Pakula directed the movie and wrote the script based on the novel of the same name by william styron. Sophies choice begins as a young southerners odyssey to the unimaginable northto that strange land celebrated by his hero, thomas wolfe, who took the allnight train to new york with its riches, its women, and its romance. After enjoying meryl streep and kevin kline in the recent ensemble comedy a prairie home companion, it was great to see their dramatic performances in sophies choice, the movie that made them famous. To say that meryl streep is great in sophies choice would be a major understatement. Thus the reason this oscar winning film is my meryl film. Peter macnicol, meryl streep and kevin kline in sophies choice. Although its false to believe that sophies choice is all streep, she is without a doubt the most critical component, and her performance came in service of a powerful sophies choice by alan pakula is an excellent movie, propelled to greatness by a staggering. Pivotal flashback scene from the film sophies choice 1982 starring meryl streep. As sophie, an auschwitz survivor living in brooklyn, she isnt one of her usual quavery mystery women, hiding behind shimmering sheets of hair and a tense bud of a mouth. Meryl streeps incomparable performance in sophies choice. Pakulas 1982 adaptation of william styrons 1979 novel sophies choice is one of those films whose great qualities put its lesser elements in sharp relief. Sophies choice by alan pakula is an excellent movie, propelled to greatness by a staggering performance by meryl streep.
If that scene punctuated by meryl streeps silent scream is forever. Sophies choice is a rare film, literate, deeply moving and gifted with an absolutely aweinspiring performance by meryl streep. If it had come out a year earlier she would have been up against katharine hepburn for on golden pond and she might have lost. After enjoying meryl streep and kevin kline in the recent ensemble comedy a prairie home companion, it was great to see their dramatic performances in sophie s choice, the movie that made them famous. In flashy horizontalstripe sequins, meryl streep was the radiant, glowy variety of pregnant with daughter mamie gummer. Among other accolades, she has received 32 golden globe nominations, more than any other person, and won eight. It is betraying nothing to reveal that the character of stingo is the alter ego of william styron, upon whose bestselling novel the film. Pakula with meryl streep, kevin kline, peter macnicol, rita karin, year. Meryl streep stars as sophie, a polish immigrant who shares a boarding house in brooklyn with her tempestuous lover, nathan kevin kline in his feature film debut, and a yo. Sophies choice film wikimili, the free encyclopedia.
Meryl streep at 70 as the great american actor turns 70, we tasked one sophie bfi contributor sophie monks kaufman with an impossible choice. She gave a beautiful performance in sophies choice. While the technical part of this performance is brutally perfect, its the emotional. Its hard to imagine there has ever been any better screen acting than meryl streeps in sophies choice.
Though its far from a flawless movie, sophies choice is a unified and deeply affecting one. Set in 1947, the story follows stingo, a young writer who has recently moved to brooklyn to work on a novel. Find out where sophies choice is streaming, if sophies choice is on netflix, and get news and updates, on decider. If that scene punctuated by meryl streeps silent scream is forever branded on the back of your skull, imagine if you were the. Newman greta turken gunther maria halmer robin bartlett marcell rosenblatt.
Pakula and starring meryl streep in the title role. Meryl streep carries this film giving a wonderfully emotional performance as she plays the complex sophie zawistowski. In the novel, which is set during world war ii, the title character must choose between the lives of her two children while imprisoned in the nazi concentration camp auschwitz. Learn about meryl streep through the years via these illuminating. The movie is one of my all time favorites for several reasons.
Some call this film a satire but its more an exercise in demented frivolity, with streep ditching her usual. Meryl streep stars as sophie, a polish immigrant who shares a boarding house in brooklyn with her tempestuous lover, nathan kevin kline in his feature film debut, and a young writer, stingo peter macnicol. Watching this film is like receiving one punch to the gut after another, rounded out with a swift thwack to the head with a twobyfour. This is the film where meryl streep became meryl streep the great and powerful and never looked back. Aspiring southern author stingo peter macnicol heads to new york to seek his fortune. Sophies choice is the title of a 1979 novel by william styron, and in 1982 sophies choice was made into a critically acclaimed film starring meryl streep. Sophies choice, starring the actress meryl streep as a holocaust survivor, opens in theaters. She goes beyond the boundaries of acting and completely becomes sophie zawistowska. A pregnant meryl streep best actress oscar for sophies choice 1982 meryl streep for sophies choice streep collected her second oscar her first was in 1980 wearing a christian leigh gold beaded gown. Sophies choice is a 1982 american drama film directed by alan j. Chief among the former is meryl streeps performance, which garnered her first best actress academy award and helped confirm her as one of the most formidable talents of her generation. For about half of sophies choice, meryl streep gives the meryl streep performance weve been waiting for. Sophie s choice is a 1982 american drama film directed by alan j. The kinds of films where, upon finishing, you punch the air and yell something, just to join in the triumphant atmosphere.
