Being that I am such a huge fan of Broadway Musicals (and no…. I’m not gay…), it shouldn’t surprise you that I also love Movie musicals. Two of my favorites are “Mary Poppins” and “The Sound of Music.” Both are perfectly suited for the entire family. Both have memorable songs throughout. And both star Julie Andrews. Of the two though, I especially enjoy “The Sound of Music”, because as opposed to being firmly planted in fantasy it is based (however loosely) on historical events. Both the stage version and the film are based on the autobiography of Maria Augusta Kutschera, who in 1937 began working as a governess for the large family of George von Trapp, a retired Naval Officer. And when I say large, I mean he had 7 children, each with a mind of their own. Under Maria’s tutelage, the children went on to form the Trapp Family Singers… and become Mrs. von Trapp.

Their story, both real and the fictionalized events as they are presented in the film, is an amazing one. At the time the family came together with Maria, Austria was on the verge of being taken over by the Nazis. The story as it is told in the film focuses on Maria’s coming to work for the family and gaining their trust during the first part, then moves forward to the very beginning of their eventual escape from the Nazis by traveling over the Alps. The film is a long one, with a running time of nearly three hours. But from start to finish it is beautifully presented with highly memorable songs and beautifully scenic cinematography. (If you can’t tell, I absolutely love this movie.)

Those of you who don’t think you know any of the songs from “The Sound of Music” would probably be shocked to know that you probably do. Anyone who hasn’t heard "Sixteen Going on Seventeen," "My Favorite Things," "Do-Re-Mi," "Edelweiss," "So Long, Farewell," or "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" is living a sad and sheltered life.

Fox is releasing a 40th Anniversary Edition of “The Sound of Music” this month, and if having the movie isn’t good enough reason to buy it, one just needs to look at all the extra features.

The first disc of the set offers a brand new introduction by Julie Andrews as well as two separate commentaries. The first is by the director, the late Robert Wise. His commentary is peppered with fascinating little tidbits of information. The second commentary however is my favorite. This one features Andrews, along with the great Christopher Plummer (Baron von Trapp), Charmian Carr (Liesl von Trapp), choreographer Dee Dee Wood and Johannes von Trapp (one of Maria’s sons). The comments made here are often as surprising as they are amusing. Being that the film runs so long though, prepare yourself for long stretches of silence.

Andrews is back to introduce the second disc, which houses the bulk of the extra features. First up is a terrific behind the scenes documentary which runs a little over an hour. It is full of extremely old footage and compares some of the differences between the story of the real von Trapps and the version told in the film. There is also a reunion of sorts between Andrews and Plummer where they sit down to reminisce about their experiences working on the film. This is followed by another reunion, this time of the actors who played the von Trapp children. They are also given the opportunity to reminisce about the experiences they had.

Charmian Carr, who played Liesl von Trapp returns to host a look at some of the locations used in the film, which is followed by a short feature on some of the huge ‘sing-alongs’ that have been staged around the world. Fox also included an Arts & Entertainment biography of the von Trapps, which I found to be quite well produced. I also learned that Mia Farrow had at one time been up for the role of Leisl, and was able to watch the her actual screen test. Add to this a comparison showing what a wonderful job Fox did with the restoration of the film and tons of galleries with posters, lobby cards, storyboards and the like and you have an awesome DVD release for an awesome movie.

I was a little surprised to see that Fox was releasing this new 40th Anniversary Edition, as I had just gotten a different 2-disc set of the film a few years back. But here it is, offering a gorgeous transfer and nearly as many extra features. Admittedly, I’m not sure you would need to pick this one up if you already own the other edition, but if this movie is still missing from your collection, I highly recommend grabbing one.

Directed by: Robert Wise
Starring: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Richard Haydn, Peggy Wood
Extras: Commentary by: director Robert Wise and isolated score, Commentary by: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Charmian Carr, choreographer Dee Dee Wood, and Johannes Von Trapp, Introduction by Julie Andrews on both discs, Separate chapter list for songs only with Play All feature, English, French, and Spanish sing-a-long subtitles, A Few of My Favorite Things: A retrospective documentary, Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer: A Reminiscence,
Charmian Carr on location with The Sound of Music, From Liesl to Gretl: A 40th Anniversary Reunion, When You Know the Notes to Sing: A Sing-Along Phenomenon, Biography: The Von Trapp Family--Harmony and Discord, Restoration comparison, Storyboard gallery, Behind-the-scenes stills, Lobby cards and one-sheets, Screen test: Mia Farrow, Trailers and TV spots: Theatrical teaser, Theatrical trailer, 1st Anniversary trailer, Academy Award trailer, 1973 reissue trailer, testimonial trailer, TV trailer
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 2.0
Studio: Fox
Release Date: 11/15/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: G
Website

We'll give Sound of Music: 40th Anniversary Edition an A.