The Sound of Music- A melodious story

In the criteria of musicals, Sound of Music is the only musical I can recall. I still remember the first time I saw it at home. I was seven years old and my father had recently brought the movie home. So, that night, we all sat in front of our television and watched the movie. All the songs with their lilting tunes and meaning full lyrics brought me to a whole new world of music I never knew! Within days I knew most of the songs and I still remember them. The movie teaches us many things that one goes through life, like love, heartbreak, responsibility, childishness, bravery and rejection. The story begins with the mountains. Maria is a mischievous and naughty girl. She's kind of a rebel and loves wandering in the woods or running off to the mountains and sing to them. What's the problem with this? Nothing really, it's just that she's a nun! These trips to the mountains always make her late for singing in the abbey. So, Mother Abbess decides to send her as a nanny to the seven children of the von Trapp family. At first Maria is scared of leaving the church. But after much persuasion, she agrees to go.

After seeing the children, she quickly understands each one of them but the children are always upto mischief and try to get Maria in trouble. Their father is a navy officer and expects discipline and order at home. Maria is bewildered as to how the children are treated at such young ages. Soon the children start liking Maria and she teaches them a few songs from the abbey. All this while the captain is out of town and he returns with Baroness Schraeder, the woman he wants to marry. The children try bonding with her, but they never click. Eventually, both the Captain and Maria fall in love with each other, but because she's a nun, she cannot admit it. She then decides to leave them and goes back to the church. After she's back, everyone notices that she's not the same Maria who was there before. Mother Abbess asks her to go back and tell Captain about her secret love and if he also accepts it, then she is allowed to stop her practice of being a nun and can marry him. Maria gathers the courage, asks the Captain and soon the two get married. The story doesn't end here. With the rise of Nazism and political conflict, the Captain gets involved and the family has to flee. In the end do they reach their happily ever after?

The songs in this movie are to die for! The kind of music, the quality of singing, everything is spot on! It's a movie which has a balanced amount of humour, love and sorrow. It's one of those movies that one can watch over a hearty brunch with the family.