About The Sound Of Music...
It is 1938. In Nonnberg Abbey, Austria, young Maria Rainer seems to
prefer singing in the hills outside the abbey to being cloistered
inside in pious prayer. Concluding that the girl is not suited to
religious life, the Mother Abbess sends her out to be temporary
governess to the children of Captain Georg von Trapp, a widower who
is a retired officer of the Austrian Navy.
The Captain runs his home like a battleship, treating his children
like military recruits. But when Maria and the children get to
spend a few days alone together, Maria shows them a different kind
of life, teaching them to sing and dance and winning them over in
the process.
Converting The Captain
Returning from Vienna with his fiancée, Elsa Schraeder, and a
family friend, Max Detweiler, the Captain is at first angry at the
chaos that has resulted at home from Maria's disregard for the
strict rules that have always been in place in his household.
But his cold reserve melts when he hears the sound of music in his
home for the first time in many years, and he finally understands
the importance of knowing and loving his children.
The Nazi Shadow
At a party given to introduce Elsa to the Captains neighbours,
rumors rumble of the imminent annexing of Austria to Germany. The
Captain is firmly opposed to the Nazi regime.
Maria tries to teach one of the von Trapp boys an Austrian folk
dance, and the Captain takes over, dancing for the first time with
Maria. During the dance Maria suddenly realizes her love for
him.
The Captain, in disagreement with Elsa over the Nazi invasion of
Austria, dissolves his engagement with her. With Elsa gone, he and
Maria have to face their unacknowledged love for each other. Two
weeks later they are married at the Abbey.
Returning from their honeymoon, they find that Austria has become
part of Nazi Germany. The Captain is pressed into immediate
military service to the Third Reich, but Maria gains some time for
him by convincing the authorities that he and his family are
scheduled to sing at a music festival in Salzburg, a performance
arranged by Max.
So Long, Farewell
Nazi officials allow the von Trapps to perform, but arrange for a
military escort to stand by to take the Captain to his new post. At
the end of the performance, Maria leads the family, including the
Captain, into their exit song and one by one, they disappear as Max
stalls the escort. Fleeing to the Abbey, they seek refuge in the
garden as soldiers search for them unsuccessfully. Finally, as the
nuns wish them Godspeed, the von Trapps leave Austria for a new
life and new hope.
