Julie Andrews has recalled on 'The Sound of Music' movie's 50th anniversary how the opening meadow scene was filmed.
The scene on mountain in the Swiss Alps, where Maria spins in the meadow and sings 'The hills are alive, with the sound of music' was more arduous than most scenes from the 1965 film, which had to be sketched and timed to the actors' movements, ABC News reported.
The 79-year-old actress said on Diane Sawyer '20/20' special that they actually went up the mountain in big, open carts, pulled by oxen and she would sit on top of all the camera equipment and then they'd hoist her up and up they'd go.
The actual hill used in the movie is in Germany, not Austria, on land, which, at the time, was privately owned by farmers but now, is owned by a famous mountain climber, who is reluctant to let outsiders onto their property.
Andrews added that it was raining and windy when they filmed that scene over the course of a week in 1964. On the final day of shooting, the sun came out for 20 minutes to get her iconic shot.
The birch trees were brought in just for the movie and were taken right out after filming ended and the brook, which was actually plastic filled with water, was also brought in by the movie studio. They left it as a gift to the farmers, who later had it removed.
Andrews also had to battle a helicopter that kept blowing up a tornado of wind on the hill, she added that her hair and clothes had to be refreshed after each of the nine takes it took to get the scene completed.
More From This Section
She recalled that this giant helicopter came at her sideways with a very brave cameraman hanging out the side of, where the door would be normally, the helicopter would shoot her, and she'd come from one end of the field and he'd come from the other.
Andrews continued that she'd make the big turn, and then he'd go around her to go back and start again, and she'd run to the other end, but every time he went around her, the downdraft from the jets would fling her down into the grass.
