Despite its massive success in the United States and many other countries around the world, The Sound of Music wasn’t a hit everywhere. In Austria the movie was only on the big screen for three weeks when it was released in 1965 and wasn’t shown on TV until the year 2000. Austrians didn’t like the movie because they felt that it was too Americanized and portrayed Austrian culture in an insensitive way.
Critics also believe that Austrians took offense to the portrayal of some of their countrymen as Nazi sympathizers. They look back at the occupation with utter contempt and certainly don’t want any reminders of that dark time in their country’s history.
It Could Have Been Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Dreyfuss is famous for his starring role in iconic horror movie Jaws, and has nothing to do with The Sound of Music, or does he? The actor revealed in an interview that he was in the running and even auditioned for the role of one of the von Trapp siblings.
Producers thought he might make a good Friedrich. Dreyfuss disclosed that he almost got the part because of his great acting abilities but lost it in the end because he was an awful dancer. With all our love for Richard Dreyfuss, we think the producers made the right choice. The actors playing the von Trapp kids were a perfect fit.
Doris Day As Maria?
Doris Day was America’s sweetheart in the 50’s and at the height of her popularity when casting for The Sound of Music was taking place. The studio also considered actresses Leslie Caron, Audrey Hepburn, Shirley Jones, and Anne Bancroft for the part. As for the role of Captain von Trapp, Yul Brynner was briefly considered, but the main contender for the role was none other than Bond, James Bond’s Sean Connery.
Day and Connery were the front runners, but in the end studio bosses picked Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer because they felt that they were a perfect fit for the characters. Also, Doris Day couldn’t hold a candle to Julie Andrew’s amazing voice.
Fans Got A Writer Fired
The Sound of Music has some seriously devoted fans! When the film came out it was reviewed by Pauline Kael for McCall’s magazine. She felt that it was too much of a popcorn flick, and went on to say the movie was, “a sugar coated lie that people seem to want to eat. Wasn’t there perhaps one little von Trapp who didn’t want to sing his head off? Or who got nervous and threw up if he had to get on a stage?”
Fans were outraged and the review caused such an outrage that Kael was actually fired for writing it. She went on to write for The New Yorker, where her cynicism could finally be appreciated.
Maria’s Childhood
The real Maria had quite an eventful childhood. She was born on a moving train on the way to the hospital. She was orphaned by the young age of ten. She was then sent to live with a violent uncle, whom she decided to run away from. Maria felt an affinity for the Catholic Church, and naturally found her way to a convent.
Her connection to religion was surprising, since her foster parents were atheists. It’s a good thing that she felt that spiritual pull, otherwise she would have never met the von Trapps and spent her life with them!