Annotations:
"American History: The 1960s, a Decade That Changed a Nation." VOA. N.p., 17 Nov. 2011. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. <http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/american-history-the-1960s-10-years-that-changed-a-nation-134041543/114624.html>.
Another body paragraph, I am pretty sure, is going to be on the Vietnam War and life during the 60s for families- I already have one source with information regarding the war and how it affected families, however I need more information in order to make a strong, persuasive paragraph. That is why this source will be very beneficial for my essay. This article talks about life, in general, during the 60s and the hardships that came along with it. This article also sort of zooms in on the fact that women were really fighting for equality with men during the 60s and for society to view them with the same respect as they viewed men. I think this is incredibly interesting because maybe this also played a part in why this film was respected and valued so much. Julie Andrews, playing Maria, was a strong woman who stood up for herself and what she believed was right. Not only was she not afraid to speak her mind, but she had the ability to change the lives of the Von Trapp family, which was something that the stern father couldn't do. I think I am going to write a paragraph of my essay on certain scenes where Maria stood up to the "Captain" in order to speak her mind. Women of the 1960s most definitely viewed Maria as someone that they aspired to be- following her heart and doing what she believed was right opposed to listening to society and people that were "above" her.
Bart, Peter. "The Hollywoodization Of Julie Andrews: Broadway's Fairest Lady Becomes A Movie Star Three Times Over." ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2009). N.p., 6 Sept. 1964. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. <http://search.proquest.com/hnpnewyorktimes/docview/115614118/53659E2EBCC34605PQ/1?accountid=12434>.
This article is focused on the time period leading up to Julie Andrew's fame as an actress. This article sparked my attention because it discusses how it was believed that Julie Andrews wasn't necessarily good enough to be an actress, according to the general public and film directors of the 60s. This is very interesting considering how successful of an actress she was and how amazing of a job she did in The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. People believed that Julie Andrews was "neither photogenic nor sexy enough to be a movie star" (Bart). However, if this was so, then how was she the lead of the biggest money-making movie of all time? Julie's biggest setback in her career and what truly lowered her confidence was when the director of the film, My Fair Lady, gave the lead role to Audrey Hepburn instead of herself; Audrey was given the role because she was believed to be a true star who would satisfy and impress the world. However, Julie had her big break when Walt Disney saw one of her shows one afternoon and decided she would be a perfect fit for the roles in The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. I think this information will be useful in my Inquiry because I think it proves that the public was shocked, impressed, and amazed by Julie Andrew's talent in The Sound of Music; I believe that her talent blew the world away and that this is also a factor in why she was so successful playing Maria and why the movie, itself, was so successful. The main purpose of my paper is how the audience felt about this film during that specific time period based on current events and the world they were living in. I am going to argue how current events of the 60s affected the overall reviews of The Sound of Music. I am going to write one body paragraph on how the public viewed Julie Andrews as an individual and actress, so this information will be great supporting details within it.
Bart, Peter. "The Sound of Money." ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York
Times. N.p.,1966. Web. 4 Mar. 2014. <http://media.proquest.com/media/>.
This article was written in 1966 during time of the Academy Award presentations. Peter Bart discussed how The Sound of Music was not only voted the year’s best picture, but also that Robert Wise, the director, was being honored for best achievement in directing. While discussing the acknowledgements of this particular film, Bart also wrote about how when it originally was released many individuals turned their tickets over to their children or to other friends because they were uninterested. This amazed me. How did a film that ended up being so incredibly valued begin with being a film you just send your kids to with a governess? Once the film “began to roll up records at the box office”, the entire public started responding to The Sound of Music’s unique qualities. I think this would be a really interesting point to touch on throughout my paper. Did certain individuals initially believe they were too good or superior for this film? The Sound of Music “grossed 56.9 million” and ended up pulling in about 1 million a week” (Bart). The crowd ended up adoring the film and the unique characteristics about it, for example the nuns and the musical theme it conquers. I definitely want to use the last line of the article in my paper. It states, “Predictably, when an announcer asked the crowd which picture it hoped would win an Oscar, the cry for The Sound of Music was all but deafening. Their preference soon received the Academy’s official blessing. The crowd loved this film, and still does to this day. This is proven by the fact that it was just re-created in the theatre with Carrie Underwood starring as Maria.
