'Sound of Music' and Julie Andrews's favourite things

Even Julie Andrews can barely believe it, but the classic movie The Sound of Music is 45-years-old and celebrations are in full swing with a new DVD and Blu-ray release this week.

Andrews, now 75, who played the mischievous nun turned governess to the von Trapp family in the Oscar-winning 1965 musical, reminisced with Reuters about the movie, the landmark cast reunion on The Oprah Winfrey TV show, and her busy life nowadays.

Does it all seem like 45 years ago for you?
No! This time I felt like I lost a decade somewhere.. 35 years, I can believe. 45 years? Surely you jest!"

What do you think is the enduring appeal of the movie?
Apart from being one of the most beautifully crafted movies, it was towards the end of the great golden era of Hollywood musicals and everything about it was first class -- the quality of sound, the scenery, the sets, costumes, every single person gave of their total best and I think that has stood the test of time.

You can say it's the children or the music or the mountains, but I think there is a quality of joy and optimism that rides over the whole film, and I think that as much as anything is what has helped it to last so long.

Do you still get letters from fans of the movie?
Oh yes. There is a new generation every seven years or so. People either remember it fondly, or they are newly introduced to it, so I get a lot of fan mail from all over the world.

What is your most enduring memory of making the film?
There are so many. Huge memories of many places, how generous the Austrian people were, how beautiful the scenery was, and how much it rained when we were there! For a great deal of time, we sat under tarpaulins and waited for a break in the clouds. The weather set filming back about three weeks.

What was it like getting together with Christopher Plummer and all seven of the now grown-up seven children on Oprah recently?
It was great fun. We had a small get together the  night before, and we talked and talked and reminisced and asked questions of each other. We do get together every 10 or 15 years or so. We are actually very fond of each other. I hope the affection that we feel for each other came through (on Oprah) because it is so genuine.

What extra features can fans expect on the new DVD and remastered Blu-ray release?
There is an enormous amount of new stuff in the Blu-ray edition -- out-takes and news items, my meeting the real Maria von Trapp, her coming on the set and my doing a TV show with her at one point.

How is your book writing venture with your daughter Emma going?
I am doing book signings next week on the third book in our Little Bo series for children -- Little Bo in Italy. It's been 11 years working with my daughter and we have written 26 books for kids of all ages. It has been a joy to work on that book collection. We have different strengths. I do ideas, openings and closings and she does the nuts and bolts. We love writing together. We weren't sure if we would be compatible because we are both fairly strong, bossy ladies. But we have a ball doing it.

What other projects are in the pipeline for you. Are you planning any more concerts like the London one in May?
There is talk about another concert, possibly early next year. A couple of my books are being developed for the theater and I hope very much I will be able to direct them because that is something I am moving towards. There are lots more books in the pipeline, and I do speaking engagements. I do love meeting people.