For Julie Andrews
and ‘The Sound of Music’
[Note:
Dedicated to Julie Andrews, the adorable Maria of the 1965 blockbuster film
‘Sound of Music’ and her rhapsodic mountain songs in the magical realm of
Salzburg.]
In
the majestic Alps, hope arrived
In
the face of a mad swirl, a petite woman danced.
“The
hills are alive with the sound of music,
With
songs they have sung for a thousand years…
The
hills fill my heart with the sound of music.
My
heart wants to sing every song it hears.”
The
church over the hill, the coarse land of nuns
The
diktats of a religion, apathetic to the power
Of
beauty and the pure bliss of love
Could
not bind her, music in her fun-filled veins
Deep-fried,
memorable bites, the spice and flavors
Of
Do-Re-Mi, twirled in the sweet spring breeze.
Such
spring ecstasy, I know, is a soft, slow waking
From
virgin dreams born in the womb, a revolution
Dressed
up in nature’s choicest jewels.
The
spirit dance goes on, she melts into
The
infinite, her pastoral home.
Teach
me how to craft a universe in trembling, in joy
Teach
me how to hold on to “raindrops on roses,
Whiskers
on kitten, bright copper kettles
and
warm woolen mittens”, as I walk down
Open
the doorway to your stories.
I
wipe away
My
soot and my lack of color,
My
nothingness, my beauty that died
In
the womb, where all our dreams germinated.
Julie Andrews (Julia Elizabeth Wells) was a child star in the UK, at 1st with her parents but as a solo performer by the age of 12. After years of British TV, radio, and stage performances, at 19 she began appearing in New York musicals. In 1956 she starred in "My Fair Lady," Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's musical adaptation of Georhe Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion;" the show had the longest run on Broadway up to that time (2,717 performances), and she appeared with Bing Crosby in "High Tor," the 1st made-for TV movie, in 1956. Despite an Emmy nomination and a starring role in Lerner and Loewe's "Camelot," she was passed over for a reprise of her role as Eliza Doolittle in the movie version of "My Fair Lady." However, that allowed her to star in 1964 in "Mary Poppins," the biggest box-office draw in the history of Walt Disney studios; Andrews garnered an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Grammy, beating out Audrey Hepburn who had been cast as Doolittle. This paved the way for an even bigger hit in 1965, "The Sound of Music," Robert Wise's adaptation of the 1959 musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The movie received 5 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and 2 Golden Globes (Best Motion Picture and Best Actress). After an initial theatrical release that lasted 4 1/2 years, and 2 re-releases, the film sold 283 million admissions worldwide and earned a total worldwide gross of $286,000,000. It broke box-office records in 29 countries and (in inflation-adjusted dollars) is still the 3rd-most successful film in US history. Many of the songs are still widely familiar, including the title song:
ReplyDeleteThe hills are alive with the sound of music
With songs they have sung for a thousand years
The hills fill my heart with the sound of music
My heart wants to sing every song it hears
My heart wants to beat like the wings of the birds
That rise from the lake to the trees
My heart wants to sigh like a chime that flies
From a church on a breeze
To laugh like a brook when it trips and falls over
Stones on its way
To sing through the night like a lark who is learning to pray
I go to the hills when my heart is lonely
I know I will hear what I've heard before
My heart will be blessed with the sound of music
And I´ll sing once more
--
Do-Re-Mi
Doe, a deer, a female deer
Ray, a drop of golden sun
Me, a name I call myself
Far, a long, long way to run
Sew, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow so
Tea, a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to do
--
My Favorite Things
Raindrops on roses
And whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells
And schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver-white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things
When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things
When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad