Julie Andrews was repeatedly knocked face-first into the mud by the downdraft of a helicopter while filming the iconic opening scene of The Sound of Music.

A closer look

Julie Andrews was repeatedly knocked face-first into the mud by the downdraft of a helicopter while filming the iconic opening scene of The Sound of Music. Every time she threw her arms open to majestically embrace the Austrian Alps, a mechanical death machine hovered just out of frame, blasting her with gale-force winds. Hollywood loves to sell us the magic of cinema, conveniently leaving out the part where one of our most beloved musical icons was basically subjected to a highly expensive form of meteorological bullying. It’s a miracle she managed to hit those high notes while actively tasting helicopter exhaust and mountain dirt