Toralv Maurstad sings and dogs bark on the mountaintops of Austria. O.K., this takes place in Norway, but dogs feel the pain from thousands of miles away. Poor Florence Henderson, just settling into the role of Carol Brady, and a sweetheart of the world of Rodgers and Hammerstein, having churned butter in "Oklahoma!", made curtains out of drapes in "The Sound of Music" and washed that man right out of her hair in "South Pacific". Her promising attempt to become the next Julie Andrews or Shirley Jones ended here, mainly because movie musicals in most cases were bombing, this one quickly dismissed and driving its small audiences to near deafness.I couldn't believe what I was hearing here, the alleged biography of Edward Grieg, and one where a hangover is preferable. The songs are among the mist wretched that I have ever heard in a movie musical, especially in such a cynical era as the early 1970's. Toocmany nature shots show what was on the cameraman's eye, and I wonder if producer/director Andrew Stone was looking for a tax write-off after seeing "The Producers". Cameos by Robert Morley and Edward G.Robinson added a little bit of curiosity, and Florence tries her best to rise above the material. It's overly long (complete with intermission) and consistently dull. There's nothing to put this in the category of camp, leaving me to prefer to revisit the musical version of "Lost Horizon" than to ever subject myself or my neighbors who happen to hear it of ever enduring this again.

To call this thing ''bad'', is really doing it a disservice. It's actually beyond unbearable-a clear and relentlessly clumsy attempt to cash in on the tremendous success of ''The Sound Of Music''. If that wasn't enough, it features Edward G. Robinson and Florence Henderson in the SAME movie. Kind of like Pat Boone and Ann-Margret in the 1962 remake of ''State Fair''. No, Robinson and Henderson are not paired romantically. But they might as well have been-everything else in this so-called''Biography'' of Edvard Grieg is hilariously over the top, with everyone trying in vain to compete with the gorgeous location photography and substituting acting with simpers and bright, glassy smiles. Lucky for Florence, ''The Brady Bunch'' was just around the corner-because this ridiculous ''epic''pretty much killed her film career.Though the singing is fine, the music is not Grieg's best, and it's simply used as background for the scenery-which, by the second hour of this fiasco, begins to resemble one of those nature films which occasionally show up in small towns, accompanied by the Producer/Director who narrates it in person. One reviewer at the time this was first released stated: ''It seems to have been made by Trolls''. And not very talented ones, at that. Gives poor Norway a bad name.Not to mention Trolls....

I saw Song of Norway as a child, in all its magnificence, in 70mm with 6-track sound. I saw it every time it returned for "morning shows" (until the print's color had well and truly faded) and have never forgotten it. The last time was more than 25 years ago. I cant understand why so many people find it "awful". Or maybe I can --- it demands a certain "innocence" and a surrender to sentiment that most adults today are uncomfortable with. What's not to like? It has Grieg's soaring music, stunning cinematography, decent unpretentious acting, gorgeous locales and a certain epic "sweep" sadly lacking in today's soul-less blockbusters, which seem false and contrived in comparison. I believe it was available briefly on DVD in an edited and utterly execrable transfer that did no justice at all to the film's visual and sonic glories. But who has the rights now? Will they please PLEASE restore and release this lovely film on DVD (and perhaps even Blu-Ray) in a presentation worthy of posterity?

The reason Song of Norway is not hailed as a classic like The Sound Of Music is simple- the acting stinks. The music is wonderful, ditto the voices of Florence Henderson (Who backed up Mary Martin in the Broadway version of TSOM) and Frank Porretta. But once they stop singing, and Grieg (Toralv Maurstad(?)) stops playing, the whole thing just sits their like a cold smorgasbord- it looks very good, but it isn't really that appetizing. There is no warmth or rapport between any two of the leads. The bit parts by Mssrs. Robinson, Homolka, and Morley don't last long enough for anyone to forget how uninspiring the whole thing is. It is doubly so when the characters are talking, and there is a shot of the magnificent Norwegian landscape in the background. You'd think the dialogue could at least try to compete with the scenery. As it is, it comes in a distant third, behind the sweeping vistas and the music. By comparison, TSOM had first-rate actors with a first-rate script, songs by Rodgers and Hammerstein, and a budget large enough to support them all. If Julie Andrews was a little too sugary, well, at least she could act. And there was nothing sugary about her escape from Austria with the family. In the end, Song of Norway is dressed up with wonderful location shooting and memorable tunes, but the acting leaves this film with no place to go.