The Hills Are Still Alive By Anthony Ertle

To Julie Andrews, THE greatest pleasure an audience has ever known.

At first, Robert Wise directed West Side Story and locked himself in on directing two of the greatest musicals of all time. Wise started as an editor and one of his credits happened to be this little film called Citizen Kane. Shot by Ted D. McCord (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, East of Eden). Written by Ernest Lehman (North by Northwest, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe). Editing by William Reynolds (The Sting, The Godfather). Costumes by Dorothy Jeakins (Young Frankenstein, The Ten Commandments). Production Design by Boris Leven (West Side Story, The King of Comedy). The titles mentioned stamp the approval that this crew was the best that could be assembled. 

Why is it when I tell people that my favorite movie of all time is The Sound of Music, the immediate response is, oh that’s my mom’s favorite too? What did this film do to women of that generation? What does this film continue to do for a generation of women that still strive for independence? What does this film do to someone like myself? A straight white male. Fraulein Maria is an unruly woman. She may not be as in your face as a Mae West character but the core of both characters are the same. These women bend the expectations that society has placed on them. Everybody around this character may find them “chaotic” but they are just trying to live their lives to the fullest. They are just simply “breaking the mold.” 

When I was about 16 months old, my father died of a heart attack. My mother was pregnant with my baby sister at the time. And my older brother was 3. The toughest challenge was for my brother who became man of the house far too early. Growing up, my mother worked. And babysitters came and went. The only notion I had of a happy couple was my grandparents and Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. A smart, strong headed woman who believed in herself and making the best for her children. And a noble strong headed man who believed in the rights of his family, country, and people. 

The film starts us high in the sky. Flying through the mountains. We hear wind. It grows to a melody. Then roughly 2 minutes of helicopter footage. Something that took days to capture. After a couple of the glory shots we get this swifting motion through the mountains and into more personal homes. Well rather castles. Homes you could never dream of. On Lake Salzkammergut, as the water sparkles from the shining sun. 

And in an instant we are heading full steam ahead towards a patch of grass on the mountain 5000 yards away. Now 3000. We are going to crash into what seems to be a woman! Closer and closer the helicopter is right on top of this spinning woman, and with a perfect cut during the spin we meet this woman face to face (Julie Andrews). She sings. She tells us that music is absolutely everything to her. She yearns for rhythm and dance. She is fulfilled through the sound of music itself.  

She sings “my heart will be blessed with the sound of music.” The images of her on the mountain, in nature, with the trees, and small streams. She has walked this place a million times but we feel as though it’s the first. She doesn’t take anything for granted.

Suddenly, the church bell rings and this woman runs down the mountain as fast as she can. She’s late. Again. HER NAME IS MARIA, and she’s a bit of a problem. 

And oh yeah, she’s a nun. Or well, trying to be one. And again she cannot stop singing in the Abbey.

Some of Maria’s colleagues love her yet don’t understand why she can't just get in line and behave. Why can't she just keep quiet? She’s a headache. She’s an angel. She’s a girl!

How do you keep a wave upon the sand? Well, news flash, you can't. 

Maria tells Mother Abbess (Peggy Wood) that she was brought up on the mountains. That’s her home. And that led her to the church. Her faith. Her music.  Mother Abbess has been around the block a time or two. She knows Maria. And oddly I sort of relate this character to my own mother. Much more behind the scenes, maybe not always able to be present, but always and forever knowing what is best and supporting me nevertheless. 

Do you like children? Yes, but 7?!

My mother is the oldest of 7. My fondest memories are gathering at my grandparents house every Sunday for a pasta dinner with cousins.  Watching this film with the whole family was my way to understand that I too had a big family.  And I did with 15 cousins, but the reality was, especially as time went on, that notion of a big family would dissipate. Our big family would change as each of us individually changed too. Especially if one of those 15 cousins became an artist.. 

I fall more into the character of Marta (Debbie Turner). Turning 7 (31) years old on Monday and desperate for a pink parasol. 

