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Production
Conception
Prior to creating The Sopranos, David Chase had been a television writer for over 20 years and was well-known in television circles for his dark, edgy writing.[4][24] He had been employed as a staff writer/producer for several television series (including Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Rockford Files, I'll Fly Away, and Northern Exposure)[16][25] and had created one original series, Almost Grown, in 1988.[26][27] Before his success with The Sopranos, Chase had won two Emmy Awards: one in 1980 for writing the TV movie Off the Minnesota Strip, and one in 1978 for his work on the The Rockford Files (shared with fellow producers).[7][28]
The story of The Sopranos was initially conceived as a feature film about "a mobster in therapy having problems with his mother."[26] After some input from his manager, Lloyd Braun, Chase decided to adapt it into a television series.[26] In 1995, Chase signed a development deal with production company Brillstein-Grey and wrote the original pilot script.[7][24][29] Drawing heavily from his personal life and his experiences growing up in New Jersey, Chase has stated that he tried to "apply [his own] family dynamic to mobsters."[30] For instance, the tumultuous relationship between series protagonist Tony Soprano and his mother, Livia, is partially based on Chase's relationship with his own mother.[30] Chase was also in therapy at the time and modeled the character of Dr. Jennifer Melfi after his own psychiatrist.[31] Chase had been fascinated by the Mafia from an early age, having been raised on classic gangster films like The Public Enemy and the crime series The Untouchables as well as witnessing such people growing up,[4][31] and decided to use a Mafia backdrop for his show because he felt a series about a television writer in therapy would not be particularly interesting to watch.[26][30] He also thought the setting would allow him to explore themes such as Italian-American identity and the nature of violence, among many others.[26][29] Chase himself is Italian-American, his original family name being DeCesare.[32]
Chase and producer Brad Grey, of Brillstein-Grey, pitched The Sopranos to several networks; FOX showed interest but passed on it after Chase presented them the pilot script.[29] Chase and Grey eventually pitched the show to then-president of HBO Original Programming, Chris Albrecht, who recognized the originality and potential of the show, and decided to finance the shooting of a pilot episode.[7][24] Albrecht is quoted as saying:
I said to myself, this show is about a guy who's turning 40. He's inherited a business from his dad. He's trying to bring it into the modern age. He's got all the responsibilities that go along with that. He's got an overbearing mom that he's still trying to get out from under. Although he loves his wife, he's had an affair. He's got two teenage kids, and he's dealing with the realities of what that is. He's anxious; he's depressed; he starts to see a therapist because he's searching for the meaning of his own life. I thought: the only difference between him and everybody I know is he's the Don of New Jersey.[24]
The pilot episode (called "The Sopranos" on the DVD release but commonly just referred to as "Pilot") was shot in 1997.[6] Chase, having previously directed episodes of The Rockford Files and Almost Grown,[25] directed it himself. After the pilot was finished and shown to the HBO executives, the show was put on hold for a year before HBO eventually decided to produce it and ordered a full 13-episode season.[7][24] The show premiered on HBO on 10 January 1999 with the pilot episode. The Sopranos is the second hour-long television drama series produced by HBO, the first being the prison drama Oz.
Casting
Like the characters they portray on the show, many of the actors on The Sopranos are Italian-American. Because Italian-American actors are often cast as Mafia-types in Hollywood productions, many cast members had appeared together in films and television series before joining the cast of The Sopranos. The series shares a total of 27 actors with the 1990 Martin Scorsese gangster film Goodfellas, including main cast members Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, and Tony Sirico. A total of eight The Sopranos actors also appeared in the 1999 comedy Mickey Blue Eyes.
The main cast was put together through a process of auditions and readings. Actors often didn't know whether David Chase liked their performances or not. Michael Imperioli, who beat out several actors for the part of Christopher Moltisanti, recalls "He's got a poker face, so I thought he wasn't into me, and he kept giving me notes and having me try it again, which often is a sign that you're not doing it right. I thought, I'm not getting this. So he said, 'Thank you,' and I left. I didn't expect to hear back. And then they called."[24] James Gandolfini was invited to audition for the part of Tony Soprano after casting director Susan Fitzgerald saw a short clip of his performance in the 1993 film True Romance.[24] Lorraine Bracco, who had previously played the role of mob wife Karen Hill in Goodfellas, was originally asked to play the role of Carmela Soprano. She took the role of Dr. Jennifer Melfi instead because she wanted to try something different and felt the part of the highly educated Dr. Melfi would be more of a challenge for her.[33] Tony Sirico, who has a criminal background related to the Mafia,[34] signed on to play Paulie Walnuts as long as his character was not to be a "rat."[35] David Chase invited musician "Little Steven" Van Zandt (known as the guitarist of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band) to audition for a part in his series after seeing him live at the 1997 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony and being impressed with his appearance and presence. Van Zandt, who had never acted before, eventually agreed to star on the show on the condition that he didn't take a part a professional actor was also trying out for. Chase then created the character of Silvio Dante especially for Van Zandt.[36][37][38] Silvio Dante's wife on the show is played by Van Zandt's real-life wife.