Canby, Vincent. ""Sound of Music" Flat in Germany." ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times. N.p., 7 Apr. 1967. Web. 6 Mar. 2014. <http://media.proquest.com/media>.
So far, in all of the articles that I have read, all of the reviews are very positive regarding the film, The Sound of Music. However, Vincent Canby touches on how unsuccessful the film was in Germany in this particular article. This is going to be valuable information for my paper because it is always important to have two different perspectives on a subject. Not only do I want to do research on why the public loved the film so much, but also I want to know why it wasn't successful, as well. The Sound of Music was "generally regarded as the biggest money-making film ever", however it did so poorly in West Germany that it had been withdrawn from the theaters there. It is believed that the film did so badly in Germany because of the portrayal of Nazism that was featured in the film, considering the Germans cut out all of the scenes that referred to the Nazis or to war. I think it is interesting how individuals in America were uplifted by the film, The Sound of Music, because of its positive spirits during the time of the Vietnam War, thanks to Julie Andrews, however individuals in Germany were extremely offended. I think this would be an interesting comparison for my paper to dig deeper into since I want to center the purpose of my inquiry on how the audience felt towards the movie based of off current events during their time. 1. Marry Poppins 2. Vietnam War 3. World War II
Crowther, Bosley. "The Sound of Music Opens at Rivoli." The
New York Times. N.p., 3 Mar. 1965. Web. 4 Mar. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9804E4DF153CE733A25750C0A9659C946491D6CF>.
This article was extremely interesting and will be beneficial for my Inquiry because it was written in 1965 when the film, The Sound of Music, was first released in theaters. Therefore, I am getting the perspective of an audience member who was living in the time period of the 60’s, opposed to the thoughts and ideas of someone watching The Sound of Music currently. It is important to read and do plenty of research on individual’s perspectives that were living during the era of when this film was released because their thoughts could be drastically different from the thoughts of someone living in our generation. On the other hand, reviews from the 60’s could be very similar to reviews up to date, which I believe says a lot about the film. Bosley Crowther touched on specifics regarding where the film took place and how the director, Robert Wise, chose to film the movie. The author also discusses how Julie Andrews, playing Maria, has a huge overall effect on the movie because of her wholesomeness and “ability to make her dialogue as vivid and appealing as she makes her songs”. The discussion on Julie Andrews is going to be very useful in my paper because I am going to make a point that maybe the reason this film got so much positive recognition was because of the director’s choice to choose the wonderful and extremely well-liked, Julia Andrews. Additionally, Crowther wrote about how the film was very unrealistic and truly matched the musical. From reading this review, I had the feeling that Crowther found it almost annoying that the film was unrealistic and trying too hard to resemble a play. I now want to do more research on the audience’s reaction to the film really resembling the play. At the end of the article, after somewhat tearing apart the style of the film, Crowther states that “its sentiments are abundant” and that “businesswise, Mr. Wise is no fool”. Therefore, what I took away from this final line, is that the general reaction from the public was positive.
Fischer, Raymond L. "FOREVER LIESL: A Memoir of The Sound of Music." USA Today [Magazine] Jan. 2001: 79.Popular Culture Collection. Web. 9 Mar. 2014.
It is most definitely essential to have sources where critics are reviewing films, however what about when the actors and actresses are reflecting on the film themselves? Liesel, the oldest child in The Sound of Music, wrote a memoir on the film and how it really influenced her life. This article focuses on Liesel's memoir that she wrote, which was a "delightful recollection of seven of the most wonderful, influential months of Carr's life" (Fischer). The book is centered and zooms on the seven actors who played the Von Trapp children. Charmian Carr, Liesel, wrote about how close she was with the 6 other actors who played the Von Trapp children and referred to them as her second family. All seven of the children have kept in touch over the course of the years and reunite for individual family occasions, special movie related events, and film anniversaries. Additionally, in her memoir, Carr included letters that she has received over the years from fans about how the film changed their lives. I think this is interesting for my Inquiry because maybe one of the reasons the film ended up being such a success was because its audience could really feel the love and connection that the actors had for one another. Carr's memoir is proof that she loved The Sound of Music and that its power influenced her life just as much as it influenced her audience's life. I think this is a big reason why this film is special and stands out from all other films- the audience can feel the real life connection that the actors have, which makes the film that much more moving. This information is going to be included in my Inquiry because it helps prove why this film is more exceptional than other films.
