Soldiers confront the Von Trapp family as they prepare to leave Austria for the safety of Switzerland. During the family's daring escape, there are tense moments as the soldiers, with shadowy flashlights in the darkness, search the local abbey where the family is hiding. One character holds another at gunpoint.
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A teen couple embraces and dances together. A tender romantic scene as main characters kiss gently and reveal their love for one another. Various characters get jealous, sabotage for love, get engaged, break off engagements, and marry.
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Find your place in life, and live it to the fullest. Gentleness and warmth, in combination with some discipline, bring out the best in people, particularly children. Courage and sometimes-difficult choices, even leaving your home and friends behind, are necessary to fight against an oppressive government. It's essential to find that courage and stand up for your beliefs.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Maria is virtuous, loving, brave, and honest. Her motives are pure, and she's an exemplary stepmother. Captain Von Trapp, a good man at heart, learns some valuable lessons about love and parenting. The leading characters stand tall as they refuse to obey the orders of an occupying army and fascist government. Characters demonstrate integrity, humility, and courage.
Educational Value
some
In addition to the strong role models and positive ideals presented, the film offers an introduction to the tensions that led up to World War II. It shows an idyllic Austrian city (Salzburg) as the Germans took over and began to change the course of history.
Diverse Representations
a little
Maria is a woman who stands up for herself, but she does fall into traditional gender roles as a governess who takes care of seven children and falls in love with her employer. She's also pitted against another woman for Georg's affections. The film is set in Austria and features no racial diversity -- all characters are White, and most are aristocratic, but they do stand up against fascism by fleeing their homeland instead of working for Nazi Germany. The film comes from Jewish storytellers, including the director, writer, and creators of the original stage musical. On-screen it has Christian themes: Maria is religious, at first training to become a nun and later praying and referencing "the Lord," while the nuns at an abbey protect the Von Trapp family from Nazis.
Parents need to know that The Sound of Music, which starsstars Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, is the beloved film adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic stage musical. It's rich in character, music, and story, as well as filled with positive messages. Near the end of the film, there are several suspenseful scenes that may be frightening for some children, including a main character being held at gunpoint. Romantic scenes are mild and include visible jealousy, flirting, gentle embraces, and brief chaste kisses. There's a little bit of drinking, and one character smokes. The movie has a strong female lead in Maria, but she falls into traditional gender roles as a caregiver who falls in love with her employer, and all of the characters in the Austria-set movie are White. Behind the lens, director Robert Wise and screenwriter Ernest Lehman come from Jewish backgrounds. Kids might be curious to learn more about Nazis and World War II after watching this movie, and they'll also get clear messages about courage and doing the right thing. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Completely delightful - but stop early for sensitive kids!
A fun, uplifting movie full of positive messages - until it gets a little scary.
On the plus side: joyous music, the transformation of a man opening to life, a young woman coming into her own, and lovely messages in song about how changing how you look at things can shift your whole life (such as My Favorite Things and I Have Confidence in Me).
Stopping at the end of the wedding scene is a good idea for any sensitive kid, no matter what their age. Following another reviewer's suggestion, I watched with my 5 and 9 year old daughters until there. Then I checked out the rest of it on my own (it has been a really long time since I watched it!).
While there is nothing obviously scary right away to children who are seeing it and have no context for, say, marching soldiers or the Nazi flag, this was enough to get my nerves going a bit and my girls are sensitive enough to pick up on that! And the tempo sort of picks up bit by bit from there.
But do watch the first part! Lovely fun, much slower paced than today's movies (so good for us sensitive types) and lots of positive stuff. Enjoy!
The beloved musical THE SOUND OF MUSIC tells the fictionalized love story of the real-life Maria von Trapp (Julie Andrews), who doesn't fit into the abbey where she's training to be a nun. While she means well, she's constantly in trouble. The wise abbess sends Maria away to be the governess for the seven children of stern widower Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). The children are uncooperative until Maria wins them over by sharing her love of music and teaching them to sing. The captain's friend Max (Richard Haydn) wants the kids to sing at the local festival, but the stern captain refuses -- at first. But when the captain hosts a party, he starts to notice a certain governess more than he should, especially since he's been wooing a baroness (Eleanor Parker) and had intended to propose. At the same time, Nazi sympathizers are moving into his beloved Austria and preparing to take over -- and he'll be expected to join them.
This classic film is filled with glorious songs ("Do-Re-Mi," "My Favorite Things," "Edelweiss, "So Long, Farewell") and has plenty for hopeless romantics to enjoy. Especially sweet is the song "Something Good," which the captain and Maria sing to each other. The Sound of Music also effectively works in the tension and foreboding of the time period. Everyone in Austria has to make a choice when the Nazis arrive. The beau of Liesl (Charmian Carr), the captain's oldest daughter, becomes so committed to the Nazis that he's willing to betray the young woman he cared for. Even the nuns in the abbey must make a choice. It's worth discussing with older kids why this was such a tense time and why the Von Trapps made the painful decision to flee the country they loved.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how The Sound of Music compares to more recent musical films. How is this one different or similar? What makes it a classic?
Talk about the songs in the movie. What does the song "Climb Every Mountain" mean? What about "My Favorite Things"? If you were going to write the song, what would be on your list of favorite things?
How do the filmmakers create tension in the last few minutes of the movie? What effects do they use? How do you feel when you're watching the ending?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
