Sound of Music, The: Sing-Along Edition (1965)

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General		Extras
Category	Musical	Introduction-Julie Andrews Main Menu Audio & Animation Menu Audio Audio Commentary-Robert Wise (Director) Audio Commentary-Cast And Crew Song Lyrics-Sing-Along Music Highlights-Song List Web Links
Rating
Year Of Production	1965
Running Time	167:28
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Ads Then Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Robert Wise
Studio Distributor	Twentieth Century Fox	Starring	Julie Andrews Christopher Plummer Richard Haydn Peggy Wood Anna Lee Portia Nelson Ben Wright Daniel Truhitte Norma Varden Marni Nixon Gilchrist Stuart Evadne Baker Doris Lloyd
Case	?
RPI	$22.95	Music	Richard Rodgers Richard Rodgers

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.20:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.20:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired English Audio Commentary English Audio Commentary English Song Lyrics	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    It's hard to know what to write about a classic like The Sound of Music. Anything original to say about it has probably already been said by much better informed and articulate people than myself.

    The film has become the blueprint for Hollywood musicals - arguably, though it has never been surpassed. Nominated for 10 Academy Awards (it won 5, including Best Picture and Best Director) it is Hollywood at its best. It is an entertaining film that people of all ages will enjoy.

    To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the theatrical release of The Sound of Music, Fox Home Entertainment are releasing two new DVD versions of the film; The Sound of Music: 40th Anniversary Edition and The Sound of Music: The Sing-Along Edition.

   Consumers will probably wonder what the difference between the releases is. The Sing-Along Edition is essentially a single disc version of the two disc 40th Anniversary Edition. If you buy the 40th Anniversary Edition you are buying the Sing-Along Edition plus a second disc of bonus features. In stores that I have seen, the price difference between the two releases has been as low as $5. For the minimal price increase I recommend the two disc 40th Anniversary release, however if you are the kind of person that never watches special features you will be more than satisfied with The Sing-Along Edition.

    Highly recommended.

Video

    The disc has an aspect ratio of 2.20:1 and is 16x9 enhanced.

    The new transfer is nothing short of spectacular and improves drastically on the previous DVD release. Fox has put considerable effort into cleaning up the print and it's hard not be impressed with how good a 40 year old film can look. As someone who never saw the film on its theatrical release and has grown up seeing it on TV and video, it's a real treat to see the restored print in all of its widescreen glory. It's still not perfect though.

    The picture is pretty clear but in some shots the image can be too soft, particularly in darker shots. Sometimes it's like that soft lighting technique, but quite overdone. Sometimes the image can be a little grainy but this is not a problem.

    Shadow details look good (except for the above stated softness) and black levels are fine. Skin tones look good. One area where the transfer shines is the outdoor shots. Salzburg and the surrounding mountains really come to life, with the mountain greens and the blue sky. The colours look great.

    Unfortunately there are still some film artefacts to be seen, but they are so minor I feel like I shouldn't even complain about them.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The main audio track is an English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) track.

    It's probable that this film has never sounded this good either. Fox did a great job remixing the sound to take advantage of the surrounds.

    The dialogue always comes through clearly, even when there is a lot of music. Besides the music, it is entirely a front-heavy track.

    As they should, the music pieces really shine in this mix. The surrounds are not overdone and it all blends nicely.

    There are no sync or drop-out problems.

    There is also an English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) track as well as the two commentary tracks in English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s.)

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Introduction (2:05)

    Intro by Julie Andrews

Main Menu Audio & Animation

Menu Audio

Audio Commentary

    By director Robert Wise, this is the same commentary as was found on the 2000 release. It is an interesting account of the shoot.

Audio Commentary

    This features Andrews, Plummer, Charmian Carr, Dee Dee Wood and Johannes von Trapp. Julie Andrews hosts but it's not a traditional commentary. This is simply separate audio interview pieces that are edited together and overlay the movie. A bit disappointing as a traditional commentary would've been great but it's interesting nevertheless. A lot of stretches where no talking is going on lets it down.

Song Lyrics

    Essentially it's simple karaoke. A fun gimmick, but kids will tire of it quickly. It's good to be able to directly go to favourite songs though.

Web Links

    I could not find any reference to this edition in the US. I am assuming that the US gets the 40th Anniversary Edition whilst R4 consumers get the choice between the 1 disc (Sing-Along) or 2 disc editions. Therefore I am picking R4 as best the version because at least we get the choice. If you can afford it get the 40th Anniversary Edition as you get the extra DVD with tonnes of bonus features.

    Overall, a classic that has been beautifully remastered. A must have for any DVD collector. (You might want to spend a few extra bucks and get the two disc edition though.)

    The video is beautiful.

    The audio is superb.

    The extras are decent for a 1 disc release. If you want more get the 40th Anniversary Edition.

    You haven't seen The Sound of Music until you have seen this definitive transfer.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall