Some call it schmaltzy and some call it saccharine. Some call it one of their favourite things.
The Sound of Music was released 40 years ago this week and it is still the third biggest grossing film of all time, accounting for inflation. Even now it’s a staple on television, particularly during holidays when networks are looking for good, clean family entertainment.
As a youngster, I fell in love with the movie and with the lovely heroine Maria, played by Julie Andrews, and I memorized all the lyrics to the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.
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If you haven’t seen it, far be it from me to ruin the plot with excess description. But should farm folk be among those whose lives are blighted by the absence of this movie, note there are some agricultural connections that might encourage its rental.
There’s a song involving a metaphorical “blossom of snow” that blooms and grows. Another has lyrics ideal for farmers: “I have confidence in sunshine, I have confidence in rain, I have confidence that spring will come again.” There’s a song involving ponies, dogs and bees. And of course, there’s the lonely goatherd.
It is a rich score indeed. That’s why, on a long road trip when the CDs had accidentally been left at home, I decided to regale my travelling companion by singing it start to finish.
The title song and How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria went well. I also serenaded him with Edelweiss and My Favourite Things.
Then came The Lonely Goatherd:
“High on a hill was a lonely goatherd
Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo
Loud was the voice of the lonely goatherd
Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo.”
As I launched lustily into the really hearty yodelling parts – yodel lay HEE!HEEEEEE! – I noticed his knuckles were white and the speedometer was buried deep in the red.
It was a quick trip to our destination that day, with thanks to The Sound of Music.
Naturally, I am willing to help speed the miles again, but we’ve packed the CDs ever since. In fact, I daresay he seems particularly diligent about it.
A recent story in The New York Times said critics hated The Sound of Music when it came out. They panned its simple story, catchy music and sugar coating of complexities in pre-Second World War Europe.
Audiences, on the other hand, loved it from the start and love it today. They seem to feel there isn’t much wrong with a good story and catchy music.
Will someone tell Hollywood?
