Sophie's Choice (1982)

Sophie's Choice is a 1982 film directed by Alan J. Pakula, and based on the novel by William Styron. Meryl Streep, playing the titular role, was great in this. Her accent was incredibly convincing and she looked almost uncannily to Gillian Anderson in the late 90s, another favorite star of mine. The sets were very vividly colored and nice to look at. I also liked how the colors and cinematography changed to dark and gritty for the holocaust scenes, but bright and happy for the other scenes. For the most part the film felt relatively uneventful and more of a character study. It was very slow moving which could get tedious, but at the very least was entertaining because of the characters and their brilliant portrayals by the cast. I also found it bothersome that the film took an entire 90 minutes to actually feature get to the flashbacks of the holocaust. You could watch an entire other movie in that time. The sequences that actually feature Sophie's journey through the holocaust are incredibly made and perfectly acted, but since there are so few of them, they turn out to only be a small portion of the film.I also wish the film showed more of Sophie's struggles in the holocaust. For example, when she tells the story about stealing the ham for her mother, which consequently got her arrested, there is no flashback. The audience is told what happened instead of being shown. The scene worked well since Streep was great in telling the story and conveys great emotion in her voice, but I just would have liked to have seen what happened since movies are built around the concept of 'show, don't tell', and usually work better that way.One part I found inaccurate was Nathan's obsession with the Nazis and his insistence that they were never brought to justice. The film never goes as far as to mention the Nuremberg trials, which is exactly what the allies tried to do - bring the war criminals to justice. The trials happened in 1945 to 1946, and the film is set in 1947, so the public would have known of their existence by that time.There was a lot of swearing in this movie, however, I don't think they swore so much in the 1940s. We swear much more now because there's so much in movies and TV, which influences us today, but not nearly as much in the past.There are many great examples of the false hope of the holocaust in this film. After begging a commander she is serving, Sophie convinces him to release her son, but he never ends up keeping his word. This helped show the continual disappointment and betrayal of the holocaust. I also didn't understand the importance of the subplot where Sophie agrees to get a radio so she can help escape. She is caught by the commander's daughter and befriends her after fainting, but the scene doesn't go anywhere and their relationship isn't revisited. If anything it could be another example of false hope and failure in the holocaust, but since there are so many other examples of this in the film, such as the betrayal of never seeing her son, this subplot could have been taken out with no effect on the story. Additionally, the false hope was ultimately reflected and reinforced in the ending, where Sophie and Nathan commit suicide. The ending wouldn't have been as effective if this hadn't happened.Sophie's titular 'choice' was incredibly heartbreaking and hard to watch. This is attributable to the great directing and acting in that specific scene. The film leaves a lot to imagination. What else did Sophie go through? It leaves the viewer wondering why she survived, which was very effective. This film, in the end, brings up a very important point - not only Jews were victims of the holocaust. They played a big part in it, but there were many others who suffered just as much as them, and it is important they are represented.

Watching this movie makes me realize what makes a cinema 'larger that life' ... amazing performances by Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline. Was already a big time fan of Meryl Streep... and this is probably one of those most brilliant, brilliant performances by her!A YouTube video about Meryl's top 10 performances led me to this ... and it was worth the time... yes the film is sad and shaking, but the characters are not only lovable but those which stay with you for a while.Came here for Meryl and became a big fan of Kevin too! Two poor souls and yet a beautiful end... those were the words the movie left me with. Overall a good old classic with the most moving music & sound effects there ever could be.Personally, I feel Peter MacNicol did a good job as Stingo but that is that. Nathan's Character and Kevin's out-of-the-world portrayal of a schizophrenic & a passionate lover will at times sweep you off your feet.No surprise this won Meryl, her first Oscar... Sophie's character is equally power-packed... a sophisticated, talented, pretty lady who conceals... behind her pleasing love life (at least for her) a soul- wrenching story about a mother who had to make an agonizing choice!

Sophie's Choice is one of those films I always meant to watch, and finally got the chance. It is best to go into it with as little idea as to what it's about as possible, as it's a slow film with a lot of layers that get peeled off one by one. A young would-be-author from the South moves to Brooklyn and befriends his neighbors, the couple Nathan and Sophie. All three hit it off, but Nathan's bipolar tendencies do puncture their friendship at times. Sophie, however, is a calm soul as kind as she is tortured by her past in Auschwitz. As the author, Stingo, gets to know them better, he is also taken deeper and deeper into Sophie's past, where a hidden pain resides.Sophie's Choice brilliantly captures two polar opposite worlds. The colourful and tranquil Brooklyn is contrasted strikingly by a late 1930s Poland occupied by Nazis, where the colour drains so much out of the film that any further and it would be black-and-white. The present in Brooklyn is a good haven to have and catch our breath between glimpses into Sophie's horrible past.At the end of the day, in spite of the emotionally shattering story, Sophie's Choice is a story about hope and redemption. The performances certainly helped. Peter MacNicol and Kevin Kline are both wonderful as polar opposite personalities, united by a common love for literature.But Meryl Streep is utterly mesmerizing as Sophie. It's not for no reason that this was one of those Oscar-nominated performances of hers that gave that extra edge and got her the statue. All of Sophie's mannerisms, her accent, her speaking German and Polish, her searching for words in English to express what she wants to say, her restrained kindness, her pain; none of it overdone. The director even trusted Streep enough to take long shots with her as she gets into deep characterization. This is quite simply one of the finest female performances in cinema.I did fear, throughout the film, what exactly Sophie's choice was, and I was right, for it is a scene that crushes your heart. But the film comes together in the end and ends in an emotionally satisfying way in spite of everything. Steel yourself for an emotional journey and give Sophie's Choice a view, it's a film as uplifting as it is depressing, and unmissable for cinema buffs.

the novel. the director. and the cast. result - memorable movie. or, only, a gem. not only for grace of adaptation. or for magnificent performance of Meryl Streep. but for precise form of an universal message. for the memories of viewer. for the shadow of words and gestures. in fact, it is one of films who, after its end, becomes an experience. aesthetic, emotional and , in same time, a map more than a lesson to understand the life as a chain of profound choices, cruel sacrifices. it is difficult to write a good review. because essential is out of words. because images, the small gestures, the art of each actor, the accent of Sophie are details who gives to entire film soul. a fragile soul. must see it ! for be more rich in the exploration of every day nuances.