With the exception of Oscar nominee Lorraine Bracco (Goodfellas), Dominic Chianese (The Godfather Part II, along with stage work) and Emmy-winner Nancy Marchand (Lou Grant), the cast of the debut season of the series was made up of largely unknown actors. After the breakthrough success of the show, many cast members were noted for their acting ability and received mainstream attention for their performances.[1][24] Subsequent seasons saw some well-known actors (Joe Pantoliano, Robert Loggia, Steve Buscemi, Frank Vincent) join the cast along with well-known actors in recurring roles such as Peter Bogdanovich, John Heard, Robert Patrick, Peter Riegert, Annabella Sciorra, and David Strathairn. Also there were several well known actors who appeared in just one episode, such as Charles S. Dutton, Sydney Pollack and Ken Leung
Crew
Series creator David Chase served as show runner, executive producer, and head writer during the eight years the show was in production.[4][28] In addition to writing several episodes per season, he would oversee all the editing and do extensive re-writing of episodes written by other writers.[1][39] Many members of the creative team behind The Sopranos were handpicked by Chase, some being old friends and colleagues of his, others were selected after interviews conducted by producers of the show.[24][40]
Many of the show's writers wrote for television prior to The Sopranos. Writing team and married couple Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, who together wrote or co-wrote 19 episodes of the series between 1999 and 2006, had worked with Chase on Northern Exposure. During the early stages of the show's development, Chase approached the two about a position as staff writers.[41] Two-time Emmy Award-winner Terence Winter, who became a writer for the show during its second season, practiced law for two years before deciding to pursue a career as a screenwriter, eventually catching the attention of Chase.[42] Matthew Weiner, a staff writer during the show's final three seasons, wrote a spec script for a show called Mad Men in 2000 (it was eventually produced by AMC in 2007). The script was passed on to Chase who, after reading it, was so impressed that he immediately offered Weiner a job as a writer for The Sopranos.[43] Two cast members have also written episodes for the show: Michael Imperioli, who plays Christopher Moltisanti, is also a screenwriter and has written five episodes of the series, many of which deal with Italian-American issues;[44] Toni Kalem, who plays Angie Bonpensiero, also wrote the season five episode "All Happy Families...".
Before directing The Sopranos, many of the directors worked on other television series. Many of the directors also have backgrounds in independent films.[40] The main directors of the series were Tim Van Patten (20 episodes), John Patterson (13 episodes), Allen Coulter (12 episodes), and Alan Taylor (9 episodes), all of whom have a background in television.[40] Recurring cast members Steve Buscemi and Peter Bogdanovich have also acted as directors for the series, Buscemi having directed four episodes and Bogdanovich one. David Chase directed two episodes himself, the pilot and the series finale. Alik Sakharov was the show's original director of photography, later alternating episodes with Phil Abraham.[45] The show's photography and directing is noted for its feature film-quality.[14][46] This look was achieved by Chase collaborating with Sakharov: "David wanted a look that would have its own two feet. [...] From the pilot, we would sit down with the whole script and break the scenes down into shots. That's what you do with feature films."[45]
Music
- See also: Music on The Sopranos
The Sopranos is noted for its eclectic music selections and has received considerable critical attention for its effective use of previously recorded songs.[47][48][49][50] Series creator David Chase personally selects all of the show's music with producer Martin Bruestle and music editor Kathryn Dayak, sometimes also consulting Steven Van Zandt.[47] The music is usually selected once the production and editing of an episode is completed, but on occasion sequences will be filmed to match preselected pieces of music.[39]
Stylistically, the music on the show can range from mainstream pop (Britney Spears, The Bangles) to '60s British rock (The Kinks, The Rolling Stones) to classic jazz and soul (Ella Fitzgerald, Ben E. King) to hip hop (Xzibit, Time Zone), often within the span of a single episode.[51]
The opening theme is "Woke Up This Morning" (Chosen One Mix), performed by British band Alabama 3 (known as A3 in the U.S. to avoid confusion with the country group Alabama). Different songs are played over the closing credits of each episode. Many songs are repeated multiple times through an episode, such as "Living on a Thin Line" by The Kinks in the season three episode "University"and "Glad Tidings" by Van Morrison in the season five finale "All Due Respect". Other songs are heard several times throughout the series. A notable example is "Con te partiro," performed by Italian singer Andrea Bocelli,[52] which serves as something of a theme song for the character of Carmela Soprano.[53]
