cap 13: The children will help you.

I always really loved how even though they range greatly in hair and eye colour, on the whole they all look like they could be siblings. Maybe it's the noses... they all have fairly angular noses. Maybe it's the fact that they didn't set out to find kids who were a carbon copy of each other so the similarities and differences are more subtle and therefore it's more believable that they are a family. (I know genetic variation isn't the same for all families, but in mine- I have black hair, fair skin and bright blue eyes, one brother has tanned skin, blue eyes and light brown hair, the other brother has fair skin, brown eyes and black hair and my sister has tanned skin, black eyes and black hair.... we vary a lot but all together are clearly siblings, so maybe I just relate to this variation but similarity look in the von Trapp kids)... I'm rambling.

No. They certainly don't look like kids who would be helpful. Some are scowling though while others look more wary than angry. I love Marta's expression, like she is trying so hard to scowl but doesn't have it in her. So precious!

I subscribe to that idea. In my mind, Agathe looks like a blonde Liesl. And yes, they all look like siblings - absurdlittlebird's comment about the noses amused me.

Yeah, at this point they don't look like they're going to help her. Kurt looks skeptical and the rest have expressions of veiled contempt. Though honestly all I can think of with Friedrich at this point (most of the film actually) is Nicholas thinking 'that's Eliza Doolittle'. Not so obvious in this screencap, but there is a moment in the scene where I think his expression says that.

Also, the children were never a huge draw for me when I was little - it was all about the wedding.

The bigger question is does Georg know they're not going to help?

Their ages weren't that far off what you mentioned in reality, so it did somehow work. Kurt's meant to be eleven, and in the musical Brigitta's nine, so I feel they're both just missing the 10 (Kurt's just turned 11 , Brigitta's just turned 10) and therefore having to be twins. As for Friedrich and Louisa, same thing; he's edging ahead by less than a year - which was the case with Agathe and Maria (#2 and #3) in reality, who were born in 1913 and 1914 respectively.

The actors on the other hand were a little different:
Charmian = 21 (going on 22)
Nicholas = 13/14 (birthday during filming)
Heather = 14
Duane = 13
Angela = 11/12 (birthday during filming)
Debbie = 7/8 (birthday during filming)
Kym = 5/6 (birthday during filming)

I was watching a featurette with them yesterday so it's fresh in my mind.

Yikes, I asked the question about the children being helpful in the last discussion, sorry!
I did kind of identify with the children but of course since I *clears throat* was around earlier than the rest of you, I was originally under the sway of the Broadway musical, and yuck M&G in that version. That love story has no punch at all.
I love the way they could look like real siblings, and I love the close spacing. Ignoring historical reality, I like the idea that every time G is home on leave, a new baby is started and that they like it that way.
Someday I am going to go all "Rebecca" and write a fic where Agathe is quite evil.

In that sort of household (upper class, military father etc) in that period, the gender roles were very well-described and rigid.

I have to say that I think it is Louisa. She's old enough and slightly sly enough to think up these things, whilst Friedrich isn't really 'naughty' enough, although he is probably put up to do things like plant the frog in Maria's pocket.Somehow Liesl seems too old and has her eye on higher things like Rolf!