The Trapp Family
1956 / Film
Plot
Rebelous Maria is sent to the home of widowed Captain von Trapp to become governess of his 7 children. Yes. Our beloved film was a remake.
Warning: Does contain Spoilers!
Characters
The Maria & Georg:
Maria - Much warmer and friendlier than the real Maria von trapp. Frau Hopfel is the seamstress for the household.
Georg - He separates the children, the boys learn with the boys and the girls learn with the girls. Emotionally distant from this children, you can clearly see he loves them. And even refuses to send them to a boarding school, as he hated it as a child. To me it seems as if he doesn't know how to take care of his children, doesn't know how to love them. Even though he does. Not as distraught as SOM's Georg. As tough and stern as the Captain seems to be he always submits to his wife.
The Children:
Rupert
Werner
Agathe
Hedwig
Maria
Rosemarie
Martina
The Max:
Rudi Gruber - A Bank Owner and close friend of Georg's. Georg invests his money into his bank to show a sign of good faith. But the bank folds and Rudi commits suicide as he can't cope with his ruined reputation.
Father/Dr Wasner - Dr/Priest who is an expert at music. (what a combination) who wants very badly to turn the von Trapp children into a choir. He eventually travels to America with the family. He's a bit full of himself and feels it is his mission to help the von Trapps sing nothing but religous music.
The Baroness:
Princess Yvonne - Georg's significant Other. He's proposed to her several times and she turns him down. This is reversed in SOM as Georg is too emotionally broken to propose to Elsa until after Maria leaves.
The Help:
Baroness Matilda - she runs the household and is quite loyal to Georg. Even reports back to him when he takes a trip to Vienna on the children & Maria's behavior. Does not approve of Maria's ways with the children.
Franz - Georg's faithful butler, much warmer than the SOM one. He reveals himself to be a Nazi follower in the first German film just after the Third Reich. However when the Nazi's come looking for Georg he 'lies' to the Nazi's and tells them Georg has gone on a tour of the Mountains.
The Trapp Family in America
1958 / Film
Plot
The von Trapp Family Singers attempt to make it in the Big Apple. Eventually they open a lodge in Vermont.
Differences from the film
The American film & Broadway play used music from Rodgers and Hammerstein. The music in the German versions is tradtional German music. Georg does not sing as he does in the film/play. The children retain the names of the von Trapp children. However Rosemarie was the the first born of Maria & Georg. Johanna is the missing name. There is no secondary romance for the eldest girl. No Rolfe Gruber. And Max is a merge of two characters Father Werner & Rudi. Maria is a teacher to orphans at the convent. The timeline is different. Christmas passes. While there is no Christmas in SOM. They do have some Christmas promos. (which are still unexplained.) The Children perform a "Sleeping Beauty" for Georg's guests instead of "The Lonely Goatherd". No puppets. Werner & Rupert sign the von Trapps up to sing at the Festival instead of Dr Wasner (Max).
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