A notable aspect of the show is its sparse, often minimalist use of incidental music. While most television series rely on musical scores to emphasize tension or dramatic moments, The Sopranos rarely if ever uses this resource. The most brutal scenes are often unaccompanied by any sort of background music.[9]
Two soundtrack albums containing music from the series have been released. The first, titled The Sopranos: Music from the HBO Original Series, was released by Sony Music Entertainment on 14 December 1999. It contains selections from the show's first two seasons and reached #54 on the U.S. Billboard 200.[54][21] A second soundtrack compilation, titled The Sopranos: Peppers & Eggs: Music from the HBO Original Series, was released on 8 May 2001, also on Sony. This double-disc album contains songs and selected dialogue from the show's first three seasons.[55] It reached #38 on the U.S. Billboard 200.[22]
Sets and locations
Most of the exterior shots of the series were filmed on location in New Jersey, with the majority of the interior shots—this includes most indoor shots of the Soprano residence, the back room of the strip club Bada Bing!, and Dr. Melfi's psychiatrist's office—filmed at Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, Queens, New York City.[1]
The pork store, a frequent hangout for the mobsters on the show, was in the pilot known as Centanni's Meat Market, an actual butchery in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The meat market was supposed to be a recurring location but because it was a real business it could not keep closing for shooting. After the series was picked up by HBO, the producers leased a building with a store front in Kearny, New Jersey. For the remainder of the production period, this building served as the shooting location for scenes outside and inside the pork store, now renamed Satriale's.[56] After the series ended, the building was demolished.[57] Bada Bing!, a strip club owned and operated by the character Silvio Dante on the show, is an actual go go bar on Route 17 in Lodi, New Jersey. Exteriors and interiors (except for the back room) are shot on location.[56] The club is called Satin Dolls and was an existing business prior to the show starting. The club continued to operate during the eight years the show was filmed there and continues to do so now. As such, a business arrangement was worked out with the owner. Locations manager Mark Kamine recalls that the owner was "very gracious" as long as the shooting didn't "conflict with his business time."[58] All the exterior and some interior shots of the Soprano residence were filmed on location at a private residence in North Caldwell, New Jersey.[56]
Title sequence
A recognizable part of The Sopranos is the program's opening title sequence. Tony Soprano is seen emerging from the Lincoln Tunnel and entering the New Jersey Turnpike. Numerous landmarks in and around Newark, New Jersey and Elizabeth, New Jersey are shown.[59] The sequence ends with Tony pulling into the driveway of his suburban home. David Chase has said that the goal of the title sequence was to show that this particular Mafia show was about New Jersey, as opposed to New York, where most such dramas have been set.[60]
In the first three seasons, between Tony leaving the tunnel and entering the New Jersey Turnpike, an image of the World Trade Center towers can be seen in his side rear-view mirror. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, this shot was removed, beginning with the show's fourth season.[61]
Characters
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Anthony "Tony" Soprano (James Gandolfini) is the quick-tempered and fierce Underboss/de facto Boss of the New Jersey-based DiMeo crime family and patriarch of the Soprano household.[62] Tony begins to suffer from depression and have many panic attacks after years of stress over his "business", repressed emotions and a difficult childhood. He seeks treatment from Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco).[63] Adding to Tony's complicated life is his strained relationship with his wife Carmela Soprano (Edie Falco)[64] and their two children, Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler)[65] and Anthony Junior (Robert Iler).[66]
The starring cast includes members of Tony's extended family including his mother Livia (Nancy Marchand),[67] sister Janice (Aida Turturro),[68] uncle Corrado "Junior" Soprano (Dominic Chianese), who is the technical Boss (although, eventually, semi-retired until he's completely out of the business due to health issues) of the crime family[69], cousin Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi)[70] and nephew (actually cousin-by-marriage) Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli).[71] Both Livia and Janice are shrewd manipulators with emotional problems of their own. Tony's Uncle Junior is involved in his criminal organization and their family bond vies with their criminal ambitions. Both his cousin Tony and nephew Christopher are also involved with his "other" family and their actions are a further source of conflict. Christopher struggles with drug addiction and alcoholism, and a desire to gain respect, while Tony Blundetto hopes to go straight but has a violent streak.
