60 years after The Sound of Music

The truth and the fiction behind the classical musical

It was almost universally panned by critics upon its release, but The Sound of Music went on to become the highest-grossing film of all-time. Now, 60 years after its release in March 1965, it remains a charming tale of a family facing adversity in Nazi-occupied Austria. What’s more, it is (largely) based on a true story.

First things first: there really was a von Trapp family, they did have loads of children (including several stepbrothers and -sisters), there really was a young undisciplined teacher called Maria, they did all sing together and they really did all flee Austria.

We know all that as Maria von Trapp, née Kutschéra, told the story herself in the autobiographical book “The Trapp Family Singers” that became two German movies (notably, The Trapp Family – 1956), a Broadway musical and finally the epic movie The Sound of Music in 1965.

The problem of Maria von Trapp

Sorting the truth from the fiction in a movie can be a pointless exercise in many ways, as the need to create a coherent movie often requires that the filmmakers bend narratives, compile characters and sometimes leave out key elements. A movie is a movie, after all. And a movie based on a Broadway show, itself based on an autobiographical book will inevitably change things.

In the case of The Sound of Music, facts still constitute the core of the story. One significant difference lies in the main character herself, Maria von Trapp. There is no doubting her devotion to her large extended family. However, it is well known that unlike the character played by Julie Andrews, she had a ferocious temper at times.

Other details:

·         Maria was employed by the von Trapps to look after one child that was recovering from illness, not the whole group – that came later.

·         The von Trapps lived in a comfortable villa, not the huge mansion in the movie.

·         The father, Georg, is portrayed as a cold parent, whereas the children remember him as a playful father.

·         The romance between Maria and George is overplayed. "I liked him but didn't love him,” she said in a later interview. “However, I loved the children, so in a way I really married the children. I learned to love him more than I have ever loved before or after."

·         The couple were married in 1927, not 1939 as portrayed in the movie.

·         The seven children’ names were changed at the time of the Broadway show.

(Michael Leahy. Photo: Courtesy of Sony Music Corporation)