The Trapp Family
| The Trapp Family | |
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German theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Wolfgang Liebeneiner |
| Produced by | Ilse Kubaschewski |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by | Maria von Trapp |
| Based on |
The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Franz Grothe |
| Cinematography | Werner Krien |
| Edited by | Margot von Schlieffen |
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Production
company |
Divina-Film
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| Distributed by | Gloria (West Germany) 20th Century Fox (United States) |
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Release date
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Running time
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100 minutes |
| Country | West Germany |
| Language | German |
The Trapp Family (German: Die Trapp-Familie) is a 1956 West German comedy drama film directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner and starring Ruth Leuwerik, Hans Holt, and Maria Holst. Based on Maria von Trapp's memoir, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, the film is about a novice nun sent to care for the unruly children of a wealthy baron, who falls in love with and marries the young woman. Through her caring influence, the family becomes a famous singing group. When the baron is pressured to join Hitler's army, the family escapes to the United States where they establish themselves as singers.
The Trapp Family became one of the most successful German films of the 1950s, and was the inspiration for the even more fictionalized Broadway musical The Sound of Music and its highly successful 1965 film version. The film had one sequel, The Trapp Family in America.
At a convent in Austria in the 1930s, a spirited novice named Maria (Ruth Leuwerik) is sent by her mother superior to the estate of a widowed naval hero, Baron von Trapp (Hans Holt), to look after his seven unruly children. The baron is a stern disciplinarian and runs his household like a ship. When Maria arrives, she encourages the children to play games like other youngsters, and teaches them how to sing. When the baron discovers how Maria is ignoring his orders, he sends her back to the convent. Later, when he hears his children singing songs they've learned from Maria, his feelings for her change. Gradually, the baron falls in love with the young woman and proposes marriage.
After obtaining permission to marry from the mother superior back at the convent, Maria becomes the Baroness von Trapp. The family's priest, Dr. Wasner (Josef Meinrad), encourages Maria and the children to sing for charity, and soon they develop a large following. After the Nazis annex Austria, the baron loses his fortune and is summoned to serve in the German military. Unwilling to live under the Nazi regime, the von Trapp family emigrate to the United States, where they perform their music in the new world. But their troubles are far from over when a naive Maria tells the immigration officer they want to stay forever, when he asks how long they will be visiting the United States.
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Wikipedia