The Sound of Music Literary Elements

The Sound of Music Literary Elements

Director

Robert Wise

Leading Actors/Actresses

Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer

Supporting Actors/Actresses

Eleanor Parker, Richard Haydn, Peggy Wood, Charmian Carr, and Nicholas Hammond

Genre

Musical Drama

Language

English

Awards

The Sound of Music won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director for Wise, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, and Best Music. Julie Andrews was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, Peggy Wood was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, Best Color Cinematography, Best Color Set Direction, and Best Color Costume Design.

Date of Release

March 2th, 1965

Producer

Robert Wise

Setting and Context

Salzburg, Austria, 1938

Narrator and Point of View

The Sound of Music is told from a third person point of view.

Tone and Mood

Fun, Energetic, Ominous, Musical, Sentimental, and Loving

Protagonist and Antagonist

Maria (protagonist) vs. Herr Zeller and Baroness Schraeder (co-antagonists)

Major Conflict

The major conflict of the film involves Maria's struggle to keep the von Trapp's happy and safe in spite of the Nazi invasion of their homeland.

Climax

The climax of the film occurs when the von Trapp's are hiding from the Nazis in the cemetery.

Foreshadowing

Maria's marriage to the officer is foreshadowed early on in the film.

Understatement

Just how dangerous a threat the Nazi are to the von Trapps -- and everyone else -- is understated in the film.

Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques

The Sound of Music is no doubt a well-made and well-shot film. However, it was not innovative in filming or lighting or camera techniques.

Allusions

To the following films: The Trapp Family (1956), Mary Poppins (1964), West Side Story (1961), Gone With the Wind (1939), and Singin' in the Rain (1952).
To: history (particularly of WWII), geography, the Bible, the work of Rogers and Hammerstein, and other popular culture.

Paradox

The Von Trapps were not Jewish, yet were prosecuted by the Nazis.

Parallelism

N/A

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