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By
NICK ZEGARAC
"The happiest sound in all the world" -- as "The Sound of Music" was billed upon its initial release -- must have been that of cash registers ringing to the tune of much needed millions for Twentieth Century Fox. The studio had hemorrhaged millions on "Cleopatra" and the ill-fated "Something's Got to Give" and was precariously close to receivership when Julie Andrews bounded over the Austrian Alps in Robert Wise's stellar production of this Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Andrews is Maria, a precocious novice at a convent who is told by her Mother Superior (Peggy Wood) that she will assume the duties of a governess to Capt. Von Trapp's (Christopher Plummer) seven children. After some initial apprehension on all sides, Maria wins the affections of the children and the heart of the captain, much to the chagrin of Baroness Schrader (Eleanor Parker). Then the Nazi's invade and it's up to the family to escape their fate over the hills and onto freedom in America. What makes "The Sound of Music" so compelling and enduring is that the story -- at least for the most part -- is true. The score by Rodgers and Hammerstein is arguably their best with such standards as "Sixteen Going on Seventeen," "My Favorite Things" and "The Sound of Music" solidified into our collective consciousness.
Why anyone would want to view "The Sound of Music" in full frame is beyond me. Shot in Panavision 70, the glorious vistas of the Alps and Austrian countryside are breathtakingly captured. Fox previously issued this film as a "Five Star Edition." Then it re-released it as a bare bones, full frame only edition. Now, the "Five Star Edition" has been repackaged to include the original anamorphic widescreen transfer and all of the extras. There are problems however with this anamorphic transfer. It suffers from aliasing, shimmering of fine details and a lot of edge enhancement. Also, several scenes have a distracting flicker on the right side of the screen. Colors, for the most part, are bold and capture the richness of the original print by DeLuxe. There is considerable digital noise in some of the backgrounds and some subtle color smearing to contend with as well. The soundtrack has been nicely restored, though at moments it can have a strident sonic characteristic that is slightly grating.
Both the newly repackaged 2-disc edition and the original "Five Star" version have the same set of extras: a thoroughly engrossing 2 hr. documentary on the making of the film and the story of the real Von Trapp family, the 30 min. "Austria: Sight and Sound" featurette that was made at the time the film premiered, some nice archival interviews and stills and the original theatrical trailer.
Overall, Fox needs to revisit this title with a new transfer. Still, no one can deny that the hills will continue to be alive with the sounds of music for many, many years to come. |
