Sound of Music 40th Anniversary edition?

[Gregorian Chant]

Do any of you oh-so-knowledgeable people have any info on a Sound of Music 40th anniversary edition to be released this year? I have the 2-disc Five-Star Collection edition, but I was just curious.

[Jake Lipson]

There's been rumor of that, but as far as I know nothing has been confirmed. I too have the Five Star version, and if another reissue is happening, I'm not quite sure what could be done to improve the already-outstanding quality of that release, as well as its digipack reissue when the Five Star series was dissolved. We'll see. I really love the movie so I might consider a double dip, but only if there is a substantial ammount of new content or improved picture (though as I said, the current release is already exellent in this department, so I'm not sure how much improvement can really be made.) Again, we'll see.

[RJKD23]

That'd be great if it did! I'd definitely double dip for this one. I was holding out on buying the 2-Disc edition, so hopefully there'll be a nice release for its anniversary! Maybe with some updated Julie Andrews commentary on what she remembers!

[MICKEYMOUSE]

there is indeed a new version of Sound of Music coming out. I have the 5 star collection, and I am happy with it, I will try to find a link where they talk about Sound Of Music Ann edition. I rememeber reading that the DVD is coming sometime in November. I am very happy with the one I have right now, so I will pass on this DVD.

[Tony]

Julie Andrews was interviewed in early May at California Adventure by an Australian morning chat/news show... and she said she would be filming a new segment with the children in June for the upcoming 40th anniversary editon... So, there will definitely be new content !

[MickeyMousePal]

If Sound of Music does come out I will buy it. Well maybe not I would rather own the Double Digipack 2 Disc.

[Timon/Pumbaa fan]

Well anything is possible. I don't like Sound of Music though, so I wouldn't buy it.

[Disneykid]

I've had trouble finding the current 2-Disc in stores. All I keep finding is the single disc reissue, so this Anniversary Edition is most welcome to me. I heard it's scheduled for a November release, so I'd say we'll get a press release within the next three weeks.

[alienkattuk]

I will love to get this movie.

It is one of my favourites

[Jake Lipson]

MovieMusicals.net (the website ) has posted specs for the new DVD, and it's good enough to get me to double dip. November 15th people!

August 3, 2005
Additional 'Sound of Music' DVD Details
By Andrew Hartman, MovieMusicals.net
Status: Confirmed

We previously reported that a two-disc 40th Anniversary edition DVD of 'The Sound of Music' would be released this Fall. Now, Twentieth Century Fox has announced a November 15 release date.

The DVD will offer plenty of new bonus materials, including:

Disc One:

- Special anniversary introduction by Julie Andrews
- Commentary by Robert Wise (from the original laserdisc)
- Commentary by Andrews and co-star Christopher Plummer
- Sing-along subtitles in English, French and Spanish

Disc Two:

- "My Favorite Things: Julie Andrews Remembers": Julie Andrews recalls the von Trapp family; she is joined by Christopher Plummer, Johannes von Trapp, Charmian Carr and film director Robert Wise

- "Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer: A Reminiscence": The two stars sit down for an intimate fireside chat

- "On Location with The Sound of Music": Charmian Carr takes viewers on a trip to Salzburg, Austria, one of the locales made famous in the film

- "From Liesl to Gretl: A 40th Anniversary Reunion": All seven of the actors who played the von Trapp children reunite in this touching "family reunion"

- "When You Know the Notes to Sing": Highlights from Sing-a-Long-Sound of Music at the Hollywood Bowl

- "The von Trapp Family: Harmony & Discord": the 1998 A&E Biography tells the true story of the von Trapp family

- Storyboard gallery
- Behind-the-scenes photos
- Lobby cards and one-sheets and trailers and TV spots

I've had the old Five Star DVD for a while -- roundabout three years, I think, since it originally went out of print (during that time when they were discontinuing all their big 2-disc sets and releasing barebones ones, which would eventually come back into print as double digipacks.) I haven't looked at it in a while, but I *think* most of this is entirely new; the only things that jump out at me as being reused, I think, are the Wise commentary track, the "On Location with The Sound of Music" featurette and the trailers/TV spots. It seems like everything else from the old DVD has been dropped -- the really terrific "The Sound of Music: From Fact to Phenomonon" doccumentary isn't listed here -- which will lead me to keep my old DVD for that and the other stuff. But for everything deleted, it seems like we're getting a new feature that's going to be really worthwhile, and I think this will make a terrific companion set to my old DVD, as well as a pretty nice standalone set for those people who don't have the movie on DVD yet. Not portting EVERYTHING over also adds value to the old sets and prevents us who have had it from grumbling on about double dipping, because there's still something of value for the old one, too. So nice job Fox on balancing the new and the old and creating what seems to be a worthy purchase. I fully intend to double dip on this -- and, barring the LOTR films, which I don't count as double dips because they were not only seperate cuts of the film but had entirely different, nonoverlapping bonus material -- this will be the first double dip I will ever make. And I will make it quite gladly. Terrific film, and from the sound of it they've really done a nice job creating a new set. I wonder if they will improve the transfer, or use the same (EXELLENT) one from previous releases? In any case, count me in.

