Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo!

     Amongst the many fabulous silver-screen musical masterpieces that many of us love and watch time and time again, I will always believe that the classic, "The Sound of Music" is the most incredible.  It is so old that I think it has, unfortunately, lost its touch with musical-lovers.  For those who haven't seen it or claim that they cannot make it all the way through, I urge you to try and make it through the lengthy piece and recognize how purely magnificent it is.
     "The Sound of Music" was on ABC Family last night, and although we didn't watch the entire movie, I made Mr. 233 sit and watch it for the first time, and I remembered, or maybe just realized, how much I love it.  The location is beautiful, the children talented and wonderful, the story complex, and Julie Andrews had the most ringing bell of a voice.  I long to sing like Fraulein Maria.  Even if it wasn't a musical, the story is relevant and complicated and deals with a political/ethical issue.
     It is musically spectacular.  What an amazing score, beautifully orchestrated and performed!  I don't think that musicals these days have as much hardcore talent and work as this one does, (although I certainly don't mean that they aren't chock full of it.)  I would have LOVED to play in that studio orchestra.  Every aspect of every detail of this film was attended to, and no special effects!  Pure goodness.  And it's uber romantic!!
     Julie Andrews could have played Maria so many different ways.  That character had the potential to be an airhead, a sarcastic snot, or a goody-two-shoes.  But she artfully added subtle nuances to the part, creating a Maria that was effectively both pure and cunning, dreamy and logical, submissive and guiding, and holy and human.  She manages to show the Captain what it is to live without undermining him, she remains devout without being obnoxious, and you see her cleverness with the children.  The Captain doesn't fall for her beauty, but her sincerity.  I think I could write a whole essay just on character dissection of Maria, and how Julie Andrews manages to capture it all with tiny character traits.
     On top of everything that is beautiful about "The Sound of Music," it is on the most basic level about a woman bringing music, both literally and figuratively, back to a family, and it changes their lives forever.  That is my favorite part!