Tony's close circle within the DiMeo crime family includes Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt), Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri (Tony Sirico) and Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero (Vincent Pastore). Silvio is Tony's consigliere and best friend. Paulie and Big Pussy are longtime soldiers and close allies who have worked with Tony and his father; Paulie soon becomes capo and eventually is further promoted to underboss. Also in Tony's criminal organization are Patsy Parisi (Dan Grimaldi) and Furio Giunta (Federico Castelluccio). Patsy is a quiet soldier with a head for figures. Furio is imported muscle from Italy who acts as Tony's feared enforcer.
Other significant characters in the DiMeo family include Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri (Steven R. Schirripa), Richie Aprile (David Proval), Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano), Eugene Pontecorvo (Robert Funaro) and Vito Spatafore (Joseph R. Gannascoli). Bobby is a subordinate of Junior's whom Tony initially bullies but later accepts into his inner circle. Cifaretto is a clever, ambitious top-earner but his arrogance and tendency to be obnoxious, disrespectful and very violent make Tony resentful. Richie Aprile is released from prison in season two and quickly makes waves in the organization. Pontecorvo is a young soldier who becomes a made man alongside Christopher. Spatafore works his way up through the ranks to become top earner of the Aprile Crew but has a secret in his personal life.
Friends of the Soprano family include Herman "Hesh" Rabkin (Jerry Adler), Adriana La Cerva (Drea de Matteo), Rosalie Aprile (Sharon Angela), Angie Bonpensiero (Toni Kalem), along with Artie (John Ventimiglia) and Charmaine Bucco (Kathrine Narducci). Hesh is an adviser and friend to Tony, and served in this role under Tony's father. Adriana is Christopher's long time girlfriend; the two have a tempestuous relationship. Rosalie is the widow of the previous DiMeo boss and a close friend of Carmela's. Angie is Salvatore Bonpensiero's wife who later goes into business for herself. Artie and Charmaine are school friends of the Sopranos and owners of the popular restaurant Vesuvio. Charmaine wishes to have no association with Tony and his crew due to his criminal activities, and often has to insist because Artie -- a law-abiding and hard-working man -- is drawn to Tony's way of life.
John "Johnny Sack" Sacramoni (Vince Curatola), Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent) and "Little" Carmine Lupertazzi, Jr. (Ray Abruzzo) are all significant characters from the New York-based Lupertazzi crime family, which shares a good amount of its business with the Soprano organization. Although the Lupertazzis' and DiMeos' interests are often at odds, Tony maintains a cordial business-like relationship with Johnny Sack, preferring to make deals that benefit both families. His second-in-command and eventual successor, Phil Leotardo, is less cordial and is harder for Tony to do business with. Little Carmine is the son of the family's first boss and vies for power with the others.
Plot synopsis and episode list
- See also: The Sopranos timeline
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Season 1
The series begins with Tony Soprano collapsing after suffering a panic attack. This prompts him to begin therapy with Dr. Jennifer Melfi. Gradually, the storyline reveals: details of Tony's upbringing, with his father's influence looming large on his development as a gangster, but more so that Tony's mother, Livia, was manipulative and possibly psychotic; his complicated relationship with his wife Carmela, as well as her feelings regarding her husband's cosa nostra ties; the lives of his children, Meadow and A.J., who both have increasing knowledge of their father's mob dealings; federal indictments being brought as a result someone in his organization talking to the FBI; and his own Uncle plotting his death. Tony's Uncle Junior had been installed as boss of the family (following the death of previous boss Jackie Aprile, Sr. from cancer), while actually Tony controls most things from behind the scenes. Furious at Junior's plan to have him killed, Tony responds to the attempt on his life with a violent reprisal and confronts his mother for her role in plotting his downfall. She has a psychologically triggered pseudo-stroke. Junior is arrested by the FBI.
Season 2
At the beginning of the second season, Jackie's brother Richie Aprile is released from prison and proves to be uncontrollable in the business arena as well as starting a relationship with Tony's sister Janice, who has arrived from Seattle. Tony's friend "Big Pussy" returns to New Jersey after a conspicuous absence and Tony realizes he is an FBI informant. Tony, Silvio Dante, and Paulie Walnuts kill Big Pussy on a boat then wrap him up in chains and throw him overboard.
Christopher Moltisanti becomes engaged to his longtime girlfriend Adriana La Cerva. Matthew Bevilaqua and Sean Gismonte, two low-level soldiers dissatisfied with their lack of success in the Soprano crew, try to make a name for themselves by attempting to kill Christopher. Their plan backfires; Christopher survives the attack (though he is critically wounded), and kills Sean in self-defense, while Tony and Big Pussy murder Matthew soon afterward.
