A captain with seven children—what's so fearsome about that? A lot, when one of those kids is Brigitta Von Trapp, who is there to tell you your clothes are hideous and your face looks weird mere moments after meeting—to your face!
Sixty years ago when Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music hit the screen, sassy queen Brigitta was played by none other than Angela Cartwright, one of the young cast's more established actors. In 1965, she'd already played major roles in I Love Lucy and The Danny Thomas Show. The same year that Sound of Music hit movie theatres, she booked a series regular run as Penny Robinson on the classic sci-fi series Lost in Space.
But even with an illustrious career with lots of beloved performances, none are quite so beloved as The Sound of Music. Thanks to iconic performances from Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer and some truly breathtaking visuals shot on location in Salzburg, Austria, the film has become even more well known and cherished than the 1959 Broadway musical that inspired it. And the entire thing is about to look better than ever, as the film readies to make a return to movie theatres in a brand new 4K restoration, September 12-17 (you can find your local showtimes and tickets via Fathom Entertainment).
Ahead of this special re-release, we got to catch up with Cartwright to learn what it was like making this bonafide classic, and what it's meant to hear from legions of fans about their love for the film over the last 60 years. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
What does it feel like to be looking at 60 years of The Sound of Music? Can you believe we’re still talking about it?
Angela Cartright: I know, it's just crazy. It really is. Nobody, when we shot this movie, had any idea that 60 years later we would all be celebrating it again. And it's so cool that it's gonna be in actual theatres. I was so excited to hear that, because so many people have only seen it on small screens. I remember the first time I went and saw it; it was for the premiere. We all went and saw it on this huge screen. That's an exciting part of it.
Watching it must feel almost like a home movie, but everybody has access to it. What is that like?
It is an odd thing when you watch yourself in a movie. It's just like the memories of when you were in school. It’s that feeling it, watching it. You’re like, "oh, I was there, I remember that." It has so many good memories tied up with it. I can't say that there's anything that I went, "oh, no, that was terrible." It was just a magical time.
I think that shows in the movie. That has to be a big reason of why it's so, not only good, but so joyful. It feels like a hug when you're watching it, which is maybe unlikely given what happens in parts of the story.
But I think that's also a reason it appeals to so many people. It's not like this sweet saccharine movie. If you really look, and you'll be able to when you see it that big in 4K, Christopher Plummer's performance… When you see the nuances… I had to see it when I was older before I really recognized how much he brought to the role. And people just watching the movie, they don't really realize. They don't really know why they're so sucked in. But he brought a reality to it, an edge. He’s not just this stereotypical captain of a ship. You can tell he loves his kids, but he doesn't have a clue what to do with them. And there's something about this mischievous nun that really attracts him, you know? He brings all of that to it. And I think the kids, too, each one of us has a different personality.
Brigitta was very outspoken, very unfiltered, much more than I am in real life, but you always wish that you could be. She just fit me. I really loved playing her. I'm so glad they cast me as that, because I did audition for Louisa also, with a blonde wig. I don't think I could have climbed up into a window with spiders, you know? Brigitta fit me perfectly.
You talk about that saccharine quality. I've seen interviews with Julie and Chris talking about how avoiding that was a big focus for them, which is kind of the image that we have of the stage musical. Was that something that they talked to you about as kids?
I think originally, the play was a lot more saccharine. We did go and see it [on Broadway in the 1990s], all of the kids, all seven of us. But there is a picture of the Broadway cast, the real Von Trapps, and the movie Von Trapps, or non-Traps, as we call ourselves. That version brought a bit of the movie in, and they’ve brought even more in now, I think. They're more human, and that's what the movie brings. And you have to thank [director] Robert Wise for it, that each kid has their own personality.
What was your favorite musical number to film?
I'd have to say I love “Edelweiss,” when we all sing it, in the theatre. And also it's what Captain Von Trapp sings to us when he's in the room with the guitar. That's such a turning point in the movie, I think, when he's actually playing the guitar, and we haven't had music in the house since our mother died. When I was in that scene, I was so overwhelmed with emotion. And I remember when we were filming that, Bob Wise came up to me, he said, “Why do you look so sad?” And I said, “Because I'm thinking about the last time there was music in this house.” And he goes, “Oh, that's good—that's real good. Keep that in.” I remember him saying that.
Were there any of your fellow child actors that you were especially close to, or was it the whole group? I know y'all have remained in contact over the years.
We have! We pick up where we left off. You know, Heather [Menzies, who played Louisa Von Trapp] and I were very, very close, and I miss her. I wish she was around for the celebrations, the 60th. We lost her way too soon, and also Charmian [Carr, who played Liesl Von Trapp]. We’re just… we're all intertwined, like a real family. We’re more family than we are friends. It's always fun to get back together. We're going to Austria in October, to go to the gala event celebrating the anniversary at the Salzburger Landestheater. That's the theatre where we actually did the festival [the film’s final performance scene]. It was freezing cold when we were doing it, and there were a lot of Nazis up there in the arches. But it's an amazing theatre, and they brought people in from Salzburg to fill all the seats. They probably didn't have a clue what was going on. Everyone enjoys this movie around the world, and the Austrians are the ones that are the least knowledgeable about this movie, even though people go there to Salzburg just for that reason.
I know you haven’t gotten to see this 4k restoration just yet, but of course this is not the first time it’s been restored. And I would imagine, in some ways, it now looks clearer and better than it could have in 1965. Are there things that you notice as an adult in its restored version that you did not see when you were a kid and it was brand new?
I know that Charmian had put her foot through the glass in the gazebo when she was doing [“Sixteen Going On Seventeen”], and that's gone. They photoshopped out her bandage. There's a few things like that. I’m curious what the 4k restoration will be like. I’ve had people tell me that in “Do Re Mi,” they thought the mountains were CGI. And I'm like, no, they're not. They were real. They look just like that. They're bigger than life. I am really anxious to see in 4K, because I think it's just gonna pop so much.
It just speaks to how incredible the visuals of that movie are, because there are some things that are so beautiful you can't fathom that it's real.
What's so amazing about Salzburg is it does look exactly like it did in the movie. When you go to the steps [from the end of “Do Re Mi”], or you see the Pegasus Fountain, you can't help but want to sing. It's like, wait a minute, here's the arch! A long, long way to run, you know?
With 60 years since this movie came out, what has surprised you the most that people have told you about their reactions to it and their feelings for it?
Just the amount of times that they watch it. Some people watch it every single year. ABC tends to show it every year, and there's sing-alongs every year that people go to on a regular basis. I'm gonna be at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles [September 20]. That keeps it alive. And people love it. I hear that all the time. You know, “When I'm depressed, I put The Sound of Music on.” “My daughter is now playing Brigitta in The Sound of Music in school." It's a great play, because there's a lot of parts in it.
Do you have a favorite line or a favorite moment?
What comes to mind is “Your face is all red,” which is such an unfiltered thing to say to somebody who's embarrassed. Oh, “Your face is all red,” you know, or, “Your dress is the ugliest one I've ever seen,” you know? That's so Brigitta, a lot more outspoken and unfiltered than I am. I would say it, but probably to myself.
Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music
