The Sound of Music

I love the movie The Sound of Music.  It is one of my favorites. When I was in junior high, I remember reading a book about the Von Trappe family singers. I do not recall the name of the book, but it was a great story.  I grew up in New England, and wanted to get to Stowe, Vermont to see the Von Trappe family lodge http://www.trappfamily.com/, but it never happened.

Some years ago, I was introduced to the original broadway cast recording of the music of the musical.  I actually like it better than the movie sound track.  There are several songs on the broadway cast recording that did not appear in the movie, that actually provide strong political and social statements: How Can Love Survive; No Way to Stop It; An Ordinary Couple. 

The songs How Can Love Survive and An Ordinary Couple discourse the fact that the Baroness and the Captain are financially wealthy and privileged and expect that their privileged life will give them grace and ease. It gives the listener a larger understanding of why this family's escape from Austria was so imperious.

No Way to Stop It is about the fact that there is a sense of not being able to stop the Nazi regime. It is a very strong contrast between the Captain's desire not to be subjugated to the Nazis and the Baroness' desire to just fit in.

Until I heard the original Broadway cast recording of the music of the musical, I did not understand how strong the political statement of this musical was.  It is unfortunate that the move watered this down, but what makes movies commercially successful, especially in 1965 , is what it is.