After Watching It Over 90 Times
By MELANIE LEE
Spring of ’84, London: Slightly deranged look on face as I fantasize about being part of the Von Trapp family in my European summer uniform get-up.
I was an awful five-year-old. I refused to eat vegetables because Captain Veggie was my best imaginary friend and I had to save his veggie folk from human consumption. I broke all my mother’s lipsticks while writing my name in bright crimson red on the walls. I rubbed Vicks all over the full-length hallway mirror to create the Magic Mirror effect. Unlike most little girls who opted for princess I was more interested in being Snow White’s Stepmother Queen and mastering The Ultimate Evil Laughter.
My parents were near a nervous breakdown with my darkly disturbing antics but they couldn’t afford a psychologist. In pure desperation, my mother decided to pop The Sound of Music into the VHS cassette player one day to get a longer reprieve from my screeching and mess making. And what do you know? For those blissful two hours, there was finally peace in the household. I believe that if Julie Andrews had appeared at our doorway right there and then, my mother would have kissed her feet.
However, she didn’t know what agony exactly she’d unleashed for herself, because in the next three months, I had to watch The Sound of Music EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. Like a Teletubby from hell, I would yelp, “Again, again!” and the maternal unit would robotically get the video cranking before I started one of my exorcist-like tantrums. Even weekends were not spared and I recall my father yelling, “Goddammit why do we have to listen to this shit again?” and my mother would be yelling at him to stop yelling in front of girl-girl (i.e. me) who already liked to yell a lot. But it gets a little blurry since Mother Abbess was dispensing some wisdom about climbing every mountain at that point in the film/domestic conflict.
Having watched The Sound of Music so many times has obviously made an indelible mark on me. Besides knowing all the lyrics to the songs and the names of the Von Trapp kids (Liesl, Louisa, Friedrich, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta and Gretl), it has taught me things that have set the foundation to how I approach life in general. In no particular order, these are the lessons I’ve learned from the musical of my childhood:
When you know a job ain’t for you, take a hike. If you can do a couple of joyful skips while you’re at it, even better.
Cycling is perfectly accompanied by the act of singing your heart out. Silent crooning in your head not counted.
Invest in a strong, sturdy bed, even if you don’t think you’re going to have seven children.
People are not naturally born bad, they choose to become bad. Case-in-point: Hot-Austrian-mailman-turned-Nazi-rogue Rolf.
It is slightly creepy watching middle-aged folk make out. Fast forward please.
This is what the inside of your head should look like every morning.
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Melanie Lee spends a large part of her time writing sensibly for sensible income. This is not one of those days.
She is not from Manila but try not to hold that against her.
You can find more of her non-sensible, slightly mopey ramblings here.
Love this piece! I totally relate, as I watched Sound of Music numerous times as well. It’s come full circle, now that I have to sing the songs to my 3 year old!
Posted by Lianne | 04.07.2010, 10:47 ami love this. i watched the sound of music over and over again when i was a kid, too. (i learned how to use the VCR early because my mom would pop in the first VHS and then leave me alone to switch to the 2nd VHS after the first time they sing “so long, farewell”). so was it purely the sound of music for you or did you graduate to mary poppins eventually?
Posted by miao | 04.07.2010, 4:53 pm@lianne:I look forward to the day Rubes can sing for us
@miao: Oh my, I had the same 2-part cassette thing too! Yes I did graduate to Mary Poppins (my mum saw that it served as a much better cautionary tale) and became a bit of a musical geek thereafter.
Posted by Melanie | 04.07.2010, 5:32 pmi must be the odd kid. suddenly the whole Sound of Music vid is v vague to me — what’s left now is just the image of her singing the hills are alive atop a hill. but after this article, i must go watch it again!
Posted by Jolyn Pek | 04.07.2010, 10:40 pmA buddy of mine had the same issues as a kid–but his remedy was Richard Attenborough’s “Gandhi” (yes, that boring 3 hour one w/ Ben Kingsley). What’s odd is that he can’t stand watching that movie now, as an adult, so what intrigued him about it as a kid?
Posted by Edward | 04.08.2010, 1:49 pm@edward: i think for some things, our tastes evolve drastically. like how i used to adore precious moments but abhor it now. my dad made me watch gandhi too by the way, didn’t quite float my boat.
Posted by Melanie | 04.09.2010, 12:01 pmI love that last line with that quintessential picture! ♥
Posted by abbee | 04.10.2010, 11:14 amSo…are you an SOM fan or a Julie Andrews fan?
I particularly liked the song that Maria sang to Liesl when she broke up with Rolf, “When you’re 16 going on 17, waiting for life to start. Somebody kind who touches your mind will suddenly touch your heart.”
Great balm for an angsty 19-year-old me back then.
Posted by Marie | 04.11.2010, 1:22 am@abbee: thanks, i’m a morning person
@marie: fan of both!
Posted by Melanie | 04.14.2010, 9:58 amthe last point would be my point exactly, Melanie. i just read this and simply remember how i used to watch this movie again and again, wishing i could live in a place where i could go running and singing out loud in the middle of a meadow with beautiful yellow flowers around. \
nice writing!
Posted by Molly | 08.03.2010, 5:06 pm@molly: thanks and while most mornings i don’t exactly feel like a sunflower – SOM is a gd enough reminder that it’s possible
Posted by Melanie | 08.05.2010, 11:04 pmI too am a Sound of Music fanatic. One of my greatest moments in high school was playing Liesl for our sophomore year production of TSOM. I did the “WHEEEEEE” scream and all. Great article!
Posted by Ria | 04.06.2011, 3:12 pmWOW – I’d always wished I was musical enough to perform SOM. I hope you wore a pretty dress – I really love that ash pink get-up that Liesl wore in that film.
Posted by Melanie | 06.08.2011, 11:10 pmThis is basically my story! My mum’s favourite movie was The Sound of Music, that was until I fell in love with it. Today I am a few weeks shy of 16 and I still adore it.
Posted by Maddeigh | 04.22.2011, 9:29 amDid you sing that song when you turned 16?
Posted by Melanie | 06.08.2011, 11:16 pm