A Brief History of the Sound of Music tells the real story of the Von Trapps, the family that inspired The Sound of Music, and how they escaped from the Third Reich. It will explore the stage show, the differences that were incorporated into the fictionalization of the tale, and how that story was brought to the big screen. It will also address the many interpretations of the Von Trapps' story that have been made -- including two West German movies from the 1950s and an extensive forty-part Japanese anime series from the 1990s -- to explain why their story has appealed to so many generations and cultures.