The Hills Are Alive With Ambition In The Sound of Music

From the opening scene of The Sound of Music, you know you're about to watch an event. These initial shots make it clear that director Robert Wise is not gonna be playing a restrained game here, whether you actually end up liking or disliking the movie, Wise and everybody in the cast & crew is going to be swinging for the fences and beyond. For those unfamiliar, this extravagant opening scene depicts helicopter shots of the gorgeous Austrian landscape, with the mountains in this region getting particular visual emphasis. Right away, we get a sense that the main characters in this story inhabit an environment that's far bigger than themselves, a clever way to visually foreshadow how these same characters would become swept up in terrifying European World War II historical events that are also bigger than themselves.

West Side Story Mostly Holds Up Today As Superb Musical Filmmaking

By 1961, the golden age of Hollywood musicals was in high swing as numerous musicals scored major box office success and secured countless prestigious awards. This was a period of glory for the genre that lasted roughly from the 1950's to 1960's and perhaps its highest point came in 1961, when West Side Story came out and became a pop culture phenomenon that ended up scoring a Best Picture Oscar win as well as creating numerous tunes that have become iconic over the years. Thankfully, watching West Side Story today reveals that this is one highly-famous musical from the past that manages to (mostly) hold up, unlike, say, Grease (though that Grease soundtrack is still amazing).