Post by chezlui on Sept 3, 2019 19:55:13 GMT
I had to wrap my kids’ school books this morning, so I thought I give this one a try. It’s a looooong movie and there aren’t any “Do-Re-Mi” songs in it. Only fairly heavy Bach and two songs my memory had stored away to sing a long to.
Anyhoo, I have read a few of “after the Trapps went to America” stories but not a single one went with the movie. So I’m assuming no body bothered watching it due to the lack of English subtitles?
So here’s a quick summary (of what I remember):
Movie starts with a bus of the von Trapp Singers riding into some small town, ready to sing the approved list set of father Wasner. Turns out, the man prefers heavy churchy and classical music.
Not surprisingly, they don’t draw a crowd.
During dinner Maria and the Captain continue to wonder what exactly they are doing wrong and why nobody wants to come and see them. Next day they are being dropped by the manager dude (Smiley, Smilee?) anyway, but since he isn’t thaaaat bad, he paid for them to move into a rather small flat in China town or the Bronx or I’d say Jersey but I haven’t been in NYC in a long time.
Obviously, the family doesn’t have any cash to their name (4$, I believe) and will have to live of fruit from the store downstairs. The Captain comes up with the idea to work as a page boy in a hotel, but I don’t ever see him do it. Father Wasner goes to live some place else.
Since they don’t have any cash, hey still walk around NY in Austrian attire, which is rather funny to be honest.
One evening, while the two parental units have a heart to heart at the Hudson River, the two boys go out to make some money and strike up a singing completion with a drunk sailor on their way home.
Which before long, has all the kids singing much lighter music.
Maria and the Captain run home, but so do the neighbors. They obviously love their singing and Maria gets her hopes up once again.
So the family -looking much more approachable and less severe- auditions for some other agent, who -surprise!- doesn’t accept them.
BUT: they meet Mrs Hammerfield. A fellow Austrian who just adores the Trapp family’s singing of Viennese songs. She invites them to sing at their house for a whooping 300$. Obviously, they agree.
The Captain and the family leaves the building, but Maria runs back and asks why they haven’t passed and hears that the family is lacking “sex appeal”, a term Maria hasn’t heard before.
A funny bit about her going into a book store wanting to read up on it but the staff instead showing her. Slightly affronted, she leaves the shop but goes to a park to practice walking.
Then she goes back to the agent and pretty much yells at them, which impressed him enough to take the family on.
After they pay 5000$ for promotion.
Maria goes home and tells the Captain and Wasner the news. They have no clue how to get that much money, but need to go sing at the private party anyway.
Wasner wants them to sing Bach again but Mrs Hammerfield wants a waltz. So Maria puts her foot down and they sing Strauss instead. (Which is strange, because “Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald” (YouTube) doesn’t have lyrics. But they clearly sing to it. Youtube )
The husband is all happy that his wife is crying, rips up his old cheque and writes a new one with the magical 5000$ on it.
He only hands it over if von Trapp agrees to hand Mr Hammerfield 10% share of future profits.
Well, d’oh! Their new agent happy, Maria happy, promo shots taken, the Von Trapp are back on the road.
First night, full house, but same old set up from Wasner and people are leaving because of it.
So back on the bus and while they drive through Vermont, it seems familiar and reminds them of home. There’s even an old house/ farm for sale!
In no time, Maria is trying to figure out who wants to sell for how much. The Captain tells Wasner (!) to stop her from buying it, they only had a 3 month visa anyway. Wasner does not, but they are late for another concert.
So they run but are 20 minutes late and totally chaotic when going on stage. Maria stammers something about being late because kids and so on, the kids stammer something, the bus driver says he was late, but had god’s good will on board, the youngest kid sneaks on stage, baby Johannes watches from his stroller, the audience laughs and likes it.
Finally, the von Trapps have success!
After the show (or maybe another one?), Maria tells Georg to have his hands ready to sign the papers on buying the house. He tries to resist, but, well, you know, the kids can’t live on a bus forever.
Cut to the family singing how happy they are to fix up their new home.
Until the police comes knocking on their gate to pick them up and send them back home to Austria.
They visa expired, they have no choice to pack their bags.
Once again, Mrs Hammerfield intervenes and has her husband vouch for every single von Trapp as a Sponsor and the von Trapp (and Wasner) can stay.
Because they are happy, they sing right there and then at the immigration and naturalization office.
Fully Austrian, missing two kids in the final shot, but with a zoom on Maria and a “Auf Wiedersehen” from her before the screen goes black.
A few things I’ve noticed.
- the Captain has barely anything to say, but still needs to sign
- they only have one new baby (should have had 3 by then, no?)
- Wasner has much less impact on the family as he really seem to have had
- They didn’t make them go back to Europe and then try to go back to the US
- Why would anyone continue to walk around NYC in Austrian attire? I mean, talk about sticking out like a sore thumb!
