Sophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps who has found a reason to live in Nathan a sparkling if unsteady American Jew obsessed with the Holocaust. They befriend Stengo the movies narrator a young American writer new to New York City. But the happiness of Sophie and Nathan is endangered by her ghosts and his obsessions. Meryl Streep won an Oscar for her performance as Sophie. System Requirements:Directed by Alan J. Pakula Writing credits Alan J. Pakula Starring Meryl Streep Kevin Kline Runtime: 151 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 012236048701 Manufacturer No: 60487
The sunny streets of Brooklyn, just after World War II. A young would-be writer named Stingo (Peter MacNicol) shares a boarding house with beautiful Polish immigrant Sophie (Meryl Streep) and her tempestuous lover, Nathan (Kevin Kline); their friendship changes his life. This adaptation of the bestselling novel by William Styron is faithful to the point of being reverential, which is not always the right way to make a film come to life. But director Alan J. Pakula (All the President's Men) provides a steady, intelligent path into the harrowing story of Sophie, whose flashback memories of the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp form the backbone of the movie. Streep's exceptional performance--flawless Polish accent and all--won her an Oscar, and effectively raised the standard for American actresses of her generation. No less impressive is Kevin Kline, in his movie debut, capturing the mercurial moods of the dangerously attractive Nathan. The two worlds of Sophie's Choice, nostalgic Brooklyn and monstrous Europe, are beautifully captured by the gifted cinematographer Néstor Almendros, whose work was Oscar-nominated but didn't win. It should have. --Robert Horton
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Excellent filmmaking:
This was my first time viewing the film-even though I knew going in what Sophie's choice was. (It's not like movie goers keep secrets) and I have to say this is an excellent character study film. Meryl Streep definitely earned her Oscar with this one. Amazing she could sound native on just a three month emerge study. Sophie's story is heart breaking. An A+++ script, wonderful direction. A definite classic.
I would utterly recommend seeing this movie after you have read the masterpiece on which it is based upon!!:
Sophie's Choice
Having read the title Sophie's Choice, by William Styron, on which this movie is based upon and which is my favorite book of all the ones I have read until the present moment, because of its fantastic and extraordinary prose and drama plot, I just have to say that the movie does astonishingly depict the abovementioned literary work. I am always very cautious about watching a movie based upon a literary work (particularly such a first-rate one) since it usually does not give merit... more info
A film you will never forget:
Quite simply, Sophie's Choice remains, for me, the most unforgettable Nazi concentration-camp movies ever made. In fact, because it is not ENTIRELY set during WWII, it has the Shakespearean "comic relief" that the Bard included to break the tragedy long enough to let the viewer "catch their breath".
And, of course, this is truly needed to offset and heighten the ultimate tragedy. A MUST for ANY serious film collector.
Beautiful Film, but...:
I read Styron's novel, Sophie's Choice, when it first came out. I was mesmerized all the way through. I didn't go to see the movie in the theatre because, knowing the story, I didn't want to be depressed. A couple of years ago, I bought the movie, but it sat on the shelf for a long time, unwatched until last night when I viewed it with my family, none of whom had read the book. My Polish husband left the room about half way through because he just couldn't stand to be reminded of things that were way... more info
