16 going on 17

IMG_5397, originally uploaded by bratislavadavis.

11-08-07
A three hour ride on the train took me to Salzburg- one of the most scenic places in Austria although it didn’t appear that way upon arrival due to heavy rain that dimmed visibility.

The late, film critic Pauline Kael who was often known for being cynical, infamously dubbed “The Sound of Music”, “The Sound of Money” in a review of the blockbuster Fox production in McCall’s magazine which drew outrage from readers and reportedly led to her being sacked. From a commercial perspective, Kael was right as the film continues to attract tourists who pay 30 Euros for a tour of the filming locales of the beautiful Alpine scenery and landmarks that figured so prominently in the movie. In retrospect, Kael leaving McCall’s was the best thing that happened to her. After an unsuccessful two year stint at the New Republic, she joined the New Yorker where her reviews became a must-read and she became arguably the most renowned film critic ever.

The angry rains from the heavens limited visibility on the four-hour bus tour, but it was still enjoyable. The first stop was the white gazebo at the palace of Heilbrunn. The gazebo was reconstructed here due to an overwhelming number of tourists - it was originally located at the magnificent Schloss Leopoldskron. It was at the gazebo where romantic scenes and songs were shot such as “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” and “Something Good”. Charmian Carr who played the eldest Von Trapp daughter crashed through the glass windows of the gazebo during a shoot twisting her ankle. But the shoot continued as they wrapped the ankle and applied make-up on and shot from a different angle. It was her first (and last) smashing success.

It should be noted that much of the film is fictional as the von Trapp family actually escaped before the War and immigrated to Vermont where they lived on a farm. Also it wasn’t possible to cross the Alps into Switzerland as Salzburg is situated near the German border. The von Trapp story was made into a film produced by Wolfgang Reinhardt in 1956- the son of legendary stage director Max Reinhardt who was the co-founder of the Salzburg festival. The German film became an instant hit in Germany and Austria and remains popular to this day. There was also a sequel two years later. Three years later, it became a Broadway musical hit composed by Rogers and Hammerstein and starring Mary Martin of “South Pacific” fame and Theodore Bikel. It was the music that would become the inspiration for the Hollywood musical directed by Robert Wise in 1965. The 20th Century Fox production saved the hide of Daryl F. Zanuck as it allegedly rescued the studio from bankruptcy by grossing $158 million in North America. It starred Julie Andrews- an outstanding singer playing the role of Maria von Trapp and Christopher Plummer as captain von Trapp. It won the Academy Award for best picture and remains one of the most popular films ever, making a yearly appearance on network television. The songs are virtually unknown in Austria.

The white Leopoldskron palace which stands on a lake was the next stop and it was where Maria and the children fell out of their row boat into the water. But it was much more than merely a shooting location for “The Sound of Music”. It was built in 1736 by the prince of Salzburg and was eventually bequeathed to his nephew who used the palace to house his paintings of old masters. It became the palace of Max Reinhardt who purchased it in 1918. Reinhardt was one of the most influential theater directors in Berlin and Vienna and also directed the Warner Brothers film “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” staring James Cagney and Mickey Rooney. Reinhardt co-founded the Salzburg Festival with Hugo von Hofmannsthal in 1920, featuring the play “Everyman”.

The Nonberg Abbey was where Maria resided as a nun and taught. The tour went on to show the magnificent scenes shown in the opening scene of the film highlighted by Lake Wolfgang. And of course the tour visited the church of Mondsee where Maria married the captain. On the way, there were some deer grazing - they are plentiful in the alpine regions.