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THE SOUND OF MUSIC To Open 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival – Julie Andrews & Christopher Plummer To Appear
Hollywood will come alive with The Sound of Music (1965) this spring as the beloved, Oscar®-winning classic returns to the big screen to celebrate its 50th anniversary with a gala opening-night screening on Thursday, March 26 at the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival. Legendary stars Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer will join Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne at the world-famous TCL Chinese Theater IMAX to introduce the beautifully restored film and kick off the sixth annual festival, which will run March 26-29, 2015, in Hollywood.
The film is being presented in collaboration with Twentieth Century Fox, in celebration of their Golden 50th Anniversary Blu-ray release arriving on March 10, 2015.
The Sound of Music is the story of the Von Trapp family, whose lives are forever changed by the arrival of Maria, the warmhearted young governess who brings joy and music to the Captain (Plummer) and his children. The film earned Andrews her second consecutive Oscar nomination after having won the previous year for her performance in Mary Poppins (1964).
The TCM Classic Film Festival’s screening of The Sound of Music will mark the second year in a row that a Rodgers & Hammerstein musical has opened the week’s festivities. Last year, the duo’s groundbreaking Oklahoma! (1955) launched the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival, with Shirley Jones attending.
The Sound of Music joins a growing list of restored classics being showcased at the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival. TCM previously announced that the festival will feature restored versions of Ron Howard’s Apollo 13 (1995), William Dieterle’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) and Charles Reisner and Buster Keaton’s Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928). The Keaton comedy will also be accompanied by legendary silent film composer Carl Davis conducting the world premiere performance of his new score for the film.
Passes for the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival are on sale now and can be purchased exclusively through the official festival website: www.tcm.com/festival. Additional screenings and events will be announced over the coming months.
Opening Night Gala – The Sound of Music (1965)
The Sound of Music (1965) – 50th anniversary celebration presented in collaboration with Twentieth Century Fox – Featuring a live appearance by Julie Andrews & Christopher Plummer
Robert Wise’s sumptuous, Oscar®-winning adaptation of Rogers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music is one of the most beloved musicals of all time and one of the genre’s biggest box office hits. It is the story of Maria, a spirited young woman who leaves a convent and becomes a governess to seven unruly children. Her charm and songs soon win the hearts of the children and their father but when Nazi Germany unites with Austria, Maria is forced to attempt a daring escape with her new family.
Also starring with Andrews and Plummer in The Sound of Music are Eleanor Parker, Richard Haydn and Peggy Wood, along with Charmian Carr, Nicholas Hammond, Heather Menzies, Duane Chase, Angela Cartwright, Debbie Turner and Kym Karath as the von Trapp children.
The Sound of Music is packed with musical delights, from the stunning and iconic mountaintop opening title song to the infectious joy as Maria and the children sing “Do-Re-Mi” while canvassing the spectacular Austrian countryside. Other unforgettable songs in the film include “My Favorite Things,” “Edelweiss” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” and “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” to name a few.
The Sound of Music topped the box office in 1965 and continues to rank as one of the most popular films of all time. The film earned 10 Oscar nominations, winning for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Sound, Best Film Editing and Best Adapted Score.
Julie Andrews has been a beloved and much-honored star of stage, screen and television for more than half a century. She was already a Broadway legend when she made her feature film debut in 1964’s Mary Poppins. Andrews’ iconic performance in the title role of the magical nanny brought her an Academy Award® a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award. The following year, she earned a second Oscar® nomination and won another Golden Globe Award for her unforgettable portrayal of Maria Von Trapp in The Sound of Music. She received her third Academy Award nomination and won another Golden Globe Award for her “dual” role in Victor/Victoria (1982).
