Things Only Adults Notice In The Sound Of Music

April 2024 · 1 minute read

One thing kids and adults can agree on when it comes to The Sound of Music: Uncle Max is delightful. Acerbic, greedy, and permissive, he's that fun family friend you adore as a kid and like to drink with as an adult. But when you grow up, you realize that he's also the darkest part of the film. Because while it's not explicit, there's every reason to believe Max is Jewish, and every reason to think Max is gay — and the Nazis have recently arrived in town.

As historian Peter Levine notes, Uncle Max is presented as a "money-grubbing urbanite," which is a traditional stereotype of Jewish people. And The Guardian describes the character as "clearly gay." The film was released in 1965 and was aimed at families, so it's not surprising that the filmmakers chose to keep things light, but there's a darker reason to bury his possible queerness and Jewish heritage: The Nazis.

After spending most of the film looking out for himself, Max finally goes selfless and helps the von Trapps escape, but unlike the real person the character is based on, Max stays behind. Which means a Jewish, gay man who has just broken several laws is about to be arrested by members of the Nazi Party.

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