[RJKD23]

Thank you Jake Lipson for posting that!

I most certainly LOVE what they're putting on the 2nd disc. I'm glad I didn't buy any of the 2-discs released because I was really hoping for another (and improved with added features) for TSoM!

This is wonderful news for any TSoM fan...or Julie Andrews fan! <3
Thanks again! November will be an expensive month, but a great one for upcoming DVD releases!

[AwallaceUNC]

Exciting, indeed! This definitely sounds like it's worth the upgrade, and it's obviously inspired by the Mary Poppins DVD (Julie Andrews has said as much). I wonder if this is a complete list of its contents, or if more is to come? If it is complete, then this set and the previous 2-Disc set will be almost entirely different, as you say, Jake, in which case it might mark the first time I've owned 2 different copies of the same movie (although I said the same thing for Lord of the Rings and Mary Poppins, and I ended up selling the older releases of both... I regret that for the former now, not so much the latter).

-Aaron

[Disneykid]

I never got around to purchasing the Five Star Collection set, so this 40th Anniversary Edition will suit me nicely. I have a feeling that these specs aren't complete, for some reason. I have no idea why I think that, but maybe it's because each feature will have to be pretty lengthy to earn a whole disc, plus there's a lack of "making of" material. It's almost all retrospective reminiscing with the cast. If this really is all that's there, then that must mean this must be some sort of add-on to the old Five Star one. If that's so, though, that's a tad stupid because the Five Star edition is out of print, so people like me can't use this as an add-on. To those curious, this is what that edition had (stuff in bold is carried over to this new one):

* Audio Commentary with Robert Wise
* Salzburg Sight and Sound (this apparently has been renamed in the new edition to "On Location with The Sound of Music")
* The Sound of Music: From Fact to Phenomenom
* Five Trailers
* Two TV Spots
* Two Radio Ads
* Two Radio Spots
* Ernest Lehman: Master Storyteller
* A Telegram From Daniel Truhitte
* On Location Interviews
* Storyboard Gallery
* Behind-the-scenes Photos
* Lobby Cards and One-Sheets

[AwallaceUNC]

What exactly is the difference between the Five Star Collection and the Collector's Edition? Amazon's listing and DK's list above makes them look pretty much the same.

Also, I'm assuming this new release will still have the same transfer and 4.1 audio track?

-Aaron

[Bill W]

What exactly is the difference between the Five Star Collection and the Collector's Edition? Amazon's listing and DK's list above makes them look pretty much the same.

Also, I'm assuming this new release will still have the same transfer and 4.1 audio track?

-Aaron

This should answer your question
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompar ... -music.htm

[Disneykid]

Oh, wow, color me stupid. I had no idea that Fox re-released the Five Star edition as a Collector's Edition digipak. I guess the idea of the 40th Anniversary being an add-on instead of an upgrade makes more sense, now, since the Collector's Edition is still in print. It's still a bit baffling, though, because why would Fox carry over some of the supplements from the old edition(s) if this is merely an add-on...

[AwallaceUNC]

It's still a bit baffling, though, because why would Fox carry over some of the supplements from the old edition(s) if this is merely an add-on...

Yeah, unless it's a "pick one or the other... or if you're a hardcore fan, get both" type deal, which doesn't happen very often. But then, we know this release wasn't something originally planned. When Fox saw Disney's success with Mary Poppins's 40th edition, they wanted a piece of the action. I guess they couldn't very well yank the CE off the shelves and re-release it in time for the anniversary (not without angering a lot of people, anyways), so they decided they'd need to create an alternate release, which will undoubtedly still sell well.

-Aaron

[Jake Lipson]

I do think, however, that the digipack and one-disc versions available at the moment are going out of print, in which case the new version will likely be the only one available. However, this does sound like an extremely solid package in its own right; the reminicing with the cast will provide a lot of making-of stuff within that. It does seem to compliment the current edition; however, it's still pretty solid in its own right too. It's kind of like the T2 Extreme Edition being designed to compliment the Ultimate Edition, and while I don't have that and there's a lot that was not carried over, that T2 is a solid set too, with commentary and a couple interesting featurettes of its own.

So...I'm very pleased with this news. If there is more, I will welcome it, but I can justify picking this up now because of so much new content and (not a lot of) ports over from the 2000 disc.

Yeah, unless it's a "pick one or the other... or if you're a hardcore fan, get both" type deal, which doesn't happen very often. But then, we know this release wasn't something originally planned.

I think you hit the nail on the head. It's a complimentary-to-the-original thing, but casual fans could do with either one or the other and have a nice, through DVD.

It's still a bit baffling, though, because why would Fox carry over some of the supplements from the old edition(s) if this is merely an add-on...

The director's commentary is such a basic extra -- it's been on every Sound of Music DVD ever released. The Five Star, the single-disc WS and P&S versions, the digipack 2-disc reissue, etc. -- that I think they wanted it there for everbody. Also, I think it's a nice compliment to the Andrews/Plummer commentary recorded newly for this release.