Today’s young film audiences may be more familiar with Andrews as a queen trying to train her teenaged granddaughter to be a princess in the hit films The Princess Diaries (2001), and its sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement (2004). Andrews also voiced the character of Queen Lillian in the blockbuster hits Shrek 2 (2004) and Shrek the Third (2007). More recently, she voiced the narration of the hugely successful Disney release of Enchanted (2007). In 2010, Andrews added to her multi-generational appeal with the releases of The Tooth Fairy, Shrek Forever After and Despicable Me. Her earlier motion picture credits include The Americanization of Emily (1964), Hawaii (1966), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), Star! (1968), Darling Lili (1970) and 10 (1979), to name only a few.
Andrews received her honors as a Dame of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on New Year’s Eve 1999. She was also a 2001 Kennedy Center Honoree. For more about Andrews and her activities and book collection, please go to www.julieandrewscollection.com.
Christopher Plummer has enjoyed almost 60 years as one of the theatre’s most respected actors and as a veteran of over 100 motion pictures.
Plummer’s more recent projects include the highly praised animated films Up, 9 and My Dog Tulip, as well as the title role in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, directed by Terry Gilliam. He played the great novelist Tolstoy opposite Helen Mirren in The Last Station for Sony Classics where he received his first Academy Award nomination in 2010. He followed that up the next year with another nomination and a win for Best Supporting Actor in Beginners from writer/director Mike Mills and appeared in David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo that same year. In July and August 2012, he returned to the Stratford Festival to perform his one-man show that he created entitled A Word or Two, directed by Des McAnuff.
In 2014, he starred opposite Oscar winner Shirley MacLaine in Elsa & Fred directed by Michael Radford, Hector And The Search for Happiness directed by Peter Chelsom.
In 2105, he will star in Danny Collins opposite Al Pacino and Annette Bening for writer/director Dan Fogelman and The Forger opposite John Travolta directed by Phillip Martin.
His recent self-written best selling memoir, In Spite of Myself (Afred A. Knopf Publishers) is being much lauded by critics and public alike.
Twentieth Century Fox proudly honors the 50th Anniversary with an unprecedented year-long company-wide celebration highlighted by theatrical and home entertainment releases, and a slate of cross-company and promotional partnerships that will bring one of the world’s most ‘favorite things,’ to millions around the globe. The unparalleled golden anniversary of the film’s premiere will launch March 2 in the UK and March 10 in the US, with the release of the 5-disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition 50th Anniversary Blu-ray™/DVD/Digital HD. Beautifully restored, the 5-disc 50th Anniversary Blu-ray™ features over 13 hours of bonus content highlighted by the all-new documentary “The Sound of a City: Julie Andrews Returns to Salzburg.” The treasured film will also once again proudly shine on the big screen in commemoration of this special anniversary through a Fox partnership with Fathom Events and Turner Classic Movies. A beautifully restored version of the film will be shown for two days only, April 19th and 22nd, in over 500 theatres across the US.
For the sixth consecutive year, thousands of movie lovers from around the globe will descend upon Hollywood for theTCM Classic Film Festival. The 2015 festival is set to take place Thursday, March 26 – Sunday, March 29, 2015. Over four packed days and nights, attendees will be treated to an extensive lineup of great movies, appearances by legendary stars and filmmakers, fascinating presentations and panel discussions, special events and more.
The theme for the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival will be History According to Hollywood:
The Old West. Medieval England. Ancient Rome. Hollywood has found endless inspiration in re-creating historical moments and bringing to life the heroes and villains of the past, creating a form of time travel for audiences through the ages and around the world. These films, however, are not always true to the historical record. Filmmakers have often created works about the past that are a reflection of the period in which they were made, or change facts to suit a particular storyline. The 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival will explore how cinema has shaped how we view – and remember – history.
TCM host and film historian Robert Osborne will once again serve as official host of the TCM Classic Film Festival, with TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz introducing various events. The festival’s official hotel and central gathering point for the sixth consecutive year will be The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which has a longstanding role in movie history and was the site of the first Academy Awards® ceremony. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel will also offer special rates for festival attendees. Screenings and events during the festival will be held at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX, the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres and the Egyptian Theatre, as well as other Hollywood venues.
Passes for the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival are on sale now and can be purchased exclusively through the official festival website: www.tcm.com/festival.
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