Junior is placed under house arrest as he awaits trial. Richie, frustrated with Tony's authority over him, entreats Junior to have Tony killed. Junior feigns interest, then informs Tony of Richie's intentions, leaving Tony with another problem to address. However, the situation is defused unexpectedly when Janice kills Richie in a violent argument; Tony and his men conceal all evidence of the murder, and Janice returns to Seattle.
Season 3
The third season sees the return of the ambitious Ralph Cifaretto after a long absence in Florida. He gets involved with Rosalie Aprile, widow of the former boss, Jackie Aprile, Sr. Despite a personal animosity and a wariness toward his destructive behavior (Ralph murdered a stripper at the Bada Bing, prompting Tony to assault him, violating Mafia code regarding conduct toward fellow made men), Tony promotes him to caporegime because of his professional success. Meadow, now a freshman at Columbia University, begins dating Noah Tannenbaum, who is half-Jewish and half African-American; he becomes the target of Tony's racist ire, and Noah eventually ends their relationship.
Jackie Aprile, Jr. becomes involved with Meadow, and then descends into an increasingly reckless life of drugs and crime. Tony initially attempts to chalk up Jackie Jr.'s erratic behavior to a forgivable incident of his youth, and tries to prevent an escalation by having a frank and direct talk with Jackie. Despite Tony's counsel—and warning—Jackie crosses a line by organizing a botched robbery attempt on Ralph's card game. Tony decides to give Ralph the decision regarding Jackie Jr.'s punishment. Despite his role as a surrogate father, Ralph ultimately decides to have Jackie Jr. killed.
Livia dies of a stroke. Tony begins an affair with Gloria Trillo, who is also a patient of Dr. Melfi. Their relationship is brief and tumultuous. Junior is diagnosed with stomach cancer; following chemotherapy, it goes into remission. A.J. continues to get in trouble at school, despite success on the football team; this culminates in his expulsion.
Season 4
In the fourth season, New York underboss Johnny Sack becomes enraged after learning of an inappropriate joke made by Ralph about his wife. He seeks permission to have him killed in retribution, but is denied; tensions between the two eventually cool. Tony later murders Ralph in a violent rage because he believes Ralph killed their racehorse Pie-O-My in a stable fire.
Following the death of Bobby Baccalieri's wife, Janice pursues a romantic relationship with him. Christopher's addiction to heroin deepens, prompting his associates and family to organize an intervention, after which he enters a drug rehabilitation center. Adriana befriends a woman who is a secretly an FBI agent; when Adriana terminates their friendship suddenly, she is brought in and compelled to become a federal informant. Junior faces his RICO trial; it is ultimately declared a mistrial.
Carmela, whose relationship with Tony is tense due to financial worries and Tony's infidelities, develops a mutual infatuation with Furio Giunta. Fearing the consequences of engaging in a relationship with the wife of a mob boss, Furio flees back to Italy, leaving Carmela despondent. After Tony's former mistress calls their home and drunkenly details his improprieties, Carmela throws Tony out. Tony is approached by Johnny Sack with a proposal to murder Carmine Lupertazzi, which he eventually turns down.
Season 5
In the fifth season, Tony's cousin Tony Blundetto is released from prison alongside other mob figures. Carmine dies unexpectedly and his failure to nominate a successor leads to a power struggle in New York. Despite trying to avoid returning to organized crime, Blundetto gets involved in the conflict against Tony's orders. When Blundetto kills the brother of Phil Leotardo, Johnny demands that Tony turn him in. Refusing to do so provokes the New York faction, and eventually Tony elects to kill Blundetto himself rather than hand him over to be tortured.
Tony and Carmela remain separated, with Tony living at his parents' former house with childhood friend Artie Bucco, who was also left by his wife. Carmela, now the sole authority figure for A.J. in the Soprano house, becomes frustrated as her rules lead her son to resent her; eventually she allows A.J. to live with his father. She has a brief relationship with Robert Weigler, A.J.'s school guidance counselor; he breaks it off abruptly when he suspects that she is manipulating him to improve A.J.'s grades. Tony and Carmela reconcile their marriage; Tony promises to remain faithful, and also agrees to pay for a piece of real estate Carmela wishes to develop.
Adriana continues working as an FBI informant. After being implicated in a murder at her nightclub, federal agents give Adriana an ultimatum: get Christopher to cooperate or go to prison. She confesses her secret to Christopher; initially angry, he then becomes more receptive to the idea of entering witness protection. However, he finally has another change of heart and tells Tony about Adriana. Tony, with Christopher's understanding, orders Silvio to kill her. Tony approaches Johnny Sack to put an end to the bloodshed between their families and get back to business. As they meet Johnny Sack is arrested by the FBI.