Gianoulis, Tina. "Baby Boomers." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Ed. Sara
Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 1. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. 151-154. U.S. History in Context. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
This article is about the time period of the “baby boomers”, also known as the 60’s. I think that this article is going to be very beneficial for my essay because it will help me see through the eye of the individuals living in the 60’s and try to understand why they loved and valued The Sound of Music so much. This article is very telling of what it was like for the individuals living during the time frame of this film. Life was chaotic and emotionally impossible for many families, especially because of the Vietnam War, which meant loved ones could be in danger and that families were not as strong. I think that this film gave individuals of this time period hope that their family could overcome the struggle economically, emotionally, and personally. I think that Maria gave families hope and lifted their spirits that there would be better days. Additionally, another idea that interested me in this article was that “controversy and innovation came to television as it came to every aspect of American life in the late 1960s and 1970s” (Gianoulis). Therefore, many teens were watching television and were engaged with the media. Gianoulis stated that children would wait in long lines to watch newly released films. I believe The Sound of Music was very relevant to the lives of teenagers of this time period and grew into being very relevant to older generations, once it was realized how phenomenal of a movie it truly was, as well. I believe this is because it was very relatable for the audience considering it took place during a war and involved a struggling family trying to get back on their feet after a terrible obstacle.
Higham, Charles. "The Rise and Fall of Julie Andrews." ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2009). New York Times, 21 Aug. 1977. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. <http://search.proquest.com/hnpnewyorktimes/docview/123119631/463D2583764B46FBPQ/4?accountid=12434>.
This article focused on Julie Andrews as an individual and actress, opposed to being specifically about Julie Andrews playing Maria in The Sound of Music. This article was from an interesting perspective and helped give me a real feel on how the general public viewed Julie Andrews and why they loved her so much in The Sound of Music. The article touches on the rise of Julie Andrews through films like Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music, and the fall of Julie Andrews through films like Star and Darling Lili. The public loved how Julie Andrews was a very wholesome character in the two movies that led her to her peak, and how she was a wholesome individual in real life as well being happily married and she also “never provided copy for the gossip columns" (Higham). In Star and Darling Lili she played characters that the public disapproved of, which I thought was so intriguing; Andrews was a bitter and drunken character in Star and an enemy spy in Darling Lili. The article zooms in much more on her choices to play certain characters in certain films and how this affects her career and reputation as a well-known actress. In my Inquiry I am going to use this information by telling my audience that a major reason why people loved The Sound of Music so much was because of Julie Andrew’s purity as a character. The article says that it was a world where “purity has become a dirty word” (Higham). I want to make this a main focus in my paper- the public was attracted to her wholesome character in this film while the reality around them was becoming “dirty”, considering they were living during the Vietnam War. This will connect really well with the Vietnam War paragraph I am going to include in my essay. I believe that her character was the public’s escape from their world, and when she decided to play characters that were more “dirty”, they rejected it.
Jackson, Michael. "The Best Musicals That Have Been Made Into Movies." CBS New
York. N.p., 22 Apr. 2013. Web. 05 Mar. 2014. <http://newyork.cbslocal.com/top-lists/the-best-musicals-that-have-been-made-into-movies/>.
This article discusses specific musicals that have been recreated as movies. I think this will be interesting and helpful for my research because it helps me compare The Sound of Music to other films of that same genre. Since The Sound of Music is such an incredibly unique film, it is hard to compare it to other films of its time period, and comparing films is an essential part of understanding why it was so highly valued. However, this article helps me understand the genre of this film much better. According to the article, in the 1960s, film adaptations of Broadway musicals were very popular. For example, between 1949 and 1969, “all but two of the Tony Award winning Best Musicals were made into films” (Jackson). The 60s was a decade of Broadway musicals being transformed onto the big screen. Before reading this article, I didn’t know that musical films were popular during this time period. I now understand why it had such great reviews- the audience loved musicals. This is intriguing to me because I feel as if, now-a-days, Broadway musicals use films to produce hit performances, opposed to Hollywood using Broadway films. I am going to incorporate this information into my essay by using it as a supporting detail of why this film was so well liked and popular during this time frame. If it came out tomorrow, would it still be regarded as such a phenomenal movie? I believe it is so well liked currently because it is unique to what we are accustomed to as Best Picture nominees- it stands out as a film.
