8 Movie Heroes You Didn't Realise Probably Died Horrible Deaths

2. The Von Trapps - The Sound Of Music (1965)

The "Heroic" Ending...

After what is considered a lot of singing and a rollocking good time, The Sound of Music's legendary Von Trapp family decide that they must leave Austria (as to not, like, die) and are aided by some friendly nuns, who manage to sabotage Nazi vehicles and give them the opportunity they need to get into Switzerland.

Which is what happens in the movie's final moments - the beloved family head off into the mountains in the iconic final shot, the music swells as it does in this sort of thing, and you quietly tell yourself that you don't need to watch the movie again for another ten years or so.

But wait...

So the Von Trapps are headed into Switzerland, right? "Just over the mountains" from Salzburg, right? Uh, wrong, actually... completely and utterly and terrifying wrong. What actually lies in said geographical location is probably the worst and most horrific thing imaginable (at that time, anyway): Germany. And not just Germany, but a little place called Berchtesgaden, which was basically the town that ol' Adolf Hitler liked to call "home."

That's right: the wanted family walk straight into Nazi H.Q. - the one and only location that they totally needed to avoid. In real life, of course, the actual Von Trapp family weren't so stupid as to not check a map and plan their escape properly: they boarded a train to Italy instead, which makes far better sense, given that Italy isn't Germany.

What we also have to consider here is the fact that the mountainous pass to Germany is sure to be a treacherous one, anyway, and lacking proper equipment and supplies, the family might not have even made it directly into Hitler's lap - they likely perished on route. Basically, the end of The Sound of Music is devastating no matter how you look at it: death will follow the Von Trapps no matter where they go - and all because they forgot to consult a stinkin' map.