To mark the 60th anniversary of the classic film ‘The Sound of Music’, DAS Kino is showing the film in its original English version with subtitles.

With over 1.2 billion viewers worldwide, THE SOUND OF MUSIC is the fifth most successful film of all time, even though it flopped in German-speaking countries. The songs written by Rodgers & Hammerstein are a big part of the film’s success story and still lead the world to believe that ‘Edelweiss’ is Austria’s national anthem and Salzburg suddenly became the ‘Sound of Music city’.

The Life Ball took THE SOUND OF MUSIC as its motto in 2018 and had Conchita Wurst dancing across lush green meadows, while FALTER magazine speculated in a special edition in 2021 as to why this film never really took off in Austria. Even most Salzburg residents have never seen the film.

Filming began in the spring of 1964. Due to bad weather and heavy rain, the planned six weeks of filming turned into eleven. A wide variety of locations were chosen as settings: in addition to Leopoldskron Palace with its beautiful palace gardens and Frohnburg Palace in Hellbrunner Allee, filming also took place at Nonnberg Abbey, the Felsenreitschule and film studios in the Parsch district. However, the famous opening scene in which Julie Andrews runs across the meadows was shot on a mountain in Bavaria with the help of a helicopter. Cinematographer Carrie Beeson was responsible for these spectacular shots.

The British newspaper The Guardian aptly noted: ‘The location work in Salzburg has an ineffable charm and it’s all performed with such zinging, joyous energy.’

Originally, Austrian and German-speaking actors were also supposed to appear in the film, but Oskar Werner, who was asked to take on the male lead role, declined. In his opinion, the National Socialist background in the film was played down too much. The role of Captain Trapp was ultimately taken on by Hollywood star Christopher Plummer.

The film finally celebrated its world premiere on 2 March 1965 at the Rivoli Theatre in New York. In German-speaking countries, the film did not hit cinemas until 25 December 1965, albeit in an abridged version without the scenes referring to National Socialism.

To mark its 60th anniversary, the beloved classic has now been carefully restored in 4K quality and can be seen exclusively on two dates at the Salzburg Film Culture Centre DAS KINO in the original English version with German subtitles on the big screen.

The Sound of Music

USA 1965; Director: Robert Wise; Screenplay: Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse; Music: Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein; starring: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker, Richard Haydn, Peggy Wood; 172 min; English with English subtitles

When novice Maria is sent to the home of the widowed Captain von Trapp to teach the seven children of the house, she encounters strictness and discipline instead of love. With her passion for music and her unshakeable zest for life, she manages to win the children’s hearts and bring back their laughter. But the budding romance between Maria and the Captain is put to the test when Austria’s annexation by Nazi Germany forces the family to make an impossible decision.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC is based on the true story of the von Trapp family and their escape from Austria during World War II. The film’s music, composed by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, includes world-famous songs such as ‘Do-Re-Mi,’ “Edelweiss” and ‘My Favourite Things.’ These songs have become firmly embedded in pop culture and contribute to the film’s enduring popularity. The film is a timeless masterpiece about love, music and the courage to defend one’s freedom.

(From the press release by DAS Kino)

A beautifully written text that focuses on this topic in a meaningful way. (pg)

Date/Time
Sat, 20.9.25 | 17:00 Uhr