Season 6
At the beginning of the sixth season, Tony is shot by the now senile and confused Uncle Junior. Rendered comatose, Tony dreams he is a salesman on a business trip, where he mistakenly exchanges his briefcase and identification with a man named Kevin Finnerty. Tony's recovery from the shooting changes his outlook, and he tries to mend his ways. However, he is faced with more problems in his business life. Vito Spatafore is outed as a homosexual and Tony is urged to deal with the problem by Phil Leotardo, now acting boss of New York with Johnny Sack in prison. When Tony fails to act, Phil intervenes and kills Spatafore. Tony's crime family commits a reprisal murder and once more it appears that the families are on the verge of all-out war.
In the second part of the sixth season, Tony considers killing several of his associates for relatively minor infractions. Christopher is unable to leave the mob, deflecting his problems by relapsing into drug addiction and killing his old Narcotics Anonymous sponsor. He is then seriously injured in a car accident that he causes while driving under the influence of narcotics. Tony, the sole passenger, is unharmed and suffocates Christopher to death. A.J. is dumped by his fiancée and slips into depression, culminating in a failed suicide attempt in the backyard pool. Dr. Melfi is convinced by friends that Tony is making no progress and may even be using talking therapy for his own sociopathic benefit. She drops him as a patient.
Johnny Sack dies from lung cancer while imprisoned and Leotardo consolidates his position in the Lupertazzi family. He has his opposition for leadership killed and then officially takes over. In a resumption of their past feud Phil will not compromise with Tony on a garbage deal. When Tony assaults a Lupertazzi soldier for bothering Meadow on a date Phil seizes a chance for revenge. Phil orders the execution of Bobby Baccalieri, who is shot to death, Silvio, who ends up comatose, and Tony, who goes into hiding. A deal is brokered where the rest of the Lupertazzi family agree to ignore the order to kill Tony, and give Tony an opportunity to go after Phil. An FBI agent informs Tony of Phil's location and Tony has him killed. With Phil’s death, the threat from New York is extinguished and Tony, Carmela, Meadow, and A.J. meet for dinner.
Themes and characteristics
The Sopranos is noted for David Chase's multifaceted, symbolism-heavy style of writing and the series has consistently been the subject of feverish analysis.[3] The show operates on a rich number of levels. Chase and his co-writers have addressed a large number of psychological, philosophical, social and political themes throughout the series' run.
Dreams
- See also: Tony Soprano's Dreams
A distinctive aspect of The Sopranos is the dream sequences. Series creator David Chase, who writes most of the dream sequences,[72] states of them, "We've used those dreams to further the narrative. For example, 'Funhouse' could have been a story in which Tony gets some information that Pussy's the rat and he tracks it down and we do some stultifying procedural until we have the proof in hand. And I just couldn't go through that. I can't stand that (stuff). So we just decided it would be more interesting, that on some level Tony knows this, that his friend is betraying him, and it makes him ill in combination with some bad chicken, and his subconscious erupts like that and gives him the information."[72] The dream sequence includes Tony talking to Big Pussy as a fish and realizing his friend is an FBI informant. In the dream, Pussy (the fish) tells Tony, "You knew. You passed me over for promotion." Another famous dream is the sequence in "The Test Dream" that is over 20 minutes in length.[72]
Season six contains the longest continuous "dream" sequence with Tony as a regular man having his identity mistaken for a man named Kevin Finnerty.[73] In the dream, Tony is stuck in Costa Mesa, California, a city he had traveled to for business, and because of mistaken identity, he cannot travel home. Finnerty is portrayed as a salesman who lives a conservative, law-abiding life. During this sequence, he has a memorable run-in with Buddhist monks at a nearby monastery [73]
Ineptitude of mobsters
The mobsters in the series are depicted as tough, savvy, and street-smart but lacking heavily in formal education and a deeper understanding of themselves and their world. The mobsters' educational and linguistic shortcomings, particularly those of Paulie Walnuts and Christopher, are often a source of humor.[74] The characters themselves are frequently oblivious of their use of malapropisms and misunderstandings of basic history and common knowledge.
