This is my favourite movie of all time. It was first released in 1965 and follows Maria (Julie Andrews), a young woman, living in a convent in Austria with the intention of becoming a nun. The head sister at the convent sees Maria’s free spirit and decides that Maria’s future will take a completely different direction – becoming a governess to the seven children of Captain von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) just as World War II was starting. Adventures follow.

One of My Favourite Things Because:

Instils Tradition – Before VHS and DVDs were popular, The Sound of Music would be on TV once a year right before Christmas. It started at 9:00 which was my bedtime, but I always begged my mom to stay up and watch this movie, which she allowed reluctantly (probably to keep me quiet so that she could watch the movie), but only for this movie. Twenty years later, I still watch The Sound of Music right before Christmas, although more conveniently on DVD. I cannot think of another movie that inspired such a tradition in my family. We would get so excited when it was coming on and would all sing along and sometimes even get up and dance. There’s something for everyone. I loved it as a child and I still love it as an adult and I loved watching it with my family. I hope to instil the tradition of watching this movie right before Christmas with my own children one day.

Makes Me Happy – The Sound of Music is a musical. I normally do not like musicals, but the lyrics and melodies in the songs are so catching, that you will find yourself singing along and it’s impossible to be miserable when you’re singing “My Favourite Things” or “The Lonely Goatherd”. When you're having a bad day try it, you'll feel better. So many songs come and go, but I’m amazed at how many people still know all the lyrics to these songs, released over 40 years ago – talk about staying power. I have a terrible voice and am tone deaf and under any other circumstances would not be caught dead singing in public, but when I went to the musical in London, there I was belting out the songs along with the cast and most of the rest of the audience. There is something so powerful about these songs that you just can’t help yourself, you have to sing, even if you do it terribly!

Relatable Characters - The Sound of Music has a character that everyone can relate to. As a small child, I related to Gretel, the youngest child in the movie and envied her for having so many brothers and sisters. As I got older, I pretended I was Liesl, the 16 year old, falling in love, and completely understood how her entire world revolved around a boy. In later years I related to Maria, just what was I going to do with the rest of my life and how was love going to fit in with all that?

I would highly recommend The Sound of Music Two-Disc 40^th Anniversary Special Edition.  The picture quality is much clearer than the previous version;  rehearsal footage is shown as are never before seen out takes; Julie Andrews provides a running commentary; Charmian Carr, who played Liesl in the movie visits various locations where the movie was filmed and bravely joins one of the popular Sound of Music tours; there is also a 19 minute interview with Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, plus numerous other interviews; all seven actors who played the children in the movie also make an appearance as do 4 of the von Trapp great grandchildren.  Perhaps best of all is the sing along, with the words at the bottom of the screen (karaoke style) in English, Spanish and French!  The Sound of Music Two-Disc 40^th Anniversary Special Edition is a DVD that your entire family will enjoy for years to come. 

I know there are lots of Sound of Music fans out there.  I’d love to hear from you in the Comments section below.