Julie and TSOM

Oh, I think a great deal of it. She's a really good actress, which not all musical stars are. Her heart and soul shine in every scene - we've all read the stories of how she fussed over the kids and generally boosted everyone's spirits, despite personal struggles at the time. I could say a lot more but would love to hear others too.

Beautiful picture @indigoblue. I love young pictures of her.

Seriously? Where do I start....? I think I could spend the next 50 years talking about how awesome Julie Andrews is.

I just still can't get over that I MET Julie (34 weeks and 6 days ago and yes, I'm still counting).

actually, my husband likes to constantly mock me re: JA obsession. So he said to me the other day. "Are you going to cry when she dies", "Yes, I'm going to be devastated" I say, and then all the mocking for the next hour or so came.... He just doesn't get it.

i've been putting off contributing to this because it overwhelms me when i try to think about what makes this movie so great and what julie andrews has to do with it. i mean, where to begin? i'll try to address the second part of it for now.

why do we cheer for maria, hold our breath every time the captain kisses her for the first time, adore the way she challenges him while dripping wet after falling in the lake... i mean, why? because maria was totally gentle and yet could hold her own against grouchy captain, eternally happy so that when her heart breaks it is as though our heart breaks, always smiling, feminine and still rides bikes, climbs trees and races the boys... and i'm going to say it... innocent. i think that is so incredibly vital, though. i know in fanfic world we experiment with a young woman who trembles when he looks her over when she first arrives, or gets turned on when he blows his whistle, imagine the whole "i don't know you're signal" is suggestive etc... you get the picture. but if JA played maria that way, a bit worldly wise, a bit overheated and a bit lustful... she would be playing elsa. or at least a similar choice of elsa. and then the whole laendler would have been camp. and "there isn't going to be a baroness" line would not be the cinematic version of (insert mind-bending narcotic of choice here... if you have one). just consider the way she walked vs the way eleanor parker walked. the way JA had maria run out of the ballroom when he catches her there. the way she tries to sneak by him after the rowboat incident and by the sitting room and up the stairs before he apologizes. the way she follows him out of the ballroom after the puppet show (you can compare the two in that one scene!). the way she carefully approaches E and G when she returns and then tries to run into the house to escape to cry. the way she drifts around the terrace before the gazebo scene, heck when they walk to the gazebo. totally feminine but not sexy. well, i guess it is sexy, but not overtly so. it is a simple thing, walking and yet it could have changed everything if there was the tiniest hint of seduction in it, aware or not. and the romance would have been forever lost. and i don't know about you, but the songs, the lush austrian scenery... all nice but it is the freakin' romance that i love about this movie. i don't even know if another actress would have had that kind of instinct about her character.

JA is so much better than most people even understand. you'd be hard pressed to find a soul on the planet that hates her, but not everyone gives her credit for being such a great actress.

did that sound like a rant? it kinda felt rant-ish.

What you guys wrote is totally awesome.

Just wanted to add I think it mad a massive difference to JA's performance that this was now movie no. 3 for her, yet neither Mary Poppins or the A of E had been released so as she put it "having a lovely time making movies with none of the responsibility of it." So Julie could just play Maria the way she wanted and just act. After all the 3 moves had been released and all the hype happened, ie Academy award for Poppins, massive hype for TSOM, I think there was such a pressure on her to succeed and continue to top her performance that she never quite got back that "thing" that she had during TSOM.

I do have other idea but it is soooo early in the morning and I should get the baby back to bed.

Yes I cannot believe it is ONLY 9 am. I want this day to end - it has already gone on too long already (headache, head cold, tired, ferril kids, swimming lessons, not enough coffee - need I go on...)

I had no idea she took Valium! I found the photos below and was perplexed by Julie's apparent mood. Then I realised (by her dress and the Pegasus Landing) that she may have been contemplating the next bit...kissing CP in the gazebo! I decided the thought had quite overwhelmed her, hence her contemplativeness, but maybe if she had Valium on board, it is quite a different story...
                                                    
                                               
        

Oh, yeah.... it is part of the lights making raspberry sounds story. Robert Wise sent them all for a 2 hour lunch (as we all know) and Julie was so hyped up and giggly that she took a valium to calm herself down.

