Monday, November 8, 2010

Remember The Sound of Music?

I just watched this movie again after many years. It brought back a lot of memories. My parents were quite controlling with the TV and only allowed us to watch a select few approved shows. This was one of them. So we saw it many times. I watched it again with my wife and kids.

The movie is set at a time when the Nazi's were about to move in to Austria. Captain Von Trapp is not a fan of theirs. Some of the dialogue was interesting to hear. Liesl is the eldest daughter and has a crush on the boy that delivers telegrams, Rolf. In a scene late in the movie Rolf enters to deliver another telegram, but this is after the Nazi's have moved in. Here's the dialogue.

Liesl. Liesl!
Rolf!
I'm so glad to see you. It's been su--
Good afternoon.
Give this to your father as soon as he's home.
-He's on his honeymoon. -I know.
-You do? -We make it our business to know all.
-Who's "we"? -See that he gets it.
-What is it? -It's a telegram from Berlin.

Later a Nazi official approaches Captain Von Trapp regarding the telegram:

You never answered the telegram. . .
. . .from the Admiral of the Navy of the Third Reich.
I was under the impression, Herr Zeller. . .
. . .that the contents of telegrams in Austria are private!
At least, the Austria I know.

Von Trapp's response to Herr Zeller is full of outrage initially and finally sadness at the realization that the Austria he knew no longer exists. It's simply taken for granted that a violation of privacy like that is an outrage.

Meanwhile in America we had one Senator that had the courage to vote against the Patriot Act, which is a massive violation of personal privacy and yielding of our rights to the state. He lost in his re-election bid last Tuesday.

1 comment:

Darf Ferrara said...

Of course the same senator put his name to the first amendment gutting McCain-Feingold Incumbent Protection Act. He was still probably better than the guy that beat him, but it's sad that those are the choices, and that Washington has as much power as it does.