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AFI Movie Club: THE SOUND OF MUSIC
THE SOUND OF MUSIC appears on six of AFI’s lists of the greatest American films – and shows up three times on AFI’s 100 YEARS…100 SONGS – with “The Sound of Music” ranked at #10, “My Favorite Things” at #64 and “Do Re Mi” at #88!
Today would have marked the 48th AFI Life Achievement Award presentation in honor of the legendary Julie Andrews. As we are unable to gather in that way at this time, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate her iconic work by selecting THE SOUND OF MUSIC as our Movie Club pick of the day and offer an exclusive preview of our sit-down interview with the incomparable Julie Andrews:
Movie Trivia about THE SOUND OF MUSIC
-DID YOU KNOW that “The Sound of Music” was the last musical Rodgers and Hammerstein worked on together?
–DID YOU KNOW that when Julie Andrews was filming the iconic opening on the mountaintop the heavy wind from the camera helicopter kept knocking her over?
–DID YOU KNOW Yul Brynner, Richard Burton and Sean Connery were among the actors considered for the role of Captain von Trapp, which ultimately went to Christopher Plummer?
–DID YOU KNOW that the original Broadway production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC had the Mother Abbess singing “My Favorite Things” to Maria?
–DID YOU KNOW that Kurt Russell and Mia Farrow were among the young stars who initially auditioned to play von Trapp children?
–DID YOU KNOW that one of the von Trapp children in the film is played by Nicholas Hammond? He recently appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD and also played Spider-Man in the 1970s television series!
Learn more at the AFI Catalog.
The movie doesn’t end at the credits: Family-friendly Discussion Questions
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-How old were you the first time you saw THE SOUND OF MUSIC? What do you remember about this experience?
-What role does faith play in THE SOUND OF MUSIC? Why does Maria have such a challenging time conforming to the rules of the abbey? How does she retain her faith throughout the film?
-Appearing three times on AFI’s list of the greatest songs from American movies, THE SOUND OF MUSIC certainly has a memorable soundtrack. Do you have a favorite song from the movie?
-How does the character of Captain von Trapp evolve over the course of the film? What Is the turning point that allows him to open up to Maria and his children?
-What does singing represent for Captain von Trapp? Why doesn’t he want his children to sing in public?
-How are the relationships in the film (Captain von Trapp and Maria; Liesl and Rolf) defined by the politics of the time?
-Why do you think THE SOUND OF MUSIC was such a box office hit? What was going on in the world that might have made audiences gravitate toward the film?
-Why do you think THE SOUND OF MUSIC is still so beloved after 55 years?
-How would you rate THE SOUND OF MUSIC?
Screenwriter Ernest Lehman talks about working on the script for THE SOUND OF MUSIC in this exclusive AFI Archive interview:
New to AFI Movie Club? Want to learn more?
In this time when we are reminded “There’s no place like home,” AFI has created a global, virtual gathering of those who love the movies. Each day’s film is accompanied by fun facts, family-friendly discussion points and material from the AFI Archive to enrich your viewing experience.
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