One of my favourite things

There's a moment in Kevin Costner's The Postman that I treasure. The rest of the film is mercifully forgettable, but when Costner, as a self-appointed mailman in a decaying world, is captured by a freebooter army of goons and lunkheads, and made to be the projectionist for their nightly movie show, he is almost stoned to death when he dares screen something other than their favourite: The Sound of Music.

Nearly half a century after its filming in the summer following JFK's assassination, audiences dress up and sing along at special screenings, guided tours visit the locations of the film, the legend grows and the royalties come rolling in.

It's a movie I've watched again and again, from the enchantment of first seeing it in one of those gorgeous old cinemas in Brisbane, all gold leaf and velvet, uniformed usherettes under a crystal chandelier. Years later, back in the days before DVDs or even video, Mum's church filled the hall with a rented projector and a hired print. The congregation was enraptured, self included.

It's just a great good story. Again, one of the classic plots: the poor country girl, after initial difficulties, marries the prince (or in this case the heroic sea captain) and lives happily ever after with a castle full of children.

The scenery is superb, the songs are catchy, the children are cute, the bad guys get outwitted and the loose ends are all tied up as the family hikes over the Alps to freedom.



I know full well that a lot of it is the purest tripe...

Read the rest of the Hello It's Me post here.