Willmott, Don. "The Sound of Music Movie Review." The Sound of Music Review 1965. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. <http://www.contactmusic.com/movie-review/thesoundofmusic_1>.
A majority of the sources I am using for my Inquiry are reviews of The Sound of Music written in 1965 and are very formally written reviews from, for example, the New York Times. I decided that I wanted to find a review on this film that was more informally written and from the perspective of an individual currently, which is why I included this source in my annotated bibliography. Don Willmott touches on the fact that The Sound of Music is critic proof, which I find very interesting. When he says critic proof, he means that not one individual can say a bad thing about this particular film when reviewing it, but why? The reason I am so intrigued by this film is because of its power and value- it is almost as if it is conquering the mountain tops, like Julie Andrews and her new family, as well. Willmott's review was extremely positive, and even when he brought up something negative, he turned it into a positive. For example, he states, "Yes, it's schmaltzy, but it's not nearly as schmaltzy as, say, Titanic. Yes it has all those adorable kids and all those adorable songs and even a cute puppet show stuck right in the middle of it, but it also has grit, drama, and some harrowing moments" (Willmott). He touches on the fact that even though it is a cutesy film, it still has the ability to be incredibly captivating, moving, and intriguing. That is another reason why I believe this film is so special. I am going to use that specific quote in my Inquiry because I believe it shows how this film could capture the attention of many different audiences, like those who love romance and those who love action/ suspense. The Sound of Music was a film that could please many during the 60s. Additionally, Willmott discussed how it was a great decision for the director to film this movie on location because even one who didn't enjoy the plot, could never say a negative thing about the scenery.
"American History: The 1960s, a Decade That Changed a Nation." VOA. N.p., 17 Nov. 2011. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. <http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/american-history-the-1960s-10-years-that-changed-a-nation-134041543/114624.html>.
Another body paragraph, I am pretty sure, is going to be on the Vietnam War and life during the 60s for families- I already have one source with information regarding the war and how it affected families, however I need more information in order to make a strong, persuasive paragraph. That is why this source will be very beneficial for my essay. This article talks about life, in general, during the 60s and the hardships that came along with it. This article also sort of zooms in on the fact that women were really fighting for equality with men during the 60s and for society to view them with the same respect as they viewed men. I think this is incredibly interesting because maybe this also played a part in why this film was respected and valued so much. Julie Andrews, playing Maria, was a strong woman who stood up for herself and what she believed was right. Not only was she not afraid to speak her mind, but she had the ability to change the lives of the Von Trapp family, which was something that the stern father couldn't do. I think I am going to write a paragraph of my essay on certain scenes where Maria stood up to the "Captain" in order to speak her mind. Women of the 1960s most definitely viewed Maria as someone that they aspired to be- following her heart and doing what she believed was right opposed to listening to society and people that were "above" her.
Bart, Peter. "The Hollywoodization Of Julie Andrews: Broadway's Fairest Lady Becomes A Movie Star Three Times Over." ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2009). N.p., 6 Sept. 1964. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. <http://search.proquest.com/hnpnewyorktimes/docview/115614118/53659E2EBCC34605PQ/1?accountid=12434>.
