Aspiring southern author stingo peter macnicol heads to new york to seek his fortune. 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. 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. This is the film where meryl streep became meryl streep the great and powerful and never looked back. 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. And streep has been more or less more more than less a fixture during awards season for her entire career. The movie is recommended only if you are a meryl streep fan and for the few concentration camp scenes and the choice scene. If that scene punctuated by meryl streeps silent scream is forever. This is a closing scene to a film that, until this moment, had avoided revealing the choice. Pakula directed the movie and wrote the script based on the novel of the same name by william styron. 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.
Pakula and starring meryl streep in the title role. Sophies choice by alan pakula is an excellent movie, propelled to greatness by a staggering performance by meryl streep. Some call this film a satire but its more an exercise in demented frivolity, with streep ditching her usual. In flashy horizontalstripe sequins, meryl streep was the radiant, glowy variety of pregnant with daughter mamie gummer. Sophies entscheidung ist ein us amerikanisches filmdrama aus dem jahr 1982. Amazons choicekunden haben sich auch diese amazon choiceartikel angesehen. 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. I have returned to rewatch sophies choice several times over the past thirty four years. Having been born in america, with no learned second or third language, i was shocked to. Among other accolades, she has received 32 golden globe nominations, more than any other person, and won eight. Meryl streep is simply one of the greatest actresses of our time and has truly made her mark. Sophies choice is a rare film, literate, deeply moving and gifted with an absolutely aweinspiring performance by meryl streep. No matter how you may feel about the story, sophies choice is worth watching simply for the pleasure of watching meryl streep act. Learn about meryl streep through the years via these illuminating.
Pakula, who adapted william styrons novel of the same name. Nominated for a record 21 academy awards, she has won three. Pakula all the presidents men, the pelican brief and based on a 1979 novel. Newman greta turken gunther maria halmer robin bartlett marcell rosenblatt. Find out where sophies choice is streaming, if sophies choice is on netflix, and get news and updates, on decider. 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 streep s in sophie s choice. 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. She is the first lady of american cinema, and a true national treasure. Thus the reason this oscar winning film is my meryl film. 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. 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. Thanks in large part to miss streeps bravura performance, its a film that casts a powerful. Sophies choice is a 1982 american drama film directed by alan j. A 1982 drama film adapted from william styrons 1979 novel of the same name, directed by alan j. Peter macnicol, meryl streep and kevin kline in sophies choice. 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. She gave a beautiful performance in sophies choice. Meryl streep sophie zawistowska, kevin kline nathan landau, peter. After seeing him in this film, john cleese decided to cast kevin kline in his.
Often described as the best actress of her generation, streep is particularly known for her versatility and accents. Pakulas sophies choice 1982, from william styrons novel about the aftereffects of holocaust evil, gives us film s most memorable incarnation of survivors guilt. As it is, she lost to kate for the french lieutenants woman. I didnt read the novel, but as a movie it felt perfect in how the story is revealed. For about half of sophies choice, meryl streep gives the meryl streep performance weve been waiting for. 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. In fact most of the movie doesnt refer to the holocaust but of sophie, the character so brilliantly created by william styron in his novel sophies choice and beautifully adapted into a screen play.
Peter macnicol in sophies choice 1982 meryl streep in sophies choice 1982. Here, they play sophie and nathan, a volatile young couple living in a brooklyn boardinghouse in the summer of 1947. Sophie s choice is a 1982 american drama film directed by alan j. Meryl streep at 70 as the great american actor turns 70, we tasked one sophie bfi contributor sophie monks kaufman with an impossible choice. Mary louise meryl streep born june 22, 1949 is an american actress. Mis bijvoorbeeld nooit meer een film van stanley kubrick of meryl streep. In the movie sophies choice, i couldnt help but be drawn to her talent in manifesting speech through different languages in this film. The movie is one of my all time favorites for several reasons. Pakula with meryl streep, kevin kline, peter macnicol, rita karin, year.
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 streep was born and raised in summit, new jersey, having an english and germanic decent. Even thirty years after its release, sophie still tops the list of critics favorite and best roles. Its hard to imagine there has ever been any better screen acting than meryl streeps in sophies choice. Even in the first 10 minutes before we know whats going on, i was blown away. The kinds of films where, upon finishing, you punch the air and yell something, just to join in the triumphant atmosphere. 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. Though its far from a flawless movie, sophies choice is a unified and deeply affecting one. Meryl streep and peter macnicol in sophies choice 1982 meryl streep in sophies choice. If that scene punctuated by meryl streeps silent scream is forever branded on the back of your skull, imagine if you were the. She goes beyond the boundaries of acting and completely becomes sophie zawistowska.
A heartbreaking film set between two timelines that both follow sophie and the decisions in her life. 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. Sophies choice film wikimili, the free encyclopedia. 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. Meryl streep carries this film giving a wonderfully emotional performance as she plays the complex sophie zawistowski. 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. 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. 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. Streep won her first best actress academy award for her performance. 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.
Streep was too controlling, too calculated, to create. Sophies choice, starring the actress meryl streep as a holocaust survivor, opens in theaters. In the beginning, the character comes off as a mystery. With meryl streep, kevin kline, peter macnicol, rita karin. No matter how you may feel about the story, sophie s choice is worth watching simply for the pleasure of watching meryl streep act. The back story is told in flashbacks and is excellent. Set in 1947, the story follows stingo, a young writer who has recently moved to brooklyn to work on a novel. Meryl streep kevin kline peter macnicol josh mostel rita karin stephen d. Moving into a dingy brooklyn boarding house, stingo strikes up a friendship with research. To say that meryl streep is great in sophies choice would be a major understatement. 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. 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.
The concentration camp scenes are very good and the scene where sophie has to make her choice is excellent. Stingo shares a brooklyn boarding house with polish emigre sophie and her mercurial lover, a union unsettled by violent behavior. The scene in which we discover the facts behind sophies choice is a gutwrenching one. The film stars meryl streep, kevin kline, and peter macnicol. She was nominated 6 more times during the 1980s winning again in 83 for sophies choice. Meryl streep is very lucky that sophies choice was made the year it was. Sophies choice is a slow and tragic drama that is harrowing in its delivery. It is betraying nothing to reveal that the character of stingo is the alter ego of william styron, upon whose bestselling novel the film. Language and meryl streep in sophies choice warirose. Meryl streeps incomparable performance in sophies choice.
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