The Sound of Music: A Strangely Relevant Movie
"Edelweiss" as a symbol for soul resistance. Plus, I sing it for you!
Believe it or not: over Christmas, my wife and I saw the 1965 movie The Sound of Music for the first time. To the amazement of our Anglo friends, we hadn’t even heard of this movie before. And to our amazement, it seems to be one of the most-watched movies of all time—except in Germany and Austria, apparently. (More on that later.)
Watching this movie somehow moved me deeply. One song in particular reduced me to an emotional blob: “Edelweiss.” So much so that the next day, I sat down at my trusted 1903 Seiler upright and did something I almost never do: singing.
I had some fun with it and did a little recording that I’d like to share with you guys:
Now, whatever you think about my amateurish attempt, this song really gripped me on multiple levels. I guess it hit a little too close to home.
You see, the flower Edelweiss here is a symbol for the hope of the soul starving under creeping totalitarianism: a land frozen over by an oppressive shadow. And yet, a faint ray of nurturing sunlight is still there for those with eyes to see: a deep longing for depth and beauty and grace and real creativity that has the power to uplift us and our soul brothers and sisters to that glorious place that is always in our hearts, waiting to be discovered and unleashed.
A longing and light that nurture this fragile little flower, which humbly breaks through the wasteland to become a new meadow bathed in golden light, colors and shades embracing each other to create a reflection of true soul life.
The flower is rare, easy to miss, and ephemeral, unless you make the effort to climb the right mountain and know what you are looking for. Just like the redeeming light that transcends the oppression of the spirit and leads us out of it.
The movie is set in Austria during the time of the Anschluss, the Nazi takeover. But unlike other movies about that time, it doesn’t seek to shock us with gory details of concentration camps and executions. Rather, it depicts the subtle, terrifying moral agony of those who perceive the dark shadow of a new time, a shadow that tragically and incomprehensibly is unperceivable for those whose gaze rests solely on the material, the expedient, the immediate: those whose heart cannot be opened to see behind the curtain and truly feel the mangling, ugly, barbaric forces at work.
The authorities want to portray the radical change imposed on all levels of society as continuity, as business as usual, save a few inconveniences and new rituals. It’s really not that bad, you see, just play along a little and everything will be fine. Perhaps you might even enjoy some benefits of the new order. Embrace some progress and all that.
They made it easy for everyone to ignore the shadow, to downplay its effects, and to exclude any perception and reflection of the depths of hell opening up right in front of our souls.
In the movie, Captain von Trapp isn’t threatened with torture and death. He is “merely” bullied into serving Hitler’s army, decorated war hero that he is. But this he could never do. It would be a mortal sin, worse even than death. And so, he resists.
And he sings that song. A hero, a strong man, using his tender voice to wage war-by-beauty. And so, the song changes from a melancholic praise of the unseen light, creating a sharp contrast with the pathological, stupid, and brute new Nazi world and thus an energy that can guide and connect those with ears to hear, to a waltz-like rhythm of an uplifting and optimistic dance full of love. A chorus of defiant souls who are moved by this song about a blossom of snow which may bloom and grow forever, about a homeland still, despite all, graced with beauty, if only we care to look, take it in, and surrender to its transformative effects.
The song makes two appearances in the movie. First, right after Captain von Trapp wakes up from his slumber by the power of a sweet woman who brings love, laughter, and music to his home, reconnecting him with the Source and making him whole. Then, a second time, as a final statement of defiance when faced with being taken away by the newly converted Nazi goons and forced to serve the devil. In the scene, he is so overwhelmed by the sense of loss, loss of beauty, truth, and love, that he loses even his voice. Then, his beloved wife comes to his support, and together they create this mountain-moving energy that transforms the scene into a hymn of the immortal soul whose light will triumph even over death itself. Here's that final scene:
I found the movie surprisingly deep, dealing as it does with some crucial spiritual questions and the power of the creative principle and true beauty.
So why haven’t we ever heard of it before? Turns out that when it was first released in Germany in 1965, it was heavily censored: all references to the Nazis had been edited out. Perhaps it hit a little too close to home even then. Maybe because it brings into stark focus the daily moral struggle between light and darkness that all Germans faced in the 1930s, a struggle that was often very subtle, and therefore easily rationalized away so as to not face the moral terror lurking behind the realization of having played along, or even embraced the new order. In any event, the movie was a big flop in the German-speaking world.
Where has the sound of music gone? Creativity in general? I hope and believe that we might well look back at our time and what follows as a great era for the arts. It just might not be clearly visible yet, and it certainly won’t come from the mainstream, from the pathological rulers of this world and their institutions.
It will come from defiant souls who catch that faint ray of light that is always there, and the contrast to the surrounding darkness will turn it into a giant lighthouse: a triumph of the spirit, and those who learn to reconnect with it, that will once again give rise to a world in balance and harmony. A world which respects and nourishes the deepest, most lovable, and most loving aspects of our existence.
Perhaps it’s time for folks to create some new classics.
I know the movie very well first watching it many times throughout my childhood and then watching it again many times with my children throughout their childhood. My mother introduced my sister and I to it as she was born in Germany and experienced pre during and post the 2nd world war throughout her teenage years and through to her mid 20’s when she left Germany and immigrated to Canada at age 26 and all alone. I loved this movie and even as a child understood the significance of the darkness that was taking place as my mother and I have had countless conversations throughout our lives regarding all of her many horrifying and to me absolutely fascinating war time experiences she had amazingly lived through! This movie is an all time classic and the music and singing is priceless to a sentimental person like me. I had a secret girlish crush on Captain Von Trappe forever with the scene where he and Maria dance the traditional Austrian dance being one of my favourites.
I watched a live theatre performance of the film this Christmas and had the same visceral experience and same thoughts you describe. And I’ve seen the movie a hundred times! But this time the story hit home for the first time given all that’s happening in the world today. I share all the same sentiments you post here, and am especially grateful for your piano and singing post👍💫💕