Elena Rossi
The opening scene of The Sound of Music, where Maria sings The hills are alive, with the sound of music, was filmed on Mehlweg mountain near the town of Marktschellenberg in Bavaria, Germany. The mountain is depicted twice in the film, with Mount Untersberg in the background of the opening scene and again when the family escapes over the mountain to Switzerland. The final scene of the von Trapp family escaping over the mountains was filmed on the Obersalzberg in the Bavarian Alps. Birch trees and a plastic brook were added to the opening scene for filming and later removed.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Film | The Sound of Music |
| Year | 1965 |
| Director | Robert Wise |
| Main Actress | Julie Andrews |
| Opening Scene Mountain | Mehlweg, near Markt Schellenberg, Bavaria, Germany |
| Opening Scene Details | Birch trees and a brook were added for the movie |
| Final Scene Mountain | Obersalzburg, Bavarian Alps, Germany |
| Final Scene Details | The Von Trapp family escapes over the mountains to Switzerland |
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What You'll Learn
The opening scene was filmed on a privately-owned hill in Germany
The opening scene of The Sound of Music is one of the most iconic in film history, with Julie Andrews singing "The Hills Are Alive (with the Sound of Music)" while spinning in a meadow. What many fans may not know, however, is that this famous scene was filmed on a privately-owned hill in Germany.
The hill, located in the Swiss Alps, was chosen for its breathtaking beauty and to capture the majestic nature described in the song. At the time of filming in 1964, the land was privately owned by farmers. Today, it is owned by a famous mountain climber who is reluctant to grant access to outsiders.
Filming this particular scene proved to be quite challenging due to inclement weather conditions. It rained and was windy for most of the week-long shoot, and Andrews even had to battle a helicopter that kept blowing up tornadoes of wind on the hill. Thankfully, on the final day of shooting, the sun came out for 20 minutes, and they were able to capture the iconic shot of Julie Andrews spinning in the meadow.
To create the perfect setting for the scene, the film crew brought in birch trees and a plastic brook filled with water. These props were temporary and were removed after filming ended. The brook was left as a gift to the farmers, but it was later removed.
The opening scene of The Sound of Music is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the cast and crew, who persevered through adverse weather conditions and technical difficulties to create a memorable and beloved film moment.
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Birch trees and a plastic brook were added for the scene
The opening scene of The Sound of Music is one of the film's most iconic. In it, Maria (played by Julie Andrews) spins in a meadow atop a mountain, singing "The hills are alive, with the sound of music". This scene was filmed on location in the Swiss Alps, in a meadow atop Mehlweg mountain, near the Bavarian village of Markt Schellenberg, about six miles from Salzburg, Austria. The hill used in the movie is actually in Germany and was privately owned by farmers at the time of filming.
Filming this scene was no easy feat. Andrews recalled that it was raining and windy during the week they filmed, and that she had to battle a helicopter that kept blowing up a tornado of wind on the hill. On the final day of shooting, the sun came out for 20 minutes, and they were able to get Julie's iconic shot.
To enhance the scene, birch trees and a plastic brook were added. The birch trees were brought in just for the movie and were taken out after filming ended. The brook, which was plastic filled with water, was also brought in by the movie studio and left as a gift for the farmers, who later had it removed.
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The final escape scene was filmed in the Bavarian Alps
The final scene of the von Trapp family's escape in *The Sound of Music* was indeed filmed in the Bavarian Alps. The family is shown hiking over the mountains from Austria to Switzerland to escape the Nazis. The scene was filmed on the Obersalzberg, in the Bavarian Alps, near the German town of Berchtesgaden. The location is within sight of Adolf Hitler's Kehlsteinhaus Eagle's Nest retreat.
The closing scenes were filmed on the crest of Mount Rossfeld, with views of Mount Hoher Göll and the Purtschellerhaus in the background. The final scene shows the von Trapp family walking along a ridge, with the Eagle's Nest, Reiteralpe and Untersberg mountains, and the valleys of Berchtesgaden and Salzburg in the distance. The song "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" plays in the background during this emotional escape scene.
The opening sequence of Maria on the mountain was also filmed in Bavaria, on Mehlweg Mountain near the town of Marktschellenberg. Birch trees and a plastic brook were added to the scene and later removed. The opening scene was shot over the course of a week in 1964, with the sun coming out on the final day of shooting for Julie Andrews' iconic shot.
The majority of the film's locations were in Salzburg, Austria, and its surrounding areas, including Mondsee and the Lake District. The von Trapp family's villa was located a few kilometres from the Austria-Germany border.