This article is focused on the time period leading up to Julie Andrew's fame as an actress. This article sparked my attention because it discusses how it was believed that Julie Andrews wasn't necessarily good enough to be an actress, according to the general public and film directors of the 60s. This is very interesting considering how successful of an actress she was and how amazing of a job she did in The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. People believed that Julie Andrews was "neither photogenic nor sexy enough to be a movie star" (Bart). However, if this was so, then how was she the lead of the biggest money-making movie of all time? Julie's biggest setback in her career and what truly lowered her confidence was when the director of the film, My Fair Lady, gave the lead role to Audrey Hepburn instead of herself; Audrey was given the role because she was believed to be a true star who would satisfy and impress the world. However, Julie had her big break when Walt Disney saw one of her shows one afternoon and decided she would be a perfect fit for the roles in The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. I think this information will be useful in my Inquiry because I think it proves that the public was shocked, impressed, and amazed by Julie Andrew's talent in The Sound of Music; I believe that her talent blew the world away and that this is also a factor in why she was so successful playing Maria and why the movie, itself, was so successful. The main purpose of my paper is how the audience felt about this film during that specific time period based on current events and the world they were living in. I am going to argue how current events of the 60s affected the overall reviews of The Sound of Music. I am going to write one body paragraph on how the public viewed Julie Andrews as an individual and actress, so this information will be great supporting details within it.
Bart, Peter. "The Sound of Money." ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York
Times. N.p.,1966. Web. 4 Mar. 2014. <http://media.proquest.com/media/>.
This article was written in 1966 during time of the Academy Award presentations. Peter Bart discussed how The Sound of Music was not only voted the year’s best picture, but also that Robert Wise, the director, was being honored for best achievement in directing. While discussing the acknowledgements of this particular film, Bart also wrote about how when it originally was released many individuals turned their tickets over to their children or to other friends because they were uninterested. This amazed me. How did a film that ended up being so incredibly valued begin with being a film you just send your kids to with a governess? Once the film “began to roll up records at the box office”, the entire public started responding to The Sound of Music’s unique qualities. I think this would be a really interesting point to touch on throughout my paper. Did certain individuals initially believe they were too good or superior for this film? The Sound of Music “grossed 56.9 million” and ended up pulling in about 1 million a week” (Bart). The crowd ended up adoring the film and the unique characteristics about it, for example the nuns and the musical theme it conquers. I definitely want to use the last line of the article in my paper. It states, “Predictably, when an announcer asked the crowd which picture it hoped would win an Oscar, the cry for The Sound of Music was all but deafening. Their preference soon received the Academy’s official blessing. The crowd loved this film, and still does to this day. This is proven by the fact that it was just re-created in the theatre with Carrie Underwood starring as Maria.
Canby, Vincent. ""Sound of Music" Flat in Germany." ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times. N.p., 7 Apr. 1967. Web. 6 Mar. 2014. <http://media.proquest.com/media>.
So far, in all of the articles that I have read, all of the reviews are very positive regarding the film, The Sound of Music. However, Vincent Canby touches on how unsuccessful the film was in Germany in this particular article. This is going to be valuable information for my paper because it is always important to have two different perspectives on a subject. Not only do I want to do research on why the public loved the film so much, but also I want to know why it wasn't successful, as well. The Sound of Music was "generally regarded as the biggest money-making film ever", however it did so poorly in West Germany that it had been withdrawn from the theaters there. It is believed that the film did so badly in Germany because of the portrayal of Nazism that was featured in the film, considering the Germans cut out all of the scenes that referred to the Nazis or to war. I think it is interesting how individuals in America were uplifted by the film, The Sound of Music, because of its positive spirits during the time of the Vietnam War, thanks to Julie Andrews, however individuals in Germany were extremely offended. I think this would be an interesting comparison for my paper to dig deeper into since I want to center the purpose of my inquiry on how the audience felt towards the movie based of off current events during their time. 1. Marry Poppins 2. Vietnam War 3. World War II
Crowther, Bosley. "The Sound of Music Opens at Rivoli." The
New York Times. N.p., 3 Mar. 1965. Web. 4 Mar. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9804E4DF153CE733A25750C0A9659C946491D6CF>.
