So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, and goodnight to Christopher Plummer, who played Baron von Trapp in the classic movie “The Sound of Music.” Growing up, the sound of music was my favorite movie. It was a beautiful tale about a woman named Maria, a nun who challenges herself to take care of seven unruly children. Their father, Baron von Trapp, is initlaly unimpressed with Maria and nearly fires her. However, through music, the characters grow closer and learn to express themselves. Maria and von Trapp eventually get married and the family lives happily ever after once they escape Austria from the invading Nazis.
This movie is very dear to my heart. As a child, I was never truly taught to appreciate music until I watched this movie. While the genres of music I listen to now may be far from Julie Andrews bolting “The hills are alive” on the top of a mountain, it was the passion and joy I saw in the characters that made me realize how special music really was. Music was able to fix a broken family, allow the children to express their feelings in songs, and was able to wash away the cold heart of Baron von Trapp. His character is especially sentimental because he showed me how a “big strong man” like himself could open up to his softer, more tender side of his personality. He showed that men didn’t have to conform to one part of their personality, and that singing with the ones he loved didn’t make him any less of a man. Christopher Plummer may no longer be with us, but his music will live on forever.