The Sound of Music, one of the most popular films ever around the world, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. The musical tells the story of the von Trapp family and how they get a new lease on life by gaining a new mother in the form of Maria, the would-be nun who joins the family and teaches them to love music—and love generally. It also takes place against the backdrop of the Nazi takeover of Austria in the 1930s.

What was the real story of the von Trapp family? Why did the film never quite catch on in Austria or Germany? And how did the movie impact the Austrian city of Salzburg, where large parts were filmed?

The Sound of Music, one of the most popular films ever around the world, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. The musical tells the story of the von Trapp family and how they get a new lease on life by gaining a new mother in the form of Maria, the would-be nun who joins the family and teaches them to love music—and love generally. It also takes place against the backdrop of the Nazi takeover of Austria in the 1930s.

What was the real story of the von Trapp family? Why did the film never quite catch on in Austria or Germany? And how did the movie impact the Austrian city of Salzburg, where large parts were filmed?

Those are just a few of the questions that came up in my recent conversation with FP economics columnist Adam Tooze on the podcast we co-host, Ones and Tooze. What follows is an excerpt, edited for length and clarity. For the full conversation, look for Ones and Tooze wherever you get your podcasts. And check out Adam’s Substack newsletter.

Cameron Abadi: This is one of the most widely seen movies around the world, so why is it not known in Germany, in Austria, aside from those catering to tourists?

Adam Tooze: It’s a Hollywood, anachronistic story about Austria in the 1930s, in which a plucky group of Austrians have to rescue themselves from Nazism by fleeing across the Alps in a largely imaginary adventure. Everything about it is wrong for both a German and an Austrian audience, I think. The politics is wrong, the history is wrong, even the sentiment is wrong. The story of the Trapp family was very well known in the German-language world. The autobiography by Maria had been published. In fact, there were two German-language films about the von Trapps in the 1950s, which stick much more closely to the actual version of events. But when the American film came out in the mid-60s, Germany just wasn’t in the mood.

You can actually look up what the top-grossing films were in Germany in ’65 and compare them with America. And it turns out that Sound of Music totally dominated the American viewing figures in ’65. Seventy-two million dollars that were brought in. In Germany, it’s not in sight. It’s not even in the top 10. So, all of the German cinema is dominated, believe it or not, by the James Bond franchise. So, it’s Thunderball and Goldfinger, which entirely top the German earnings. Then there’s Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying........

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