Also, they knew that they'd have to create a mostlky new package to get the hardcore fans to double dip, especially since the old Five Star was basically culled from the previous laserdisc version, so if they simply reused that material again they would be asking fans to pay for the same material for the third time, and that wouldn't sell too well except to those who are purchasing the film for the first time. And since the film has been given four DVD releases already depending on how you count (Five Star, WS single-disc, FS single-disc, and the double digipack reissue), they felt like they needed to do something new to get it appealing to an audience that has the others already. But, in order to appease those who never got it in any of its previous incantations at the same time, the commentary is still there too, since as I said, it's pretty basic to all SoM releases (plus, director's commentary is just a basic general DVD extra for any film, periopd.)

[Disneykid]

BusinessWire.com has posted the same specs we've seen earlier, but this time with running times and descriptions.


DISC ONE:

- All-new -- A special anniversary introduction by Julie Andrews

- Commentary by Robert Wise taken from the original laserdisc

- All-new -- commentary by Andrews and Christopher Plummer

- All-new -- Sing-along subtitles in English, French and Spanish

DISC TWO:

- All-new "My Favorite Things: Julie Andrews Remembers" -- Julie Andrews recalls the von Trapp family, and how their true-life story became a Broadway triumph and a Hollywood legend; she is joined by Christopher Plummer, Johannes von Trapp, Charmian Carr, director Robert Wise and others, plus rarely-seen footage and a few surprises. (63 minutes)

- All-new "Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer: A Reminiscence" -- They fell in love on screen 40 years ago, and have been dear friends ever since. Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer sit down for an intimate fireside chat. (20 minutes)

- All-new "On Location With The Sound Of Music" featurette -- Salzburg, Austria is one of the stars of the film, and in this travelogue, Charmian Carr takes us back to that magical city to revisit the locales made famous in the film. (23 minutes)

- All-new "From Liesl To Gretl: A 40th Anniversary Reunion" -- 40 years ago they forged a bond that has never been broken; all seven of the von Trapp "children" reunite in this touching, hilarious and even revelatory family reunion. (34 minutes).

- All-new "When You Know The Notes To Sing" -- You have to see it to believe it: 18,000 people at the Hollywood Bowl, singing with Julie, cheering the children and hissing the villains; the Sing-a-Long-Sound of Music phenomenon is a worldwide event, but no place does it quite like the Hollywood Bowl. And the winner of the highly coveted costume contest...? (13 minutes)

- "The von Trapp Family: Harmony & Discord" -- This 1998 A&E Biography tells the true story of the von Trapp family, immortalized in "The Sound of Music." (50 minutes)

- Storyboard gallery

- Behind-the-scenes photos

- Lobby cards, one-sheets, trailers and TV spots

*****************************************

I stand corrected about what I said earlier:

"I have a feeling that these specs aren't complete, for some reason. I have no idea why I think that, but maybe it's because each feature will have to be pretty lengthy to earn a whole disc, plus there's a lack of 'making of' material. It's almost all retrospective reminiscing with the cast. If this really is all that's there, then that must mean this must be some sort of add-on to the old Five Star one"

There's a whopping 203 minutes' worth of video supplements on disc two, all of which is new to DVD except the trailers and TV spots (whose running time hasn't even been added to the total!). It's very obvious, now, that this edition really is meant to compliment the current edition to give fans a sort of 4-Disc deluxe treatment. Since the only feature from the old DVD that I'm really interested in is the 87 "making of" documentary, I'll be pretty content with what's in this to avoid buying two editions. Hopefully any behind-the-scenes footage that ended up in that documentary will show up in these new ones.

One thing I've noticed is that there's no mention of a new restoration whatsoever. From what I understand, the transfer on the current DVD is simply a direct port off of the laserdisc, and that while it looks great on a standard analog TV, it looks horrible on a HD widescreen TV. Maybe those people are the anal sort, and the transfer is solid on a HD display, but it would've been nice if this were given a new restoration by Lowry Digital (have they ever restored anything for Fox besides the Star Wars trilogy?).

[Jake Lipson]

DavisDVD is reporting a little more information. It does seem to be the same transfer -- not that there's anything wrong with that, though, since the current transfer is absolutely terrific.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has announced The Sound of Music: 40th Anniversary Edition for release on November 15th. This new edition of the beloved classic arrives with a 2.20 anamorphic transfer and Dolby Digital 4.0 Surround track. Bonus materials include a new introduction by Julie Andrews, commentary with director Robert Wise, a second new commentary with Andrews and Christopher Plummer, an isolated score, a song "play-all" feature and sing-a-long subtitles.

Over on the second disc look for "A Few Of My Favorite Things" retrospective documentary, "Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer: A Reminiscence," "On Location With the Sound of Music," "From Liesl to Gretl: 40th Anniversary Reunion" and "When You Know the Notes to Sing: A Sing-Along Phenomenon" featurettes, a storyboard gallery, behind-the-scenes, Lobby Cards and One Sheets, Screen Tests (Mia Farrow and Marni Nixon), teaser & trailers (1st Anniversary Trailer, Academy Award Trailer, 1973 Reissue Trailer, Testimonial Trailer) and TV spots. Retail is $26.98.