This article was extremely interesting and will be beneficial for my Inquiry because it was written in 1965 when the film, The Sound of Music, was first released in theaters. Therefore, I am getting the perspective of an audience member who was living in the time period of the 60’s, opposed to the thoughts and ideas of someone watching The Sound of Music currently. It is important to read and do plenty of research on individual’s perspectives that were living during the era of when this film was released because their thoughts could be drastically different from the thoughts of someone living in our generation. On the other hand, reviews from the 60’s could be very similar to reviews up to date, which I believe says a lot about the film. Bosley Crowther touched on specifics regarding where the film took place and how the director, Robert Wise, chose to film the movie. The author also discusses how Julie Andrews, playing Maria, has a huge overall effect on the movie because of her wholesomeness and “ability to make her dialogue as vivid and appealing as she makes her songs”. The discussion on Julie Andrews is going to be very useful in my paper because I am going to make a point that maybe the reason this film got so much positive recognition was because of the director’s choice to choose the wonderful and extremely well-liked, Julia Andrews. Additionally, Crowther wrote about how the film was very unrealistic and truly matched the musical. From reading this review, I had the feeling that Crowther found it almost annoying that the film was unrealistic and trying too hard to resemble a play. I now want to do more research on the audience’s reaction to the film really resembling the play. At the end of the article, after somewhat tearing apart the style of the film, Crowther states that “its sentiments are abundant” and that “businesswise, Mr. Wise is no fool”. Therefore, what I took away from this final line, is that the general reaction from the public was positive.
Fischer, Raymond L. "FOREVER LIESL: A Memoir of The Sound of Music." USA Today [Magazine] Jan. 2001: 79.Popular Culture Collection. Web. 9 Mar. 2014.
It is most definitely essential to have sources where critics are reviewing films, however what about when the actors and actresses are reflecting on the film themselves? Liesel, the oldest child in The Sound of Music, wrote a memoir on the film and how it really influenced her life. This article focuses on Liesel's memoir that she wrote, which was a "delightful recollection of seven of the most wonderful, influential months of Carr's life" (Fischer). The book is centered and zooms on the seven actors who played the Von Trapp children. Charmian Carr, Liesel, wrote about how close she was with the 6 other actors who played the Von Trapp children and referred to them as her second family. All seven of the children have kept in touch over the course of the years and reunite for individual family occasions, special movie related events, and film anniversaries. Additionally, in her memoir, Carr included letters that she has received over the years from fans about how the film changed their lives. I think this is interesting for my Inquiry because maybe one of the reasons the film ended up being such a success was because its audience could really feel the love and connection that the actors had for one another. Carr's memoir is proof that she loved The Sound of Music and that its power influenced her life just as much as it influenced her audience's life. I think this is a big reason why this film is special and stands out from all other films- the audience can feel the real life connection that the actors have, which makes the film that much more moving. This information is going to be included in my Inquiry because it helps prove why this film is more exceptional than other films.
Gianoulis, Tina. "Baby Boomers." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Ed. Sara
Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 1. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. 151-154. U.S. History in Context. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
This article is about the time period of the “baby boomers”, also known as the 60’s. I think that this article is going to be very beneficial for my essay because it will help me see through the eye of the individuals living in the 60’s and try to understand why they loved and valued The Sound of Music so much. This article is very telling of what it was like for the individuals living during the time frame of this film. Life was chaotic and emotionally impossible for many families, especially because of the Vietnam War, which meant loved ones could be in danger and that families were not as strong. I think that this film gave individuals of this time period hope that their family could overcome the struggle economically, emotionally, and personally. I think that Maria gave families hope and lifted their spirits that there would be better days. Additionally, another idea that interested me in this article was that “controversy and innovation came to television as it came to every aspect of American life in the late 1960s and 1970s” (Gianoulis). Therefore, many teens were watching television and were engaged with the media. Gianoulis stated that children would wait in long lines to watch newly released films. I believe The Sound of Music was very relevant to the lives of teenagers of this time period and grew into being very relevant to older generations, once it was realized how phenomenal of a movie it truly was, as well. I believe this is because it was very relatable for the audience considering it took place during a war and involved a struggling family trying to get back on their feet after a terrible obstacle.
Higham, Charles. "The Rise and Fall of Julie Andrews." ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2009). New York Times, 21 Aug. 1977. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. <http://search.proquest.com/hnpnewyorktimes/docview/123119631/463D2583764B46FBPQ/4?accountid=12434>.
