Maria played by Julie Andrews is in a convent and she is not the perfect nun they want her to be. She's full of energy and youth and because of this she is a disruption to the Abby. The other Nuns say, “Maria's not an asset to the Abby.”
The Reverend Mother called Maria in to her office and proposed a position for her. A family needed a Governess for seven children. The father is a retired Captain of the Imperial Navy. His wife died a few years prior and he has had a hard time keeping a Governess.
So, Maria is sent off to learn better the ways of the world outside of the convent. Maria says as she is leaving, “When the Lord closes a door some how he opens a window.” She is scared and hesitant as she enters the gates of the Van Trapp Family mansion. The mansion is very extravagantly decorated in Romantic Period furnishings.
Maria learns she is the 12th Governess. The Captain, played by Christopher Plummer informs her of the children's duties and responsibilities and expects Maria to abide by the military precedence set for them.
The children Liezel 16, Friedrick 14, Louisa 13, Curt 11, Brigita 10, Marta 7, and Gretel 5 trick her in every way they can and set her up around every corner in order to test her to see if she really cares for them or if she will leave like all the others.
The Captain has to leave for Vienna to see the Baroness [his girlfriend] played by Eleanor Parker and will be leaving Maria in charge for the first time. While the Captain is gone, she takes the kids for their first outing and teaches them the major and minor scales through the song “Do-Re-Mi”. They take a boat ride, climb trees and do a lot of kid stuff their father does not allow them to do. They have a blast!
There is a political battle throughout the performance. The Captain lives in Salzburg, Austria. During that time, Australians were trying to avoid joining the Nazi Party.
The turning point of the production was when Captain Van Trapp heard singing in the mansion and did not recognize it was his own children until he got inside the house and was captivated by their angelic voices. He sang with them, hugged them, and gave his thanks apologetically to Maria for bringing singing back into the house. They all sang so beautifully together that the Captains' friend tried to convince them that they needed to perform in the Austrian festival.
As time goes on, Maria decides to leave and return to the Abby because she realizes that she has an attraction to the Captain, which is not proper for a Nun. She is convinced however, to return to the Van Trapp household to see if the Captain feels the same for her. Upon arrival, the children are so happy to see her and inform her of their father's engagement to the Baroness. Maria is so upset but things turn out better in the end for her because the Baroness leaves realizing that the Captain is in fact in love with Maria.
Captain Van Trapp and Maria finally admit their feelings to each other and get married. Shortly after the wedding, the Nazi party began threatening the Captain because he was not conforming to the Nazi ways [he persisted in flying the Australian flag]. Max, the Captains' friend, entered the Van Trapp family in the Australian festival without their knowledge. Before the Festival the Nazi's come to get the Captain and he tries to lose them by informing them of their appointment to sing in the Festival as a family. The Nazi's escorted the family to the festival where afterwards they would take Captain Van Trapp to join the Third Reich.
However, the nuns of the convent Maria previously belonged to disconnected a part of the Nazi's car so the Van Trapp family could escape and that is exactly what they did with no help from Liezel's ex-boyfriend who called attention to the Nazi's as to where they were anymore, strictly politics.
The action was focused on all the characters at different points in the movie. The main characters were Maria, Captain Van Trapp and the children. I feel that the Captain, Maria, Liezel, and Curt were the most engaging characters because they felt their parts. The weakest actor, I felt, was Freidrick. Also, the officer who comes to take the Captain was weak in his performances. They were not very emotional or sincere.
The set for the movie was absolutely gorgeous. The outdoor shots were done in Austria. Many scenes were shot in town but the majority was shot in the hills and mountains to convey the feeling music brings, peace.
This musical tells us a lot about the human condition. It illustrates that love must be mutual in order to last. We also see illustrated, the facts that people sometimes need a shock to realize the error of their ways.
The play is important because the singing and entertainment is both wholesome and lovely. The dominant image for me was the comparison between when Liezel and Rolph exchanged loving words [and Liezel's first kiss] in the gazebo and later in the movie the Captain and Maria exchange words of love along with a proposal of marriage in the same gazebo [and their first kiss].
I have seen this many times and enjoy it every time. My sister and I use to sit and watch it over and over, singing the songs in sync. It's awesome!
