The Sound of Music

I've always taken that song to be ironic - the viewer knows how small the gap is, and Liesl clearly knows more about what she's talking about than he does anyway! I think the context of the rest of the film also shows that Liesl can't and shouldn't depend on him.

Tangential, but made me laugh...

Oops!

I didn't know that Sorrel, thanks! I know that Danny Kaye replaced Donald O'Connor in White Christmas, but couldn't do all the big dance numbers, which is why there's one with a man who is never seen or mentioned again.

I though

I've never quite forgiven Fred Astaire for 'stealing' a rabbit toy from a little boy in the first five minutes of Easter Parade. He's a lovely dancer but was far too old to be paired with Judy Garland in that. The part was meant to be played by Gene Kelly but he was injured so FA stepped in and saved the film from not being made.

The other thing which isn't terribly feminist in musicals (but I do still like!) are the songs that just use women in different outfits as a bit of time filler, like "The Girl I Love Is on a Magazine Cover" from Easter Parade or "Beautiful Girl" in Singing in the Rain.

I've never quite forgiven Fred Astaire for 'stealing' a rabbit toy from a little boy in the first five minutes of Easter Parade. He's a lovely dancer but was far too old to be paired with Judy Garland in that. See also Bing Crosby in High Society and White Christmas. They'd never have paired them the other way around. It did work in TSOM though, Maria has to be quite a lot younger.

One film I do love is The Happiest Millionaire, which ends with the girl's dad saying he'd never respect the fiancé if he didn't show her who was boss, so he throws her over his shoulder and off they go to elope! I think you just have to remember they're a) exaggerations and b) of their time.

The scene with Rolf and Liesl is so funny because she's so obviously much more confident and up for it than he is - all the action completely undermines the words. He looks pretty terrified of her, to be fair.

Which is pretty standard for a boy and girl of their respective ages, and quite possibly accounts for him putting on the manly pose in such an awkward way. And in real life it's not all that uncommon for girls or even women to want to be swept off their feet.

A lot of these shows depict people or feelings who are realistic, or an exaggeration of a realistic type. I'm not convinced that makes them sexist, unless only stories that didactically point out everything "bad" are good stories. A lot of the time its the opposite.

There’s a great broadway backwards version of 16 going on 17.

Exactly Elizabeth that’s my take on it too. She is 100 brighter than he is bourne out by what happens in the end

The scene with Rolf and Liesl is so funny because she's so obviously much more confident and up for it than he is - all the action completely undermines the words. He looks pretty terrified of her, to be fair.

Fagin in the book is called "the Jew" and his portrayal is very anti-Semitic.

Although Nancy is an interesting character in both book and musical version. Mistreated her whole life and with obvious Stockholm syndrome towards Bill Sykes, she is nonetheless capable of great bravery and probably one of the most sympathetic portrayals in Victorian times of a "fallen woman".

The Stage Musical "Oliver!" has, in all of its Broadway productions, had to correct the mistaken presumption that Fagin was in some way Jewish.

I love that movie, that song (the whole movie) makes me laugh so much!

My Fair Lady is so memorable for me -- I went to see it on my first date!
We were both 14, and in the middle of it he grabbed me hand!

All the songs are wonderful -- but seen from a feminist viewpoint

The Oliver song “As Long As He Needs Me” has prompted quite a few discussions with my 10 year old who just couldn’t understand why Nancy would choose to stay with such a horrible man.

'why can't a woman be more like a man' song from my fair lady!

Guess it’s from the man’s prospective and he too is on a journey of sorts. I love musicals (saw Martine McCutcheon as Eliza and she was great) - often when the man is portrayed as being sexist (MFL, TSOM,TFOTT) it’s shown as a negative, not a positive thing.

As for Rolf he was very young and brainwashed, i guess. Just a kid, supposedly. I did watch TSOM recently, first for a long time - always loved it but it was more cringey than i remembered - didn’t help to have my husband and teenage son hooting in the background.

Datun
Rex Harrison has form. How about his 'why can't a woman be more like a man' song from my fair lady!

I love that movie, that song (the whole movie) makes me laugh so much!

I took the DDs to TSOM at the Bristol Hippodrome, starring whoever it was that won the Andrew Lloyd Webber Maria competition.

I had no idea that it was the done thing to dress up as a nun (or in curtains) and get comprehensively pissed! The sight on one young woman being WOman-handled into a taxi afterwards, one friend pulling, one pushing and another hoiking up the tight short skirt to help raise a leg, is burned into their memories.

Yeh the kidnap thing is a bit hard to ignore

My mum used to point out how sexist The Sound of Music was when I watched it as a kid. I recognize it, but this is one movie where I just don't care. I cannot imagine a world without TSOM!

Lordy, don't go near Seven Brides for Seven Brothers!

A friend of mine went to go and see that - I must admit I must have killed the moment by explaining the basic plot

Nah

She got rid of the cigarettes in seconds

And I’ll bet she was back in her skirts within hours

So many great films.

To be very fair to Danny he is actually trying changing himself for her at the end

Yes but that lasts all of 5 minutes whereas Sandy seems committed to horrible trousers and fags.

And let's have a cheer for Sisters Margaretta and Bertha for stealing the Nazi's spark plugs!

Mechanic savvy nuns are awesome. Sister's doin' it for themselves.