Sopranos, The - Series 1 on DVD

Chris J from Bucks, England , 15/03/2005

The Sopranos is one of THOSE shows - one of the ones that threaten to drown critics in their own drool, the ones that prompt your chronically mute friends to put on a nun's costume and burst into song just from hearing the title. And usually the ones that aren't nearly as good as you'd hoped.

To be honest, I've never been a massive fan of the gangster genre - ok so the movies are good, but there's a formula that often seems to boil down to a load of guys, frequently called Mickey, whacking around their women, getting whacked out on drugs, before eventually just getting 'whacked'. Ba da frickin' bing.

The genius of the Sopranos is that it knows that. For any series to work, you need characters you care about, a situation that's interesting and a plot that is involving. It knows you've probably seen a hundred mob rip offs, and what it does brilliantly is to shift the focus away from the action (although the plot scampers along nicely) and pull you in with the characters. If you HAVE seen loads of the movies, then there's a huge amount of pleasure to be gained from watching the layers of cinema stereotyping peel away with each new episode.

But if you're a Godfather-virgin, then there's just as much to enjoy. By introducing us to the show and the main character through therapy sessions, the production has the perfect way to immerse its audience, and lavish the series with its amazing depth and humanity. Characters I found frustrating and 2 dimensional at first slowly became the ones I cared about most.

On top of all this is a varied cast that live their roles perfectly. James Gandolfini deserves every award and nomination he's got, making Tony Soprano both a bear and a teddy bear all at once. The writing is humourous, insightful and taut, and gets more and more compulsive as the series progresses.

While not for everyone (there is some fairly extreme violence at times), this is every bit the gem it's been made out to be. Stick with it, and watch your evenings fade away...

  24 out of 25 people found this review helpful

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A customer from England , 12/02/2004

I cannot iterate to you how fantastic the Sopranos is, if you like the usual Mafioso films then this is just for you and its all the glory of previous Mafia related films but this has a fantastic twist, you see inside the family of the boss(Tony Soprano)and how his dodgy dealings affect him as a person and those around him, its truely captivating, you are left wanting more and more and luckily there are four seasons/series worth of episodes!!

You will not be disapointed!

  18 out of 19 people found this review helpful

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Jordan Sadler from Ipswich, England [Highly rated reviewer] , 10/03/2007

'The Sopranos' is different from all other TV shows for a reason -- it doesn't pander to you, it does not give you what you think you want, it does not open and then shut 60 minutes later in some satisfying solution.

Granted, the ostensible hook of The Sopranos - mob boss sees shrink - sounds gimmicky and too close for comfort to the Billy Crystal/Robert De Niro comedy Analyze This. The pilot episode opens with New Jersey capo Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) attending his first appointment with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), after suffering a panic attack during a barbecue in his back yard. Tony, who describes himself as a 'waste management consultant,' has become emotionally attached to the ducks that have taken up residence in his swimming pool. When the ducks fly away during the barbecue, Tony collapses. Melfi surmises that the ducks represent family - the source of Tony's anxiety. And as if one dysfunctional family isn't enough to deal with, Tony has two: his biological family and his mob famiglia.

The lines between these two families are increasingly blurred. His Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese) is his primary rival for control of the New Jersey organization. His nephew Christopher (Michael Imperioli) is an up-and-comer from the MTV generation - he wants it all right now. In one of the best first season episodes, Tony takes his daughter Meadow on a tour of college campuses in Maine. While on the road, Tony spots a former gangster who long ago turned informant and entered the witness protection program. The cat-and-mouse game that ensues - Tony dropping Meadow off for a college interview, then tracking the rat to his home and strangling him to death - perfectly encapsulates Tony's ongoing juggling act between his roles of suburban father and Mafia Godfather.

This dichotomy also manifests itself in Tony's relationship with his mother - a relationship that emerges as the dark heart of The Sopranos. As played by Nancy Marchand in one of the all-time great television performances, Livia Soprano is the most terrifying character on a show populated with ruthless, cold-blooded killers - a manipulative monster in the guise of a doddering old lady. Livia initially appears to be a stock Italian mother character, continually bemoaning the death of her husband: 'The man was a saint.' Tony has a different take, however, telling Dr. Melfi: 'Dad ran his own crew. He was tough. And she wore him down to a little nub. He was a squeaking little gerbil when he died.'

Realizing his aging mother can no longer live on her own, Tony places her in an assisted living center. ('It's not a nursing home, it's a retirement community!') This perceived betrayal sets in motion a series of power plays culminating with Livia essentially ordering a hit on her own son. After the hit goes awry, Livia suffers an all-too-convenient stroke. This results in the series' most chilling and darkly funny moment to date, as Tony confronts the supposedly vegetative Livia on her hospital gurney and swears he sees her smiling beneath her oxygen mask.

What keeps The Sopranos fresh and invigorating is its firm grounding in time and place. Creator/writer David Chase was right to insist that the episodes be shot on location in New York and New Jersey, rather than on Hollywood soundstages. This verisimilitude is enhanced by the program's up-to-the-minute cataloging of contemporary American culture: Prozac, Nintendo, Attention Deficit Disorder, DVD players, and corporate coffee franchises. These gangsters don't live in a vacuum; they've all seen The Godfather a hundred times. They've got the laser discs, and when they speak of Part III, it's to ask, 'What happened?' Spotting Martin Scorsese heading into an exclusive dance club, Christopher shouts out, 'Kundun! I liked it!' As Silvio (Steven Van Zandt) tries on a new suit in front of a mirror, he recites Al Pacino's famous dialogue: 'Every time I think I'm out - they pull me back in!' This all feels absolutely right and real - particularly in light of the recent news that FBI wiretaps captured actual New York mobsters discussing Sopranos storylines.

One review can only scratch the surface of such a rich piece of work. The Sopranos gets everything right, from its uniformly superb cast (particularly Gandolfini, who can convey more with one raised eyebrow than many actors do in their entire careers, and Edie Falco, who renders every cliche about the Mafia wife obsolete with her fierce intelligence and impeccable b.s. detector) to its deft deployment of mob lingo (Tony owns a strip club called Bada Bing!) to its use of music (Bruce Springsteen's 'State Trooper' never sounded so spooky as it does playing over the closing credits of the first season finale).

Fuggetaboutit! A must watch unless your head is in a vice and you can't get out.

  12 out of 12 people found this review helpful

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elliottburton from london/leeds , 20/04/2004

Need I say more? The Sopranos is more than just a TV series. It is a religion. Quite simply the greatest viewing experience you will ever have. It is pure genius. The creators should receive knighthoods, even if they are Yanks!

  8 out of 8 people found this review helpful

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