The gangsters' incompetence is in some way displayed in every episode of the series. Some of the more notable examples include:
- Much of the episode "Pine Barrens" is devoted to the failings of Paulie and Christopher as they attempt to survive a single day and night in a snowy wilderness after a botched execution. Earlier in the same episode Christopher shows his ignorance of history when he expresses disbelief that the Cuban Missile Crisis actually occurred by saying: "That was real? I saw that movie. I thought it was bullshit".[75]
- Bobby Baccalieri draws the ire of Tony while discussing world events and biblical prophecy by erroneously stating that "Quasimodo predicted all of this." Tony then corrects him by saying that he meant Nostradamus and that Quasimodo was the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Baccalieri then continues the conversation by mentioning the backfield of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, now thinking that a hunchback is like a half back.[76]
- Although more intelligent than his cohorts, Tony often uses malapropisms and repeats things that Dr. Melfi says to him elsewhere, only to get the phrase entirely wrong or to completely miss the point. Some of his more famous malapropisms include "revenge is like serving cold cuts" (a mangling of the expression "revenge is a dish best served cold")[77] and describing "amour fou" (a french expression meaning "crazy love") as "our mofo."[78]
- Recurring character "Little Carmine" Lupertazzi's delusions of eloquence are a consistent source of comedy for viewers.[79] He often muddles metaphors, once telling Tony that "You're at the precipice of an enormous crossroad."[80] "I have nine pictures under my sub-species," he at one time says of his movie-producing.[77] He also explains the final scene of the fictitious mafia/slasher movie Cleaver as a mix of "the sacred and the propane."[81] and that Beansie, since becoming paralysed, has to "pee into a cathode tube", meaning catheter.
Some mobsters are portrayed as intelligent and well-spoken in contrast, though they appear to be exceptions to the rule. For instance, Johnny Sack, Silvio Dante, Ralph Cifaretto, and Tony Blundetto are all highly intelligent (Blundetto allegedly has an IQ of 158) and almost never use malapropisms.[82]
References and allusions
Goodfellas
Chase has stated that the Martin Scorsese gangster film Goodfellas was a source of inspiration for him, calling the 1990 movie his "Qur'an".[83]
The Sopranos began with four starring cast members (Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, Tony Sirico and Vincent Pastore) who had appeared in Goodfellas. Later Frank Vincent, another Goodfellas cast member, joined the cast as Phil Leotardo. Joseph Gannascoli, who can be seen briefly in the film as an uncredited extra, joined the cast as Vito Spatafore. Recurring characters played by actors who also appeared in Goodfellas include Barbara Soprano Giglione (Nicole Burdette), Larry Boy Barese (Tony Darrow), Carmine Lupertazzi (Tony Lip), FBI Chief Frank Cubitoso (Frank Pellegrino), Albie Cianflone (John "Cha Cha" Ciarcia), Mary De Angelis (Suzanne Sheperd), Beansie Gaeta (Paul Herman), Joanne Moltisanti (Marianne Leone, also played by Goodfellas alumna Nancy Cassaro in one earlier episode), Doc Santoro (Dan Conte) and Pat Blundetto (Frank Albanese). Anthony Caso appeared in The Sopranos episode "46 Long" as Martin Scorsese and had a small part in Goodfellas. Actor Chuck Low appeared as Jewish character Morrie in Goodfellas and Hasidic hotel owner Mr. Teitlemann in The Sopranos. Actors who have had small roles in The Sopranos and Goodfellas include Tobin Bell, Gene Canfield, Gaetano LoGiudice, Vito Antuofermo, Frank Adonis, Anthony Alessandro, Victor Colicchio, and Angela Pietropinto. A total of 27 actors have appeared in both productions.
Goodfellas star Ray Liotta was also an early candidate to play Tony Soprano. Later on, Liotta also turned down the role of Ralph Cifaretto, which eventually went to Joe Pantoliano.
Michael Imperioli (who, in Goodfellas was shot in the foot), shoots a store attendant in the foot. As he screams in pain, yelling "You shot me in the foot!", Imperioli exits, saying "It happens..."
Also, Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent) kills Angelo Garepe (Joe Santos) in "The Test Dream"—similar to the way he died in "Goodfellas" as Billy Batts.
The Godfather
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Many of the characters are interested in The Godfather series of movies and some of the actors who portray them also appear in the films. For example in The Godfather Part II, Dominic Chianese (Corrado "Junior" Soprano) plays Johnny Ola. In "The Godfather" and "The Godfather Part II", Richard Bright (Frank Crisci, Episode 4.4 "The Weight" ) appears as "Al Neri" (IMBD). In The Godfather, Tony Lip (Carmine Lupertazzi) and Lou Martini, Jr. (Anthony Infante) appeared as wedding guests. In The Godfather Trilogy (a re-edited version of all three Godfather movies), Richard Maldone (Albert Barese) had a small role as Joey. Tony Sirico (Paulie Walnuts) claims to have been in The Godfather Part II[84] but he is not visible in the film.
