Movie · 1965 · Drama, Family, Music, Romance · 2h 54m · G · English
Curator score: 8.7/10 (895.1K ratings)
The happiest sound in all the world!
Overview
In the years before World War II, a tomboyish postulant at an Austrian abbey is hired as a governess in the home of a widowed naval captain with seven children and brings a new love of life and music into the home.
Ratings
Curator score: 8.7/10
IMDb: 8.1/10
Letterboxd: 4.23/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Metacritic: 63
TMDB: 7.7/10
Director
Robert Wise
Production
Robert Wise Productions, Argyle Enterprises, 20th Century Fox
Cast
Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker, Charmian Carr, Nicholas Hammond, Heather Menzies, Angela Cartwright, Debbie Turner, Kym Karath, Duane Chase, Richard Haydn, Anna Lee, Portia Nelson, Peggy Wood, Ben Wright, Daniel Truhitte, Norma Varden, Gilchrist Stuart, Marni Nixon, Evadne Baker
Where to watch
Disney Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A beloved, expertly made musical that balances warmth, romance, and family comedy with real historical stakes. Its songs are iconic, its emotional arc is sturdy, and the final act gives the whole film a surprising edge of resistance and suspense.
Best for
fans of classic Hollywood musicals
viewers who like uplifting family dramas
people who enjoy romance with historical context
audiences wanting a comforting rewatch with memorable songs
viewers open to a long but highly accessible crowd-pleaser
Skip if
you dislike stagey musical storytelling
you want a gritty or realistic World War II drama
you prefer modern pacing and minimal sentimentality
you are not in the mood for earnest, old-fashioned emotional beats
Overview
The Sound of Music is one of those rare studio musicals that feels both enormous and intimate. It starts as a bright, almost fairy-tale domestic comedy, then gradually reveals a harder political reality underneath, without losing its sense of joy or melody. That contrast is a big part of why it still works so well.
Worth noting
Julie Andrews gives the film its buoyancy, and Robert Wise keeps the whole production moving with clean visual clarity and a strong sense of rhythm. The songs are not just famous; they are structurally useful, carrying character, romance, and tension in a way that makes the movie feel effortless even at its length.
Bottom line
What lingers most is how the film turns music into a form of courage. The sentimental surface is real, but so is the emotional payoff when the story shifts toward defiance. It is comforting, yes, but also more resilient and politically pointed than its reputation sometimes suggests.
Top Letterboxd reviews
mulaney (5★) · 13041 likes
WHEN THE CAPTAIN ACCIDENTALLY CALLS MARIA CAPTAIN AND THEY BOTH LOOK AT EACH OTHER LIKE... 👀👀👀👀
Toni (4.5★) · 10517 likes
Young Christopher Plummer tearing a nazi flag in half is so sexy to me
Georgia Coley (5★) · 9650 likes
reading the negative reviews for this movie on letterboxd proves to me that some people live in a sad, broken hellscape
lauren (5★) · 7632 likes
the hills are alive with the sound of hot, young christopher plummer
liam f (5★) · 6474 likes
MY BOYFRIEND IS A NAZI (STORYTIME) *not clickbait*
1955 · Comedy, Crime, Romance · 2h 29m · NR · Curator 8.0/10 (21K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, BroadwayHD, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A glossy, character-driven musical that balances humor, romance, and performance energy.