The Sound Of Music: Filming Locations In Austria

The Sound of Music, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, was filmed in both Los Angeles and Salzburg, Austria. The film is an adaptation of the 1959 stage musical composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and is based on the 1949 memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp. The film was directed by Robert Wise and was released in 1965.

The film was shot in both Los Angeles and Salzburg

The Sound of Music was filmed in both Los Angeles and Salzburg. Shooting began in Los Angeles in March 1964 and moved to Salzburg in April.

Salzburg was chosen as the location for the film as early as 1963. The city and its surroundings became famous worldwide due to the film, and more than 300,000 fans come to Austria every year to walk in the footsteps of the von Trapp family. The production was scheduled to take six weeks but was stretched to 11 due to heavy rain.

The film crew shot scenes at various locations in Salzburg, including the Mirabell Palace and Gardens, Residenzplatz Square and Fountain, the Summer Riding School, the Horse Pond, St. Peter's Cemetery and Catacombs, Leopoldskron Palace, the Marionette Theater, the Sound of Music Pavilion, and Nonnberg Abbey Convent. The wedding scene was filmed in the parish church of Mondsee, and the picnic scene for "Do Re Mi" was filmed in Werfen, a 40-minute drive from Salzburg.

The film's interior villa scenes were shot at Villa Leopoldskron, and its neighbouring lake was the location for the scene in which the children fall out of the boat. Castle Frohnburg was chosen for the exterior shots of the villa. The famous gazebo, which can now be found in the gardens of Hellbrunn Castle, was used for both Maria and Georg's romantic love scene and the duet "Sixteen Going on Seventeen".

The movie was based on the real-life story of Maria von Trapp

The movie The Sound of Music was based on the real-life story of Maria von Trapp, who was born in 1905 and grew up in Vienna, Austria. She was orphaned as a young child and raised by an abusive relative. After graduating from high school at 15, she entered Nonnberg Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in Salzburg, intending to become a nun.

In 1926, while still teaching at the Abbey, Maria was hired to tutor one of the seven children of widowed naval commander Georg von Trapp. Eventually, she began to look after all the children. Captain von Trapp saw how much she cared about his children and asked her to marry him. Maria was frightened by the idea and fled back to the Abbey to seek guidance. She was advised that it was God's will that she should marry him, so she returned to the family and accepted his proposal. They married in 1927 and had three children together.

The von Trapp family enjoyed hiking and singing together. They also faced financial difficulties, especially after losing most of their wealth during the Great Depression. They began performing in concerts and became a popular touring act. However, their lives became increasingly difficult under Nazi rule after the annexation of Austria in 1938. Strongly opposed to the Nazis and their ideology, the family fled Austria for Italy via train, and eventually made their way to the United States.

The von Trapps began performing in the United States and Canada under the name "Trapp Family Singers." They became a successful touring group, performing internationally until 1955. Maria continued to work on music and faith-related projects throughout her life. She died in 1987 at the age of 82.

The Sound of Music, both the musical and the film, were based on Maria's 1949 book, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. While the story was inspired by her life, there were some liberties taken. For example, in the film, Maria becomes the governess to all the children, whereas in reality, she was hired to tutor only one child. Additionally, Captain von Trapp was portrayed as a cold and distant father, which was not accurate according to his family. The famous escape scene also differs from reality; the family fled by train, not by hiking over the Alps as shown in the movie.

The von Trapp family home was Villa Leopoldskron

The von Trapp family home in the film adaptation of 'The Sound of Music' was Villa Leopoldskron, a 300-year-old palace in Salzburg, Austria. The villa was the home of theatre director Max Reinhardt. The interior scenes of the family home were shot at Villa Leopoldskron, while the exterior shots were filmed at Castle Frohnburg on Hellbrunner Allee. The lake terrace scenes, where the family drank pink lemonade and Maria fell out of the boat, were also filmed at Villa Leopoldskron. The villa's golden ballroom and foyer were rebuilt in Hollywood for the interior scenes.