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The Trapp family escape Nazi-occupied Austria
The Trapp family, also known as the von Trapp family, was a singing group formed from the family of former Austrian naval commander Georg von Trapp. The family achieved fame in Austria during the interwar period and also performed in the United States before immigrating there permanently to escape Nazi-occupied Austria.
In 1938, when Adolf Hitler invaded Austria, the family escaped, first to Italy. As Zadar (now in Croatia) was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time of Georg von Trapp's birth, he was an Italian citizen, and so was his family. They stayed in Warmond, near The Hague, in the Netherlands, as guests of a Dutch banker, Ernest Menten. From there, they went to London and then to the United States, where they stayed until their visas expired. After touring Scandinavia, they returned to the United States on September 7, 1939, and applied for immigrant status.
The family did not secretly escape over the Alps to Switzerland, as depicted in the film *The Sound of Music*. Instead, they travelled by train to Italy, pretending nothing was amiss. They had a contract with an American booking agent, whom they contacted from Italy to request fare to America.
The family settled in Stowe, Vermont, in 1941, purchasing a 660-acre farm in 1942 and converting it into the Trapp Family Lodge, initially called "Cor Unum" (Latin for "One Heart"). After World War II, the family founded the Trapp Family Austrian Relief fund, sending food and clothing to impoverished people in Austria. They performed their unique blend of liturgical music, madrigals, folk music, and instrumentals to audiences in over 30 countries for the next 20 years.
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The film was shot on location in Salzburg, Austria
The film adaptation of "The Sound of Music" was shot on location in Salzburg, Austria, and its surrounding areas. The idyllic city was chosen as the location for the film as early as 1963, and shooting began in the spring of 1964. The film features many iconic locations in and around Salzburg, including the Lake District, with its castles and glorious lakes.
Salzburg's Lake District, the Salzkammergut, served as the backdrop for the opening aerial shots of the film. The castles featured in these scenes include Kloster Hoglworth, an old monastery on a peninsula in Hoglworrther See, and Schloss Anif, located a few miles south of Salzburg. The mountain atop which Maria, played by Julie Andrews, makes her iconic entrance, is Mehlweg, near the Bavarian village of Markt Schellenberg, about six miles from Salzburg.
The city of Salzburg itself also features prominently in the film. The Villa Trapp, the real-life home of the Von Trapp family, is located in Aigen, a suburb southeast of Salzburg's Old Town. The "Villa Von Trapp" in the film, however, is a combination of two locations in Salzburg: Schloss Frohnburg, a 17th-century country house now housing the Mozarteum Music Academy, and Schloss Leopoldskron, a rococo castle on Leopoldskroner Teich. The tree-shaded lane where Maria arrives by bus is Hellbrunner Allee, running south from the Old Town.
Other notable filming locations in Salzburg include the Mirabell Gardens, where the song Do-Re-Mi was filmed, the Benedictine monastery where the nuns sang "Maria," the Residenzplatz where Maria sang "I Have Confidence", and St. Peter's Cemetery, which was recreated in Hollywood studios for the scene where the Von Trapp family hides from the Nazis.
The surrounding areas of Salzburg also provided beautiful backdrops for the film. The wedding scene was filmed in the parish church of Mondsee, and the town of Werfen provided the setting for the song "Do-Re-Mi", with Hohenwerfen Fortress visible in the background. Mount Untersberg, which can be easily accessed from Salzburg, is featured in the opening and closing scenes of the film, depicting the Von Trapp family's escape over the mountains to Switzerland.
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Frequently asked questions
No, the mountains in The Sound of Music were not painted. The opening scene was filmed on a mountain in Germany, near the Bavarian village of Markt Schellenberg, about six miles from Salzburg. The final scene of the von Trapp family escaping over the mountains was filmed on the Obersalzberg in the Bavarian Alps.
Yes, while most scenes were shot on location in Salzburg, Austria, several were recreated in the 20th Century Fox studios in Hollywood. The cemetery in which the von Trapps hide from the Nazis, for example, is a Hollywood studio set.
Yes, according to Julie Andrews, it was raining and windy when they filmed the opening scene over the course of a week in 1964. On the final day of shooting, the sun came out for 20 minutes to get Julie’s iconic shot. Andrews also had to battle a helicopter that kept blowing up a tornado of wind on the hill.
Yes, you can visit many of the filming locations from The Sound of Music. The Von Trapp Villa, for instance, operates as a hotel and an educational museum of the real Von Trapp family, as well as providing behind-the-scenes information about the filming of the movie.
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