Why Is the Sound of Music on Disney Plus

Introduction

Faculty, residents, and students at my university are participating in the Disney Plus Dream Job challenge to watch 30 Disney films in 30 days. Course directors successfully incorporated the 30 films (and shows) into our preexisting curriculum that teaches psychiatry to future physicians through film and other aspects of popular culture. Views Through the Psychiatrist's Lens will publish daily blogs throughout the Disney Plus Dream Job challenge. Our sixth blog is on the 1965 film, The Sound of Music.

Synopsis

Set to the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein, The Sound of Music (1965) s a film based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp. Set in 1938 Austria, the musical tells the story of Maria, a young woman who takes a job as governess to a large family. At the time of this posting, the film holds a rating of 8 out of 10 on IMDb and an audience score film of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.

What it has to do with psychiatry

Upon entering the gait of the Captain's estate, Maria sings to reminds herself, "I have confidence in me;" a self-affirmation necessary for Maria who has an external locus of control. Minutes later, she asks the Captain, "What's wrong with the children, sir?" This opening line instantly links the film to The Turn of the Screw, a horror novella written by Henry James.

Also set to the holiday season, The Turn of the Screw begins with an anonymous narrator's account of a Christmas Eve gathering at an old house where guests listen to one another's ghost stories. A guest named Douglas introduces the story that involves two children, Flora and Miles, and his sister's governess.

'Themes' are universal ideas explored in art. We'll explore two common themes in The Sound of Music and The Turn of the Screw and relate them to psychiatry.

The Corruption of the Innocent

At 01:13:00, Maria is confronted by the Captain and told to "pack her things." Her dismissal is the result of her having corrupted the children by having them "dress in drapes" and climb trees. This is the latest example of Maria's behavior found unacceptable by the Captain. In The Turn of the Screw, the fears of James' governess are focused almost entirely on the corruption of the children, whether they were corrupted by Quint and Jessel when they were alive and whether they continue to be similarly corrupted by the ghosts.

In both cases (films), the word 'corruption' is a euphemism that permits the respective governesses to remain vague about what they mean; the clear implication is that the von Trapp children, Miles, and Flora are exposed to knowledge about sex. For James' governess, this is a far more terrifying prospect than confronting the living dead or being killed. Consequently, her attempt to save the children takes the form of a relentless quest to make them confess rather than to predict what might happen to them in the future. While she is earnest in her attempt, Maria's coping is perhaps even more maladaptive. She responds to the von Trapp's children's corruption with avoidance behavior. She returns to the abbey where she is reminded by Mother Abbess that the abbey's walls "were not built to shut out problems" ("Climb Ev'ry Mountain").

I'm Not Used to "Danncing"

Source: Anthony Tobia, MD

While James' governess is the character most fearful and vigilant of corruption, she is also the least experienced and most curious character regarding sex. We might conclude that her concern for the children's corruption represents her projected fears and desires regarding sex. This relates back to Maria who was dismissed from (of all places) the abbey and therefore also portrays a character not "experienced" with matters regarding sex. At 01:32:30 (Figure 1), Maria freezes during an intimate moment with the Captain; "I don't remember any more… I guess I'm not used to dancing."

The Destructiveness of Heroism

James' governess' youth and inexperience suggest that the responsibility of caring for the two children and being in charge of the entire estate is more than she could possibly bear, yet she does not seek help. Her isolation is largely her employer's fault because he chooses to remain absent and specifically tells her to deal with all problems by herself. However, the governess responds to her experiences at Bly by taking on even more responsibility, deliberately choosing to view these challenges as "magnificent" opportunities to please her employer while deluding herself into thinking that he recognizes her sacrifices. The fact that the governess was misguided in adopting a heroic stance suggests several interpretations. One possibility is that childhood and innocence may be too fragile to be protected in such an aggressive fashion.

The governess's attempt to police and guard the children may have proven to be more damaging than the knowledge from which she wanted to protect them. Such is the common misguided attempt of the Captain to raise his children using strict military discipline following the death of his wife.

So where do the shared themes of the corruption and destructiveness leave Fraulein Maria? Just like it's up to the viewer to decide whether James' Turn is a ghost story or a case study of psychosis, so too must we consider if everything that Maria experiences after leaving the abbey is reality-based.

People with psychotic disorders from different cultures may have a different quality to their perceptual disturbances suggesting that cultural context plays a role in the way people experience auditory hallucinations (some people from different cultures believe their hallucinations are good) (1). This research supports why we view James' governess' experience as a horrifying ghost story and that of Maria (who is devout in her faith) as a joyful musical and is a reminder that clinicians should inquire about cultural influences (2) as well as spirituality (3) as part of a routine psychiatric evaluation.

References

Luhrmann, T., Padmavati, R., Tharoor, H., & Osei, A. (2015). Differences in voice-hearing experiences of people with psychosis in the USA, India and Ghana: Interview-based study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 206(1), 41-44.

Alarcón RD. Cultural psychiatry: a general perspective, Adv Psychosom Med, 2013;33:1-14. doi: 10.1159/000348722

Huguelet P and Mandhouj O. Spiritual assessment as part of routine psychiatric evaluation: problems and implications, World Psychiatry, 2013 Feb; 12(1): 35–36. doi: 10.1002/wps.20008

Why Is the Sound of Music on Disney Plus

Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/views-through-the-psychiatrist-s-lens/201912/disney-plus-dream-job-the-sound-music

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