-AO productions _(Oklahoma!_ and _Around the World in 80 Days)_ were shot at 30fps. To allow for compatibility when shown at non-Roadshow engagements, "at popular prices", these films were shot simultaneously at 24fps using 35mm cameras equipped with CinemaScope lenses. The balance of Todd-AO productions were shot at the traditional speed of 24fps.
Yeah I like his videos but sometimes it’s just a wall of words and lacks clarity. This one almost sounded non-sensical.
@@roxiesdad9804
Not to mention the exhibit was hard as heck as well. With 3 projectors running their own third of the image in their own projection rooms at 26 fps 6 perf. With a fourth reel for the sound. And all that needing to stay perfectly in sync for the 3 hour runtimes. With a fourth backup projector standing by with its own reel to cover any disruptions or hiccups.
It was truly, a very silly contraption that only lasted a few years, on a few locations. When it was reduced down to a single projector running a single strip of film while retaining enough clarity and still having multichannel surround sound... It's no wonder the powers that be gave up on the format completely.
I say that with no real disdain to the format itself and its contributions in being the IMAX of its day. Mostly used for glorified travelogues and 2 full narrative films. I have a curious fascination with the format. As it was so short lived, so few titles produced. I aim to get ALL of the films done for the format on bluray. It's a futile endeavour. Most of the films are more timecapsules than actually fun to watch. But it is doable (if someone actually finally releases the Brothers Grimm movie).
When I was a kid, in the 1960's, my parents took the family and my grand parents to the Eglinton Theatre in Toronto to see this film. I remember going to this day. I've never been a big musical movie fan, but this musical film makes it to my favourites list!
I watched this for the first time a few years ago and it was an instant favourite. It’s a masterpiece
I was in my early teens when I was persuaded to see this film somewhat against my own feelings and couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed it. Yes the photography and projection on to a huge screen was awesome even after I had already experienced Cinerama. The 60’s was the last decade of going to movie theatres to see spectacular productions in large auditoriums unlike today’s boring boxes. So lucky to have experienced the end of the golden age.
I’m 31 love megaplexes but I hardly ever get the opportunity to watch a movie in a larger room
I watched this movie the most as a child so I didn't pick up on just how perfect the cinematography is in this movie, every shot in a work of art omg
My Mom took me to this movie when I was nine or ten.
I felt like I see and hear something really beautiful.
I didn't understand much of the story but I remember this strange nice new feeling inside of me.
I guess that's when I started to realize the power of beautiful art without knowing what it actually is.
It's still the most dramatic start to any film you will see and the best film ever made.
I was born in 1990 and this is still my absolute favorite movie. I grew up watching this movie, and I don't ever remember a time when The Sound of Music was not a part of my life. It taught me so much about family, music, history, and what it means to accept change. I love this movie and I always will.
I hadn't ever watched "The Sound of Music" until I was in my mid-thirties. This video does a good job at highlighting the visual qualities.
Fantastic analysis and research. And yeah, the film looks as good as the ad that interrupts this video. Amazing.
My native language is Spanish. I saw this beautiful movie for the first time in 1967 in Mexico City. I loved it. The first song I ever sang in English was Do- re - mi. (I was six years old back then) I have seen this movie many times in my life. I bought the LP record when I was a kid and I learned all the songs. It was the first movie I understood completely in English. I love languages and Broadway Musicals, all because of the Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. God bless Julie Andrews. If I have good English it's because of her. I have probably seen this movie 10 times, if not more. Television and movies were awesome back in the 60's and 70's. I'm currently watching Flipper right here on UA-cam. Even though I am 63 years old, I still enjoy all these wonderful shows.
This was my favorite movie growing up (or at least tied). My 1.5 year old recently watched half of it in one sitting, which is quite impressive for a 1.5 year old.
My mum took me to see this, at the biggest cinema in Manchester, when it came out. I was 11. I remember being very impressed by its look. I am sure it gave me my love of motion pictures.
So cool! Now I DEF need to watch it
I revisited it recently and it's so incredibly beautiful. I love how it captures yellows and oranges.
I was taken to the theatre to see this movie in 1968, I was 8 years old, it was at a grand theatre in the city of Aberdeen in Scotland, called " His Majesty's Theatre". An ornate structure built in 1906 and seating for 1400 people. It is something that has etched in my memory, the sheer spectacle of watching it on a huge screen, I remember it being like a 3D image, I'm assuming it was a 70mm presentation, I felt totally transported to another world, and of course being a child myself at the time I totally related to the children in the movie.
Actually " HIS Majesty's " in Aberdeen
@@ghound-md5ey ah yes, quite right. Thank you for the correction.
@christoph404 No problem 😊 Hope you managed /manage to return sometime! Best wishes from Aberdeen !
@@ghound-md5ey ah thank you so much, well I haven't been to Aberdeen for at least 30 years, lived in Stonehaven as a child for a number of years, then 40 years in London, I have some very happy memories of Aberdeen and Stonehaven I will return soon now that I am retired! All the best.!
@christoph404 Thanks, and enjoy your visit when you return !
It broke my heart learning about the REAL Von Trapp family. Maria IRL was a nightmare. All the children literally had to run away, even into adulthood, to escape her choke hold.
Because it's shot on the most beautiful film stock you could ever get your hands on with some of the finest lenses ever created. It doesn't need a lot more analysis than that.
Bravo! A terrific essay on a fantastic file. Boris Leven was the production designer. He was as much responsible for the overall mood and visual experience of this stellar cinematic work of art as the director, cinematographer, or costume designer. The art of cinema is a group effort.
I’m just a young Asian nerd in MN and I really like this movie. I saw it first in 6th grade
I didn't expect to watch this video 'til the end. Well done!
Coupla things:
* A narrower aperture would result in a great depth of field, not shallower one as you say with regards to the close ups.
* Green is not a primary colour - perhaps "base colour" would be a better term.
McCord's work in the Abbey scenes is stunning...and I still don't know how he got the depth of field he did in the long tacking shot through the church during the wedding procession. For more of McCord's use of shadow and light Check out Robert Wise's 'Two for the Seesaw'...some really beautiful stuff there too.
It was breathtaking! I was 10 years old and seeing it in the theater was amazing. The movie has it all: great music, beautiful acting, gorgeous cinematography, I was hooked!
This film has always been a favorite of mine. I cant remember how many times i rewatched it.. and now seeing this indepth review on how great the cinematography this film had, the more it solidifies that this film truly is one of the greatest film ever!
I dont think people who have only seen it on ABC on a TV understand how overwhelming it is in 70 on a big screen. One of my best filmgoing experiences.
This was my mother's favorite movie and I've seen it so many times. I recently rewatched it and was amazed. It's a peak film.
The colour in The Sound of Music is beautiful! Also, I live just over an hour's drive from Salzburg and I love seeing the location shots of places where I have walked and spent time.
One of the best! Julie should have won another Oscar 💯♥️🌟
One Oscar for her wasn’t enough that’s for sure
Don't have to imagine I was watching it on a big screen in '65. I did! I think my Mom went to see it three times.
I watched this movie a year ago and was blown away by the visuals and story, I relate to Maria's character, then was later inspired by her
7:00 I saw this as child in the Plaza Cinerama theatre in Dublin, and it was projected on a curved screen there...
this "series" is great. keep it up
Thank you!