There are great movies, plenty of them, but there are those particular films that puncture our hearts and makes us emotional just thinking about them. The Sound of Music is one of those movies for me.

I saw it for the first time last year in an Airbnb when I was bored and looking for a film to watch. That was when Disney+ was still relatively new so I was browsing its vast collection of movies and I came across The Sound of Music. I had vaguely heard of the movie but I had no idea what it was about or that it featured some of the most iconic songs created for any musical in history.

As I sat back on the couch under some covers watching the film I was instantly pierced by the magic of this movie from the film’s iconic opening number, “The Sound of Music” sung so beautifully by the legend Julie Andrews. It was that opening number that made me realize I was about to watch something truly special and sure enough the rest of the movie had me just as enthralled.

I smiled quite a lot and yes, I cried quite a lot too. And the final twenty minutes of the film filled me with so much anxiety that I felt like I was going to burst! After that initial viewing that utterly destroyed my emotions on a level most films can’t I went on to watch the film a subsequent four times and each viewing was as magical as the last. But I decided to take a break from the musical and I hadn’t watched it again…until last night.

SPOILERS AHEAD for The Sound of Music!

As soon as that opening number resounded in my ears I inwardly sighed with joy, as if I was returning to a place that had brought me so much joy over the years, Disney World or Washington D.C. In fact, my eyes became a little wet because The Sound of Music does, in fact, have that affect on me.

For the next two hours and fifty minutes I was engrossed in the beauty of Austria and the joy that the songs brought me. I silently sang along with the frustrated and empathetic nuns during the number “Maria.” I smiled and felt goosebumps as I watched Julie Andrews’ Maria belt out “I Have Confidence” across the topography of Austria. I smiled when Christopher Plummer’s (RIP to the legend😭)Captain Von Trapp first appears draped in shadow in the doorway. That shot is so perfect because even though you can’t see his face yet you can tell from his figure in the perfectly tailored suit that the Captain is a handsome man. Plus, Maria’s look of barely contained awe when she finally does see him speaks of so much lovable romance to come.

My first grin cracked during the super-cute number between Liesl and Rolfe “Sixteen Going on Seventeen”. I gazed at the screen covered in goosebumps from head to toe during the extremely pleasing “Do-Re-Mi” number. I inwardly cheered when the first official moment of romance occurs between Captain Von Trapp and Maria when he asks her to stay and they gaze at one another longingly. I smiled broadly during the beautifully sung “The Lonely Goatherd” which is probably my favorite musical number of the film. (It just makes me so happy.)

And oh, the feels just don’t stop.

The moments between Captain Von Trapp and Maria in this latter half of the movie are precious and beautiful. From the loving stares they give one another during the “Edelweiss” number to that beautiful dancing scene between the two of them at the party that makes me want to blush to their eventual confession of loving one another in the gazebo paired with the beautiful song “Something Good.” By the way, the gazebo scene with the two of them makes me cry every time. I’m so happy for the two of them in that moment as they confess their feelings for one another that it makes water come out of my eyes. I simply cannot help it.

And then there are of course the last thirty-forty minutes of the movie which is surprisingly dark. The tone of the film completely shifts when the Nazi flags drape the buildings of Salzburg, Austria and suddenly the film becomes a World War II drama. Never will I feel that same anxiety that I did the first time when I just knew that Captain Von Trapp was going to get shot by Rolfe. (If he had, I probably would’ve never watched this movie again because I would’ve been that devastated.)

Thus, the movie ends with the Von Trapp family climbing the mountains of Austria to escape the Nazis with “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” playing and yeah, I can’t help getting emotional there too.

And so, the movie concluded, I took the headphones out of my ears, and I went to sleep feeling an incredible sense of joy.

The Sound of Music is a perfect movie from start to finish. It manages to strike my every chord, emotionally while also being a magical experience. There are only a few other films in my lifetime that I have watched and felt the same way about; The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Lawrence of Arabia, The Wizard of Oz, Jurassic Park, and maybe even Avengers: Infinity War.

Is there a musical that brings you as much joy as The Sound of Music brings me? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

I thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day.