Were you this much trouble at the Abbey? Oh much worse!

Fraulein Maria carries confidence, she has the trait that so many work so hard to have, and may never achieve. She knows she’s different but believes in herself and the mission she is sent on. She really is a humble mountain of a human being. With nothing but her guitar and a change of clothes she takes off through Austria towards the castle homes. 

Everyone in my family is a lawyer or teacher. And when I went to undergrad, I thought I too would be a lawyer or business man of some sort. That wasn’t the case. By the middle of my sophomore year, I failed out of business school. Turns out you can't get stoned everyday, miss class, and expect to pass accounting! Once kicked out, I wasn’t having any luck with any of the other colleges. After begging the Arts and Sciences dean to let me in, he caved. My second chance you could call it. I barely passed but when it came to picking a major or choosing a path for a career nothing came to mind, except one thing. Film. Now this was absolutely crazy for my family to hear. They’ve come a long way in understanding but sadly I don’t know if they ever will fully. If a career doesn’t pay your bills, your rent, your insurance, it’s not sustainable. And lately that is something I can't disagree with, yet I have a sickness like so many others where cinema is the one and only thing that fulfills me. 

And for Maria she thinks she is on her own journey until that big ol hunk of a man (Christopher Plummer) comes in and mentions he likes to be called captain. My grandfather was a successful lawyer and real estate owner. His name carried a tremendous amount of respect in the city of Cleveland. He really is a badass and had this tough exterior that intimidated those around him. Growing up under him was not easy and he too ran his family like a Naval ship. He constantly grilled my family with questions about our grades, our weight, our love life. He expected excellence and most of our accomplishments were never good enough. He would always ask what’s next, and compare us to our smarter or more athletic cousins. Or some bloke he read about it in the paper. Most of my family avoids conversation with him today because he will still lead with questions. To me he’ll ask, why don't I have an agent? Why do I work a service job? Why the hell don’t I give up and move back to Cleveland and give up on film?

You know Max? Sometimes I don’t believe I know you. 

I’m from Cleveland, Ohio. I was brought up to believe everyone has a right to their opinions. But Today in America, the president, a fascist Nazi, seems to be making it ever harder to be gay, trans, or have any notion of freedom. Unless you fall in the category that America was once this great place where a great deal of Americans had no rights and lived in fear. Captain Von Trapp seems to be the only one who is standing up to the Nazi regime. He represents this true Patriotic notion of standing up for your country. And when he rips that Nazi flag in half, it may just be one of the greatest moments in cinematic history. 

In America today, being patriotic seems to only sway in the right direction. Even his friend Max (Richard Haydn), says “You know I have no political convictions. Can I help it if other people do?” To which our Captain shouts “Oh, yes, you can help it! You must help it.”

At the end of the film, the Von Trapp family safely escapes Austria to freedom. Today, Americans see that as a solution as well. Escape the country to live happily somewhere else. I disagree with this. To keep quiet or escape is the worst thing we can do as a nation. Every day it seems more and more important to speak out against the evil that is growing around us every day. And remember my family is from Ohio, how do you think they feel about all this? During the BLM protests, I attended one in Cleveland that turned into riots and businesses being broken into etc. I remember my brother saying that my father rolled in his grave knowing that I attended such a protest. Ouch. My father has been gone 29 years now. And I keep wondering what he would make of the world today. What would he think of his Republican Party, and the orange man in charge? I believe he would be just like Captain Von Trapp, standing up for ALL of his fellow Americans. I rewatch this film every year on my birthday fighting back the tears. Tears reflective of how old I am getting.. How I still am filled with hope. Hope I learned from Captain Von Trapp and the unruly Maria. 

For this upcoming viewing I’m sure something new will come to me, some other revelation about the film, about my own family, or the state of the world. I hope the next time you watch this film you are left with questions and I hope you try to find some answers. 

Because isn't that the test of a truly great movie?  Leaving the film with more questions? The Sound of Music is still begging us to talk about it.. Talk about it all!