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The Von Trapp Family: A Life Of Music
The Von Trapp Family: A Life Of Music “During dark and dangerous times as
  the storm clouds of World War II
  gathered, the real-life family that inspired
  the much loved The Sound Of Music
  kept their spirits up by singing; and now
  a remarkable film comes to DVD —
  The Von Trapp Family: A Life Of Music,
  based on the eldest daughter’s
  autobiography Memories Before And
  After The Sound Of Music...”

THE TIMELY ESCAPE FROM THE NAZIS of the von Trapp family to a new home in the United States as the Germans invaded Austria in 1938 is well known from one of the most successful films of all times — the 1965 The Sound Of Music.

Now the autobiography of eldest daughter Agathe von Trapp (played as a young woman by Eliza Bennett: Broadchurch; Nanny McPhee), Memories Before And After The Sound Of Music has been turned into a film, The Von Trapp Family: A Life Of Music, and it is now available on DVD.

“The Von Trapp Family:
A Life Of Music —
an intriguing, uplifting
yet poignant story told by
Agathe from an elder
daughter’s perspective of
the fairytale times
and subsequent
struggles of a family at
the beginning of the
German occupation of
Austria in 1938.
An enthralling movie...”
The film begins with an elderly Agathe (Rosemary Harris: Spider-man) on Christmas Eve in America with her nephew Marcus (Robert Seeliger), whose daughter from his first marriage, Kirsty (Lauryn Canny), is upset and leaves to go to her mother.

Agathe drives to the station and talks to her great-niece, telling Kirsty that she knows what it is like to feel unwanted. She tells the story of the von Trapp family; her fairytale life with her family in a wonderful home before her mother died and her distress at feeling she could never sing again. It was ten years before she was able to.

They moved away as her father Captain Georg von Trapp (Matthew MacFadyen: Pride & Prejudice; Spooks), a former Austro-Hungarian naval captain, felt it was best for the family. But she left behind her wonderful memories, familiar people and surroundings and her childhood best friend Sigi (Elias Karl) and it was a big wrench for her.

Although she found comfort in caring for her younger brothers and sisters, even this role was taken away from her as her father took on a series of nannies, none of whom would stay for long, but with the arrival of former novice nun Maria Gustl (Yvonne Catterfeld) she felt that she was no longer needed.

Further upset by Maria and her father's eventual marriage, Agathe tells Kirsty of the difficult years of having a stepmother to effectively replace a dearly-loved mother; and Kirsty begins to realise that her great aunt does indeed understand.

Agathe tells her that, no matter what, their love of singing helped them through the bad times. Her father encouraged the children to sing at every opportunity. And a chance meeting with the singer Lotte Lehmann (Annette Dasch), gave her the courage to sing again.

Even when the despised Nazis arrive, the family tries to make the best of it; but it soon becomes apparent that their lives are in danger. Nothing will ever be the same again. People they know are being arrested and they must escape — not an easy task, especially with such a large family, and it is heartbreaking to leave with whatever little belongings they can safely carry.

Agathe's adventures are filled with twists and turns; happiness and great disappointment. Against the backdrop of the beautiful Austrian mountains, a family saga is played out with loss of a mother and the terror of the Nazis casting a shadow over their lives.

In the United States, the von Trapps continued to perform as a choir touring worldwide, once again a family and on safer shores.

The Von Trapp Family: A Life Of Music goes beyond The Sound Of Music. The story of the von Trapps is an intriguing, uplifting yet poignant story told by Agathe from an elder daughter's perspective of the fairytale times and subsequent struggles of a family at the beginning of the German occupation of Austria. An enthralling movie.

The Von Trapp Family: A Life Of Music also features: Barbara Maria Messner as Mathilde; Lisa-Maria Trinkl as Little Agathe; Brigitte Kren as Frau Mayer; Luca Russegger as Little Rupert; Johannes Nussbaum as Sigi; Philippa Mayr-Melnhof as Eleonore; Bettina Mittendorfer as Mother von Trapp; Cornelius Obonya as Konrad; Tom Strauss as Uncle Rupert; Lara Weilharter as Rosemary; and Cosima Shaw as Carrie von Trapp.

Original Music is by Enis Rotthoff; Choir Music Supervision is by Wolfgang Götz; Costume Design is by Birgit Hutter; Director of Photography is Jan Fehse; Screenplay is by Tim Sullivan and Christoph Silber; Creative Consultant is Paul Günczler; Produced by Rikolt von Gagern; and Directed by Ben Verbong.

* The Von Trapp Family: A Life Of Music is released on DVD and Digital Download in the UK on 31 October 2016. Certificate: 12 | Single Disc DVD | Featurettes: About the Family | About The Story.

"The Von Trapp Family: A Life Of Music… an intriguing, uplifting yet poignant story told by Agathe from an elder daughter's perspective of the fairytale times and subsequent struggles of a family at the beginning of the German occupation of Austria in 1938. An enthralling movie" ~ Maggie Woods
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