Sunday, February 20, 2011

Sound of Music - BluRay and Soundtrack

One of my favorite movies of all time is The Sound of Music. In fact, you may have heard me mention that more than a few times on this blog.

Last fall, shortly after the Sing Along tour, The Sound of Music soundtrack and movie were re-released. I was really happy to receive a copy of both the Soundtrack and the Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack with 3 discs.

The Soundtrack, which is a 45th Anniversary Special Edition version, includes all the songs from the movie and includes a special recording of Lea Michele, from Glee, singing My Favorite Things. The combo pack, which is the 45th Anniversary Edition, comes packed full of extra features and footage. First, the movie is in high definition. Plus, you can watch it with on screen lyrics, just like at the Sing Along. There are audio commentaries with Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and Director Robert Wise. There is a featurette about the making of the movie and so much more!

I mentioned last fall that I thought my daughter was too young to take to see the Sing-a-Long in the theater, but I figured that in the comfort of our own home, we could sit down together and watch it. That way, if she couldn't sit still for the duration or needed a bathroom break, we could take advantage of pause.

I warmed her up to the show by starting to play the songs in the car, right after we received the CD. I started with some of the catchier songs, like Do-Re-Mi and My Favorite Things. Then, I added in I Have Confidence and Maria. I'm not sure how much attention she paid, but she didn't ask me to skip them, so she had a chance to become familiar with the music.

Then, one afternoon, when my husband and son were watching a boy movie in the media room, I suggested to her that we watch the Sound of Music. I was surprised, she sat still and watched the whole thing. That meant that I got to watch the whole movie straight through. She told me that she liked it. In fact, it has been a few months since we watched it the first time and she can't stop talking about it. I find her singing Do Re Mi from time to time and A Problem Like Maria. She calls it the mountain movie and asks regularly about watching it again.

She watched it again last weekend, mostly without me, as I was preparing dinner in the kitchen. When her brother came into the room, she was busy trying to tell him who everyone was (with lots of questions to mom - is that her big brother and which one is Maria?). She was rather concerned when the movie went to Intermission - in fact, I had to skip it. I tried to explain why it was included, but she didn't care. I guess that is one difference that will always exist, I grew up watching it on TV, complete with commercials. I think I was in high school the first time I watched it on VHS and was able to see the movie without interruptions, although I did have to change the tape at the intermission since it didn't all fit on one. I was an adult before I got my own copy on DVD and could watch it when I wanted. She will likely only ever know watching it on DVD, because really, why would we watch it on TV when we can watch it on DVD?

I love that she is growing up and I can start to share things that were my favorite things when I was a little girl (and many of which still are today). I have books and movies that I can't wait to share with her. Of course, part of me still wants her to slow down and stay a little girl longer - time goes too fast.

No compensation was received for this post. Sony sent me a complimentary copy of the BluRay DVD Combo and the Soundtrack for my review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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