An absolute classic of the musical comedy crowned with five Oscars in 1966, “The Sound of Music” largely contributed to putting Christopher Plummer’s career into orbit. However, the actor does not really seem to have appreciated the film…
Maria, a spirited young woman leaves the convent to become the governess of Captain Von Trapp’s seven children. This authoritarian widower rules the house with an iron fist and upon his arrival, Maria encounters hostility from the children…
An absolute classic of the musical comedy crowned with five Oscars in 1966 including that of Best Director for Robert Wise and Best Film, The Sound of Music is carried at arm’s length by Julie Andrews, fresh from the triumph of Mary Poppins, electrifying the film with particularly communicative energy.
In the role of the severe Captain Von Trapp, Christopher Plummer is far from unworthy. A huge actor, who passed away in February 2021 at the age of 91, a workaholic, Plummer played in a number of films, some of which were particularly memorable: The Man Who Would Be King, Dolores Claiborne, Somewhere in time, Waterloo, The Night of the Generals, The Army of the 12 Monkeys…
His role as the dour patriarch in Wise’s film was instrumental in putting his career into orbit. However, the actor had little esteem for his role and this film.
“It was a bit like whipping a dead horse.”
In an interview given to Boston Globe in January 2010, Plummer mentioned The melody of happiness, whose name he does not even mention, content to call it “the film”. In his autobiography published in 2008, In Spite of Myselfhe calls it outright “The Sound of Mucus”.
Although he enjoyed working with Julie Andrews, her character on the other hand bored him. “I was a little bored with the character. Even though we worked pretty hard to make him interesting, it was a bit like whipping a dead horse. And the subject doesn’t belong to me. I mean it can’t not please everyone. It’s not my cup of tea.”
Plummer repeated it a year later, at the microphone of Hollywood Reporter : “It was so horrible and sentimental and gooey. I had to work really hard to try to inject just a little bit of humor into it.”
“I felt a sudden rush of pride to have been part of it“
That said, Plummer was blowing hot and cold regarding the film. Because, still in his autobiography, he seemed to make amends. He says he once found himself watching the film again after lunch with friends.
“I said to myself: ‘Am I escaping? My friends, the hosts, wanted me to stay. “It will be so much fun for the kids to see Captain von Trapp watching himself on the screen. […] I finally stayed. I hadn’t seen the movie in years, and the more I watched it, the more I realized how great the movie was.
The best of the genre, warm, touching, joyful and absolutely timeless. I suddenly understood why it had brought such pleasure to so many people. There I was, cynical old fart that I am, totally seduced by the damn thing – and what’s more, I felt a sudden surge of pride at having been part of it.”