- How much of the movie is creative license and how much is taken from Maria’s book?
Anyhoo, I have read a few of “after the Trapps went to America” stories but not a single one went with the movie. So I’m assuming no body bothered watching it due to the lack of English subtitles?
So here’s a quick summary (of what I remember):
Movie starts with a bus of the von Trapp Singers riding into some small town, ready to sing the approved list set of father Wasner. Turns out, the man prefers heavy churchy and classical music.
Not surprisingly, they don’t draw a crowd.
During dinner Maria and the Captain continue to wonder what exactly they are doing wrong and why nobody wants to come and see them. Next day they are being dropped by the manager dude (Smiley, Smilee?) anyway, but since he isn’t thaaaat bad, he paid for them to move into a rather small flat in China town or the Bronx or I’d say Jersey but I haven’t been in NYC in a long time.
Obviously, the family doesn’t have any cash to their name (4$, I believe) and will have to live of fruit from the store downstairs. The Captain comes up with the idea to work as a page boy in a hotel, but I don’t ever see him do it. Father Wasner goes to live some place else.
Since they don’t have any cash, hey still walk around NY in Austrian attire, which is rather funny to be honest.
One evening, while the two parental units have a heart to heart at the Hudson River, the two boys go out to make some money and strike up a singing completion with a drunk sailor on their way home.
Which before long, has all the kids singing much lighter music.
Maria and the Captain run home, but so do the neighbors. They obviously love their singing and Maria gets her hopes up once again.
So the family -looking much more approachable and less severe- auditions for some other agent, who -surprise!- doesn’t accept them.
BUT: they meet Mrs Hammerfield. A fellow Austrian who just adores the Trapp family’s singing of Viennese songs. She invites them to sing at their house for a whooping 300$. Obviously, they agree.
The Captain and the family leaves the building, but Maria runs back and asks why they haven’t passed and hears that the family is lacking “sex appeal”, a term Maria hasn’t heard before.
A funny bit about her going into a book store wanting to read up on it but the staff instead showing her. Slightly affronted, she leaves the shop but goes to a park to practice walking.
Then she goes back to the agent and pretty much yells at them, which impressed him enough to take the family on.
After they pay 5000$ for promotion.
Maria goes home and tells the Captain and Wasner the news. They have no clue how to get that much money, but need to go sing at the private party anyway.
Wasner wants them to sing Bach again but Mrs Hammerfield wants a waltz. So Maria puts her foot down and they sing Strauss instead. (Which is strange, because “Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald” (YouTube) doesn’t have lyrics. But they clearly sing to it. Youtube )
The husband is all happy that his wife is crying, rips up his old cheque and writes a new one with the magical 5000$ on it.
He only hands it over if von Trapp agrees to hand Mr Hammerfield 10% share of future profits.
Well, d’oh! Their new agent happy, Maria happy, promo shots taken, the Von Trapp are back on the road.
First night, full house, but same old set up from Wasner and people are leaving because of it.
So back on the bus and while they drive through Vermont, it seems familiar and reminds them of home. There’s even an old house/ farm for sale!
In no time, Maria is trying to figure out who wants to sell for how much. The Captain tells Wasner (!) to stop her from buying it, they only had a 3 month visa anyway. Wasner does not, but they are late for another concert.
So they run but are 20 minutes late and totally chaotic when going on stage. Maria stammers something about being late because kids and so on, the kids stammer something, the bus driver says he was late, but had god’s good will on board, the youngest kid sneaks on stage, baby Johannes watches from his stroller, the audience laughs and likes it.
Finally, the von Trapps have success!
After the show (or maybe another one?), Maria tells Georg to have his hands ready to sign the papers on buying the house. He tries to resist, but, well, you know, the kids can’t live on a bus forever.
Cut to the family singing how happy they are to fix up their new home.
Until the police comes knocking on their gate to pick them up and send them back home to Austria.
They visa expired, they have no choice to pack their bags.
Once again, Mrs Hammerfield intervenes and has her husband vouch for every single von Trapp as a Sponsor and the von Trapp (and Wasner) can stay.
Because they are happy, they sing right there and then at the immigration and naturalization office.
Fully Austrian, missing two kids in the final shot, but with a zoom on Maria and a “Auf Wiedersehen” from her before the screen goes black.
A few things I’ve noticed.
- the Captain has barely anything to say, but still needs to sign
- they only have one new baby (should have had 3 by then, no?)
- Wasner has much less impact on the family as he really seem to have had
- They didn’t make them go back to Europe and then try to go back to the US
- Why would anyone continue to walk around NYC in Austrian attire? I mean, talk about sticking out like a sore thumb!
- How much of the movie is creative license and how much is taken from Maria’s book?
