Hit Me With Your Best Shot: The Sound of Music

the Film Experience hosts an incredibly interesting post series Hit Me With Your Best Shot that I've been following for quite a long time. Thought it's my first time participating. The series celebrates the great work of directors and cinematographers who succeed to impressively deliver ideas and emotions in a single shot, with colors, sets and masterful camera work.

First movie of the 6th season to watch is The Sound of Music. Despite my great passion with musicals, I've never watched it before. It was three hours of absolute pleasure and I am glad I finally set down for it.

The Sound of Music is a story of Maria (Julie Andrews), an unsettled future to be nun, who extremely loves music, singing and mountains. Unlike to many nuns in abbey, she does not enjoy to obey rules, that keep her in the walls of church. For that reason, she is sent to Von Trapp family to take care of 7 children of Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer), whose wife has recently passed away. To cut it short, Maria brings an unusual joy and happiness to family and she finally falls for Captain. 

The Sound of Music celebrates music with amazing songs and Ted D. McCord's mind blowing cinematography. I was not an easy job to choose THE one shot, that I could call THE BEST. Before jumping to my choice, here is honorable mention:

It's a scene where Von Trapp family gives a heartwarming singing performance in the name of Austria, during the yearly days of Nazi occupation. Except really beautiful work with lights, I found this shot very significant to what's really going on in this scene. Captain Von Trapp feels disgraced that Austria decided to give up independence without fight and he decides to run away with family. Here, the audience is full of people who actually welcomed Nazi armies. In fact, Von Trapp family is the only one against occupation. What we see here is them being the only people "under light", the rest is as dark as the idea of Nazism itself. As if director Robert Wise wanted to show superiority of Captain's ideas. 

Here is my number one choice:

This is one of those romantic scenes that can be found in any love story. Here Captain finally says out loud that he's in love with Maria. I loved this shot because of how cinematographer Ted McCord created a super romantic atmosphere with lights, color blue and shadows. During almost entire scene, we only can see just shadows of main characters, it's impossible to differentiate their faces or emotions. Instead, the passion between them is shown with the "reaction" of environment and dark shades.

When I finished watching The Sound of Music it was the episode I remembered really well, popping out in my mind and probably this is what meaning of "the Best Shot" is about.

Can't wait to see what all other pundits choose from this movie. It was a great joy for me.