Salzburg, 1 9 3 0s. Maria is a free-spirited nun and elementary school teacher in a monastery. She is ordered by her superior to go to the Trapp family mansion and be the nanny of their seven children. At first, Maria is shocked by the too strict widowed father, Georg, an ex-commander of the submarine division, yet is able to losen him up and cheer up the kids by allowing them to play, or by singing songs with them. Georg and Maria fall in love and eventually marry. They get a baby. Georg lends money to an anti-Nazi friend whose savings evaporated due to the economic crisis, but the latter commits suicide, anyway. Now broke, Maria decides to open a hotel inside their mansion. The two kids notice a singing contest in the city, and Maria enlists the entire family to sing on stage, where they win the first prize. As the Nazi dictatorship annexes Austria, the Trapp family rushes to the New York immigration center to try to get an asylum, following the promise of an agent who loved their singing. His boss doesn't want to sponsor the Trapps, but when they start singing, he is charmed and helps them to get an asylum in the US.
After the American remake "The Sound of Music" became one of the highest grossing movies in the US, many viewers retroactively gained renewed interest for the German original, based on the memoirs of Maria von Trapp. Similarly like in the US, "The Trapp Family" was one of the highest grossing movies in German cinemas, with a then record 27,000,000 tickets sold at the local box office, and it is fascinating comparing it to Wise's '65 remake. The first half is almost identical, since the heroine Maria (excellent Ruth Leuwerik, who even looks like J. Andrews) is such an energetic, happy character with a positive energy that she is able to solve any problem, and she is able to carry 90% of the film. Even at just the basic level, she simply has a fascinating life journey—from a nun, through a nanny for a widowed father with seven children, up to a wife. In the opening act, Maria is shown as an untypical nun, whistling in church or sliding down the handrail staircases, until she gets a new calling. The father, Georg, reveals his military background as he demands utter discpline and introduces his children by calling them through a whistle, as they march down to meet Maria.
This becomes a typical story about a free-spirited person who loosens up a stiff group and awakens their liberty, obvious in the sequence where Maria orders the kids should throw away their uniforms, has the maid sew playing clothes for them, and when a madam protests, Maria argues: "And I can't stand how the children are treated here! So oppressed and unfree. Every village child has it better than them!" After their public performance on stage, Georg is angry and refuses any offer from the entertainment industry, leading to this exchange with Maria: "I actually accepted an offer!" - "Cancel it!" - "Alright. Oh, Georg, can one call the Chancellor at this time?" - "The Federal Chancellor?!" - "Yes, yes, we were meant to sing for him at the great reception...". The first half is comical, uplifting, and Maria is the leading protagonist, yet in the second half, the movie becomes more "grounded", dramatic and darker, as Georg suddenly becomes the main protagonist, when the story chronicles Anschluss and his shock at the Nazi dictatorship taking over so swiftly. Their choices aren't that simple anymore, and several problems and obstacles appear. Luckily, no musical sequences are present, since only the Trapp family singing on stage is shown. The direction is a bit simplistic and conventional, especially in the second half, yet there is simply something fascinating, timeless and universal about this story about the power of happiness that overcomes dark circumstances. "The Trapp Family" is one of those movies that are more endearing and sympathetic than they are high-quality—but even that means a lot sometimes.
Grade:++
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