This article focused on Julie Andrews as an individual and actress, opposed to being specifically about Julie Andrews playing Maria in The Sound of Music. This article was from an interesting perspective and helped give me a real feel on how the general public viewed Julie Andrews and why they loved her so much in The Sound of Music. The article touches on the rise of Julie Andrews through films like Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music, and the fall of Julie Andrews through films like Star and Darling Lili. The public loved how Julie Andrews was a very wholesome character in the two movies that led her to her peak, and how she was a wholesome individual in real life as well being happily married and she also “never provided copy for the gossip columns" (Higham). In Star and Darling Lili she played characters that the public disapproved of, which I thought was so intriguing; Andrews was a bitter and drunken character in Star and an enemy spy in Darling Lili. The article zooms in much more on her choices to play certain characters in certain films and how this affects her career and reputation as a well-known actress. In my Inquiry I am going to use this information by telling my audience that a major reason why people loved The Sound of Music so much was because of Julie Andrew’s purity as a character. The article says that it was a world where “purity has become a dirty word” (Higham). I want to make this a main focus in my paper- the public was attracted to her wholesome character in this film while the reality around them was becoming “dirty”, considering they were living during the Vietnam War. This will connect really well with the Vietnam War paragraph I am going to include in my essay. I believe that her character was the public’s escape from their world, and when she decided to play characters that were more “dirty”, they rejected it.
Jackson, Michael. "The Best Musicals That Have Been Made Into Movies." CBS New
York. N.p., 22 Apr. 2013. Web. 05 Mar. 2014. <http://newyork.cbslocal.com/top-lists/the-best-musicals-that-have-been-made-into-movies/>.
This article discusses specific musicals that have been recreated as movies. I think this will be interesting and helpful for my research because it helps me compare The Sound of Music to other films of that same genre. Since The Sound of Music is such an incredibly unique film, it is hard to compare it to other films of its time period, and comparing films is an essential part of understanding why it was so highly valued. However, this article helps me understand the genre of this film much better. According to the article, in the 1960s, film adaptations of Broadway musicals were very popular. For example, between 1949 and 1969, “all but two of the Tony Award winning Best Musicals were made into films” (Jackson). The 60s was a decade of Broadway musicals being transformed onto the big screen. Before reading this article, I didn’t know that musical films were popular during this time period. I now understand why it had such great reviews- the audience loved musicals. This is intriguing to me because I feel as if, now-a-days, Broadway musicals use films to produce hit performances, opposed to Hollywood using Broadway films. I am going to incorporate this information into my essay by using it as a supporting detail of why this film was so well liked and popular during this time frame. If it came out tomorrow, would it still be regarded as such a phenomenal movie? I believe it is so well liked currently because it is unique to what we are accustomed to as Best Picture nominees- it stands out as a film.
Willmott, Don. "The Sound of Music Movie Review." The Sound of Music Review 1965. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. <http://www.contactmusic.com/movie-review/thesoundofmusic_1>.
A majority of the sources I am using for my Inquiry are reviews of The Sound of Music written in 1965 and are very formally written reviews from, for example, the New York Times. I decided that I wanted to find a review on this film that was more informally written and from the perspective of an individual currently, which is why I included this source in my annotated bibliography. Don Willmott touches on the fact that The Sound of Music is critic proof, which I find very interesting. When he says critic proof, he means that not one individual can say a bad thing about this particular film when reviewing it, but why? The reason I am so intrigued by this film is because of its power and value- it is almost as if it is conquering the mountain tops, like Julie Andrews and her new family, as well. Willmott's review was extremely positive, and even when he brought up something negative, he turned it into a positive. For example, he states, "Yes, it's schmaltzy, but it's not nearly as schmaltzy as, say, Titanic. Yes it has all those adorable kids and all those adorable songs and even a cute puppet show stuck right in the middle of it, but it also has grit, drama, and some harrowing moments" (Willmott). He touches on the fact that even though it is a cutesy film, it still has the ability to be incredibly captivating, moving, and intriguing. That is another reason why I believe this film is so special. I am going to use that specific quote in my Inquiry because I believe it shows how this film could capture the attention of many different audiences, like those who love romance and those who love action/ suspense. The Sound of Music was a film that could please many during the 60s. Additionally, Willmott discussed how it was a great decision for the director to film this movie on location because even one who didn't enjoy the plot, could never say a negative thing about the scenery.