Christopher Moltisanti is also fascinated with the films' depictions of the Mafia. They have all watched the films so often that Paulie, for example, refers to The Godfather star Al Pacino in conversation simply as "Al," Paulie's car horn plays "Love Theme From The Godfather", and several of the characters refer to the movies by their numbers: the first movie in the trilogy is simply referred to as "one." Tony and his crew sometimes discuss favorite scenes from the films. Silvio Dante in the early seasons would impersonate Al Pacino, from The Godfather Part III, saying, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." He has done impersonations of the scene in The Godfather Part III between Michael Corleone and Al Neri where Michael says "Our true enemy has yet to reveal himself," (followed, tellingly, by an immediate cut to a shot of Big Pussy). The mobsters compare themselves to the cinematic images of organized crime in The Godfather trilogy, as well as other well known films about the Mafia, such as Goodfellas. Late in Season One, Christopher bonds over the Godfather movies with hip-hop mogul Massive Genius, who insists that the third one is "misunderstood."
There are also various visual homages to the Godfather trilogy.original research? In Season One, the characters refer to Brendan Filone's murder as the "Moe Greene special" (a clean shot through the eye). Moe Greene was a character in the Godfather who was killed in the same way Filone was.
At the funeral of Jackie Aprile Sr. in Season One, numerous parallels to the funeral of Vito Corleone in The Godfather are evident. Tony Soprano and Christopher are in similar positions to Michael Corleone and Tom Hagen in The Godfather, while Junior Soprano sits in a similar position to Don Barzini in the Godfather scene. Both scenes were shot in Harimus Cove Cemetery in Jersey City, NJ.
Just before Tony is shot at in a failed assassination attempt in Season One, he buys a bottle of orange juice, a reference to Vito Corleone buying oranges during a similar attempt on his life.[85] In addition, following the death of Livia Soprano in Season Three, there is a point-of-view shot of Tony taking an elevator to the funeral home basement. The scene is a direct homage to the scene in The Godfather where Vito calls on a favor to Bonasera following the murder of his son, Santino.citation needed
In season four, Junior Soprano is hit in the head by a television microphone following trial and tumbles down the front steps of the courtroom in a manner reminiscent of Don Emilio Barzini after his execution in The Godfather.
In Season Five, Carmine Lupertazzi suffers a fatal stroke while eating brunch. At the table, all the glasses are filled with water, except Carmine's, which has orange juice. In Season Six, in the episode "Members Only", Tony is seen pouring orange juice into a coffee mug, and just after drinking it, he tells AJ that the only people you can really count on are family. Later in this episode Tony is shot by Junior, a family member. In the final episode, "Made in America", where it is conjectured that Tony may have been killed, Tony is seen eating an orange at Carmela's safe house. In The Godfather, Vito Corleone dies shortly after placing an orange wedge in his mouth in order to playfully frighten his grandson. In episode 10 of season 5 during the dream sequence Tony Soprano reaches for a gun behind the lavatory which is reference to the scene in the The Godfather where Michael Corleone retrieves the gun to shoot the police captain from where it is strapped to the back of the lavatory.
In the Season Six, Part 1 episode "Mayham," Anthony Junior plans to avenge the shooting of his father by killing Uncle Junior. A.J. tells Bobby and Christopher that getting to Junior would be "difficult, not impossible" (Rocco Lampone made this identical remark to Michael Corleone concerning the assassination of Hyman Roth in The Godfather Part II). When A.J. does in fact get caught in Junior's mental institution-jail with a knife in his revenge attempt, he later screams at Tony that Michael's restaurant revenge scene was always Tony's favorite, and Tony says, "It's a movie, A.J."
During the final scene of the series, in the episode "Made in America," an unknown man whom Tony watches closely walks into the bathroom of the restaurant they're in. The scene ends abruptly before the man returns, leading to speculation that the man came out of the bathroom and shot Tony. In The Godfather, Michael Corleone gets a gun from the bathroom and shoots Virgil Sollozzo and his policeman bodyguard, Captain McCluskey.
In the first episode of the series, when Chris Moltisanti waits with Big Pussy after killing Emil Kolar, he says "Lou Kabrasi sleeps with the fishes", and Big Pussy replies "It's Luca Brasi".
And Tony Soprano's wife is called Carmela—the same name as Vito Corleone's wife in the Godfather.
Product placement
The Sopranos has been consistent in the frequent depiction of actual brand names for products on the program. This practice is widely regarded within the media as product placement.[86][87][88]
Reception
Critical response
The Sopranos is acknowledged by critics as one of the greatest and most ground-breaking television series of its time, although critical appreciation of the show have varied considerably from season to season.[6][10][12] It has been called "perhaps the greatest pop-culture masterpiece of its day" by