This month, the film The Sound of Music celebrates its 50th anniversary. Next year, it is to be remade for a new generation, with Jay-Z in the role of Baron von Trapp opposite Kim Kardashian as Maria. The Sound of Music is one of the rare films that not only stands the test of time, but one that improves with age. At the very least, you definitely pick up on a lot more in the film when you’ve reached a certain age. Like the expected choice of a black James Bond after Daniel Craig’s retirement, Jay-Z’s selection for the role of a nobleman in a snow-covered country will herald the remoulding of a film which is redolent of a bygone period, including a war that casts a shadow on the otherwise joyous atmosphere. The entry of a black hip-hop artiste in the film’s cast will be even more of sea-change if the rapper belts out tunes that the older generation may not recognise as variations of do-re-mi.
It will be interesting to see how the remake will reconcile the mid-20th century storyline of a widower with seven children engaging a governess in the 21st century considering that people do not have so many kids these days and that their tutors are not easy to find, especially someone who hadn’t made up her mind about whether to be a nun or look after children.
Notwithstanding these imponderables, what will ultimately make the cash counters ring is the tuneful atmosphere of youth and happiness where nothing seems to matter more than hitting the right notes. After all, The Sound of Music is an all-time favourite for making the listeners and viewers feel how music transcends all barriers between generations and nations. Only the test of box-office earnings will show if Jay-Z and Kim Kardashian will write their names into the hall of fame like Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews, whose performance won the 1965 musical five Academy Awards.
