Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

The Sound of Music Blu-ray Movie Review

How do you solve a problem like a re-release?

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 11, 2015

It’s indicative of the continuing pull of The Sound of Music that the segment devoted to it on the most recent Academy Awards telecast caused a certain amount of discussion and, in some cases at least, outright controversy. Okay, okay, some of that was aimed at Lady Gaga and not specifically the film itself, but there’s no denying that fifty years on from its theatrical debut, The Sound of Music continues to be one of the most beloved film musicals of all time. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released a stellar 45th Anniversary Edition (also available as a tonier Collector’s Edition). Now with the film’s official Golden Anniversary in view, a 50th Anniversary edition is out, reprising the two original Blu-ray discs of the 45th Anniversary Edition while also providing a new Blu-ray with an all new retrospective, as well as a soundtrack CD with some previously unissued tracks.

For an assessment of the film itself, please see Casey Broadwater's original The Sound of Music Blu-ray review .

The Sound of Music Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Casey's original review (linked above) covers the video quality of this release. I thought it might be nice for people to see screenshots from the one new supplement on this review, and so all of the screenshots here are from The Sound of a City: Julie Andrews Returns to Salzburg.

The Sound of Music Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Casey's original review (linked above) covers the audio quality of this release.

The Sound of Music Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All of the on disc supplements of the original release have been ported over to this release. Full details can be found in Casey's review, linked above. In addition, this new release features one new supplement:

• The Sound of a City: Julie Andrews Returns to Salzburg (1080p; 49:47) is a hugely enjoyable tour of sorts, hosted by the wonderful Julie Andrews (whom this documentary helpfully labels "Actress"). Julie returns to many of the locations of the film, while also exploring locales frequented by the real life Von Trapp family. This comes with only a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack.

Additionally, as mentioned above, a bonus soundtrack CD is included.

The Sound of Music Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The hills are still alive with The Sound of Music even into this film's Golden Anniversary Year, and the love for this heartfelt creation shows little signs of diminishing. Those who have sprung for the previous release(s) will have to weigh whether one new featurette and the soundtrack CD are worth the price of admission. Those who haven't yet run through the forest with Maria and her charges will find this to be a wonderful release. Highly recommended.