With meryl streep, kevin kline, peter macnicol, rita karin. If meryl streep had inscribed no performance other than this film s tortured polish woman who cant forgive herself for continuing to live while witnessing so much wrenching death, it would have insured her place in film. Man or woman, if you havent fallen madly and tragically in love with meryl by the end of this picture then you probably have no soul. After seeing him in this film, john cleese decided to cast kevin kline in his. Pakula, who adapted william styrons novel of the same name. Its hard to imagine there has ever been any better screen acting than meryl streep s in sophie s choice. The back story is told in flashbacks and is excellent. The film stars meryl streep, kevin kline, and peter macnicol. Meryl streep kevin kline peter macnicol josh mostel rita karin stephen d. I have returned to rewatch sophies choice several times over the past thirty four years. Nominated for a record 21 academy awards, she has won three.
This is a closing scene to a film that, until this moment, had avoided revealing the choice. In the movie sophies choice, i couldnt help but be drawn to her talent in manifesting speech through different languages in this film. Pakulas sophies choice 1982, from william styrons novel about the aftereffects of holocaust evil, gives us film s most memorable incarnation of survivors guilt. I didnt read the novel, but as a movie it felt perfect in how the story is revealed. Peter macnicol in sophies choice 1982 meryl streep in sophies choice 1982. She is the first lady of american cinema, and a true national treasure. She was nominated 6 more times during the 1980s winning again in 83 for sophies choice. The concentration camp scenes are very good and the scene where sophie has to make her choice is excellent. Streep was too controlling, too calculated, to create. Sophies choice is a slow and tragic drama that is harrowing in its delivery. Mis bijvoorbeeld nooit meer een film van stanley kubrick of meryl streep. Even in the first 10 minutes before we know whats going on, i was blown away. A heartbreaking film set between two timelines that both follow sophie and the decisions in her life.
Having been born in america, with no learned second or third language, i was shocked to. Thanks in large part to miss streeps bravura performance, its a film that casts a powerful. Here, they play sophie and nathan, a volatile young couple living in a brooklyn boardinghouse in the summer of 1947. Sophies choice is a 1982 american romantic drama film that tells the story of a polish immigrant, sophie, and her tempestuous lover who share a boarding house with a young writer in brooklyn. As it is, she lost to kate for the french lieutenants woman. A 1982 drama film adapted from william styrons 1979 novel of the same name, directed by alan j. Stingo shares a brooklyn boarding house with polish emigre sophie and her mercurial lover, a union unsettled by violent behavior.
Even thirty years after its release, sophie still tops the list of critics favorite and best roles. In sophies choice, meryl streep not only gives one of the best performances of her career, but one of the best female performances in film history. Meryl streep was born and raised in summit, new jersey, having an english and germanic decent. Pakula all the presidents men, the pelican brief and based on a 1979 novel. No matter how you may feel about the story, sophies choice is worth watching simply for the pleasure of watching meryl streep act. Meryl streep is simply one of the greatest actresses of our time and has truly made her mark. Meryl streep is very lucky that sophies choice was made the year it was.
Meryl streep and peter macnicol in sophies choice 1982 meryl streep in sophies choice. The movie is recommended only if you are a meryl streep fan and for the few concentration camp scenes and the choice scene. The scene in which we discover the facts behind sophies choice is a gutwrenching one. Meryl streep sophie zawistowska, kevin kline nathan landau, peter. In the beginning, the character comes off as a mystery. View meryl streep, as madeline ashton, and bruce willis, as ernest menville, react on the floor at what they see, in a scene from the film death becomes her, 1992. Language and meryl streep in sophies choice warirose. Sophies entscheidung ist ein us amerikanisches filmdrama aus dem jahr 1982. Amazons choicekunden haben sich auch diese amazon choiceartikel angesehen. Often described as the best actress of her generation, streep is particularly known for her versatility and accents. The movie stars meryl streep as sophie, a polishcatholic woman, who was caught by the nazis with a contraband ham, was sentenced to a. The second of her three academy award wins, streep here has a curious job in the film.
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