The von Trapp family home in real life was Villa Trapp, a 22-room historic home in Salzburg. Georg von Trapp and his children moved there in 1924 following the death of his first wife. After the von Trapps escaped the Nazis, Heinrich Himmler moved into the villa and built an underground bunker. The property was later bought by a religious group, the Catholic Missionaries of the Precious Blood, and Himmler used the home as his summer residence. The villa became a hotel in 2008.

The film was directed by Robert Wise

The film adaptation of "The Sound of Music" was directed by Robert Wise and released in 1965. It was based on the 1949 memoir "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers" by Maria von Trapp and is set in Salzburg, Austria.

Wise was not the first choice to direct the film. The role was initially offered to William Wyler, who turned it down. Wise was approached after Wyler's agent asked for production to be delayed so that Wyler could direct another film, "The Collector".

Wise's vision for the film centred on the music, and he reduced the sentimentality found in the stage musical. He kept the opening aerial sequence, despite his reservations due to its similarity to the opening of "West Side Story", for which he was also a director. Wise also replaced the song "An Ordinary Couple" with a more romantic number and added a new song for Maria's departure from the abbey, "Something Good", composed by Richard Rodgers.

Wise was heavily involved in the casting process. Julie Andrews was his first choice for the role of Maria, and he made a special trip to Disney Studios to view footage from "Mary Poppins", in which Andrews starred. Andrews initially had reservations about the role due to the amount of sweetness in the theatrical version, but Wise shared her concerns and assured her that this would be addressed in his vision for the film. Wise's first choice to play Captain von Trapp was Sean Connery, but the role ultimately went to Christopher Plummer.

Wise also spent considerable time casting the secondary characters. For the role of Max Detweiler, Wise considered Victor Borge, Noël Coward, and Hal Holbrook before deciding on Richard Haydn. For the character of Baroness Elsa Schraeder, Wise wanted a "name" actress, and so chose Eleanor Parker.

Filming for "The Sound of Music" began in March 1964 and took place in Los Angeles and Salzburg. It was originally scheduled to last for six weeks but was extended to eleven weeks due to heavy rain. The film was a major commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1965 and receiving five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

The movie was released in 1965

The movie "The Sound of Music" was released in 1965, and it was a worldwide success. The film is an adaptation of the 1959 stage musical composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on the 1949 memoir "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers" by Maria von Trapp and is set in Salzburg, Austria. The film brought the story of the von Trapp family to a global audience and became one of the most commercially successful films of all time.

The movie was directed by Robert Wise and starred Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in the leading roles. It tells the story of Maria, a young Austrian woman who wants to become a nun but ends up as the governess to the seven children of Captain Georg von Trapp. Through music and love, Maria wins the hearts of the captain and his children, and they eventually escape from Nazi-occupied Austria.

The film's success can be attributed to its memorable songs, including "Do-Re-Mi," "Edelweiss," and "My Favorite Things," which have become firmly ingrained in popular culture. The film also received critical acclaim, winning five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

The movie was initially released in the United States on March 2, 1965, as a limited roadshow theatrical release. It became a major commercial success, becoming the number-one box office film after four weeks and breaking previous box-office records in 29 countries. The film had an initial theatrical release that lasted four and a half years and two successful re-releases.

The success of "The Sound of Music" can also be attributed to the performance of its lead actors. Julie Andrews, who played Maria, had recently made her successful debut in "Mary Poppins" and seemed predestined to play the role of a nanny. Christopher Plummer, who played Captain von Trapp, was a well-known stage actor who brought depth and complexity to his character.

The film's shooting locations in Salzburg, Austria, also contributed to its success. The city's idyllic scenery and historic landmarks provided the perfect backdrop for the story. The movie was initially scheduled to be filmed in six weeks, but due to heavy rain, it took eleven weeks. The shooting locations in Salzburg have become popular tourist attractions, with over 300,000 fans visiting the city each year to walk in the footsteps of the von Trapp family.

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