In talking about the 1965 film “The Sound of Music,” Zach Jansen, the digital content producer for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, said he believes it resonates with audiences today because it is a film about good versus evil.
During a segment of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show set to air at 9 p.m. July 18 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, Jansen said that in the film, the good is the Von Trapp family, held together by the goodness of Maria.
“She also has God on her side,” Jansen said. “Everybody she comes into contact with changes in some way, even the unscrupulous Max and the coldness of the Baroness. They become a little more open and a little less bad.”
Jansen said there’s no way to argue against the evil in the film, which is set in the time and place of Nazi Germany occupying Austria.
“Good versus evil is a universal theme and concept that we all live by,” Jansen said.
Even the Nazis, he argued, believe what they did was right, but the real scale weighs favorably for the Von Trapp’s inherent goodness and morality. Later in the film, when Maria comes to the Von Trapp family, Jansen said he believes she may have heard a calling from God go to the Von Trapp home, even when leaving the convent.
“Even though she’s leaving the convent, she still has the confidence that she had there,” Jansen said. “She’s still carrying God with her. No matter where she goes, God is with her and she’s going to take him to these children she’s never met.”
Maria, Jansen said, doesn’t know what to expect. When she first meets the Von Trapp children, they’re mischievous and precocious. Maria overcomes those things because of her faith and her empathy, Jansen said.
“She wants to help the other and understand the other,” Jansen said. “And then that little battle of learning about the children and loving them and caring about them — that helps her overcome the walls that the captain put up.” He went on to say, “that, in turn, in the second half of the movie, helps her overcome the larger obstacle … the larger problem of Nazi Germany taking over.”
To hear the full interview with radio show technical producer Paul Sadek, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. July 19 and 2 p.m. July 20.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes an interview with The Catholic Spirit photographer Dave Hrbacek about his coverage of a newly ordained priest, Father Zachary Ochsenbauer, and the journey of Father Ochsenbauer’s family. Also, Paul Wagner, parishioner of St. Paul in Ham Lake, shares about his life as a father of eight.
Listen to interviews after they have aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