I'm sure Chris knocked back a few drinks, as well.
That gazebo scene is pure gold. The chemistry is palpable, and Wise deciding to just cut the lights and do it in silhouette was a stroke not only of frustration but genius.
I can't help thinking their fit of laughter was in some way helped along by the mutual attraction.

So home alone tonight and I thought I'd go and watch my favourite bits, which of course ended up being most of the movie.

What completely struck me about what made almost every scene completely incredible was the EYES. Every little glance, innocent look, eye roll, narrowing of the eyes, death stare (by the baroness)... It was all so good. I wish I had made notes (then I could write a complete scene by scene micro analysis)!

But I'd like to go back to the original question of why TSOM doesn't date, because it is almost the only film I can think of that hasn't dated in 50 years. What is it in the film that keeps it relatively modern? Is it the acting? the cinematography? the dialogue? I have a few ideas that occurred to me:

Julie's short hair and outfits were very different to the styles of the 40s and 50s; if you think of the Baroness looking chic and fashionable in 30s couture, you can see her outfits  date as time passes and she becomes unfashionable. But Julie's outfits and hair wouldn't be that out of place on the street today, and it's almost as though the very fact that she was unfashionable then has meant she hasn't dated, and combined with her 'modern' bright, practical personality, she could be someone from our era. Is she the only one in the film who is 'contemporary'?

The quality of the cinematography also strikes me as being timeless, with the 'big views', and something about the colour is quite classic - maybe not 21st century, but enough to transcend dating.

And the music -well! What can we say? I am wondering whether the style of orchestration was something else that was 'new' in the sixties, which we can still relate to, whereas maybe in the 50s it was so different it has become passé? I'm sure it is not just amazingly appealing melodies that keep us all singing along.

I feel Julie's bloops and expressions of panic etc 'humanise' her, and draw us towards her as a personality, which engage us with her, making her feel like a friend who may be a neighbour, again someone who is very real.

Any other ideas? Dialogue?

Let's see.
1. I think that the fact of Julie's hair/costumes not being 'of' the era are part of it. The dresses she wears were never too fashionable and as a result sort of transcend the changing styles----never too 'in', so never really 'out'. Her hair is very becoming to her facial features, and that too never goes out of style. Same with the cut of Chris' suits. Classics remain classic for a reason.

2. The cinematography, and especially the location shoot, plays into that 'classic' theme. What is more timeless than mountains? I also think that as has been said before (by Julie?) that the weather gives wonderful texture to the outdoor shots. It wasn't all sunshiney, blue skies, vibrant colors.

3. To me, the orchestrations go back to the more 'classic' arrangements, and have a symphonic quality. None of the electronica that came along later in the decade, nor any of the late 60s/early 70s schmaltzy, Lawrence Welk type harmonies. Just listening to the sound cloud of the gazebo scene scoring shows the beauty of classic instrumentation.

4. The story itself is timeless. Essentially, it is boy meets girl/boy loses girl/boy wins girl in the end. That never gets old. Love of home, family, faith, principles--will always resonate with people. As for the dialogue, there is very little if any 'topical' reference that will lose effectiveness. I mean, Nazis are always going to be bad.

Essentially, I think it is classic because each element is classic.

those are my thoughts for now. I'm sure I'll come up with more.

So I was listening to TSOM in the car today (yes, what a surprise) and I was listening to the overture and it reminded me of this discussion.

I have to say, the orchestrations and the arrangement of the overture are just sensational. I really wish I could do it justice to explain how good I feel it is (I think there is a reason why I'm a scientist and not a poet - I'm just not that good with descriptive, creative language). But my point is that the music, how is just breathtaking and energising all in one and so uplifting (gosh I really am rambling here - I hope everyone knows what I mean) but I think it just adds to the whole feel of the film.

I mean obviously the opening sequence with JA spinning and singing (yes, I know.... Cue the helicopter story) is just awesome, but then to launch into that overture.... WOW!

Did and thought the same!


Julie was asked in an interview which character would come closest to her own life/personality. She said without hesitation; Maria!
She did about 10 movies to that point and ofcourse all the broadways.