A few years ago, when I was staying at the von Trapp family’s hotel in Northern Vermont, I attended a presentation about their family history. In the talk, they discussed the differences between The Sound of Music and their actual story.
They said the plotline about Captain von Trapp refusing to let the children play outside was particularly laughable. As a military man, they noted, he encouraged all sorts of outdoor activity.
I thought of this recently when reading about the film Song Sung Blue. The movie tells the story of husband and wife duo Mike and Claire Sardina, whose Neil Diamond tribute band, Lightning and Thunder, rose to local fame in the Milwaukee area.
Mike Sardina’s son from another marriage, Mike Jr., has criticized and denounced the film for its factual inaccuracies saying: “Everybody thinks it’s such a wonderful film, it’s so touching. It’s all lies.”
Claire, aka Thunder, has taken a different view, saying in one interview that “They captured it wonderfully. The chronological order wasn’t exactly on target completely. But, you know, the story is ‘based on a true story’ as they say and it’s more Hollywood in parts.” She has even performed live with the film’s stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.
Anytime a “true story” is transferred to film, certain elements of the story are bound to be lost, perhaps even more so in musicals. Real life is often far messier. One truth that I thought the film captured perfectly was the joy of seeing a great band play at a less than pristine venue. There’s that moment when the music takes you out of that time and place, if only for a brief second, before life comes crashing back in.
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