Search - Sophie's Choice on DVD


Sophie's Choice
Sophie's Choice
Actors: Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Peter MacNicol, Rita Karin, Stephen D. Newman
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Genres: Drama, Military & War
R     1998     2hr 30min

Sophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps who has found a reason to live in Nathan a sparkling if unsteady American Jew obsessed with the Holocaust. They befriend Stengo the movies narrator a young American writer...  more »

     

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Movie Details

Actors: Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Peter MacNicol, Rita Karin, Stephen D. Newman
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Creators: Néstor Almendros, Alan J. Pakula, Keith Barish, Martin Starger, William C. Gerrity, William Styron
Genres: Drama, Military & War
Sub-Genres: Love & Romance, Military & War
Studio: Lions Gate
Format: DVD - Color,Widescreen,Letterboxed
DVD Release Date: 04/21/1998
Original Release Date: 12/08/1982
Theatrical Release Date: 12/08/1982
Release Year: 1998
Run Time: 2hr 30min
Screens: Color,Widescreen,Letterboxed
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 0
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Subtitles: Spanish

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Movie Reviews

HAUNTING
R. Penola | NYC, NY United States | 12/24/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Alan Pakula brings the Styron novel to the screen with period-perfection, and he has in his court a trio of superb performances, lead, of course, by Meryl Streep, who finally won me over with her transformation into Sophie. The character is layered and rich with emotional baggage, and Meryl's performances is nothing short of transcendental. When I saw this movie in the theatre upon its release, there was an older woman in the audience, towards the front, who ran screaming from the theatre, her hands on her ears, during the gut-twisting "choice" sequence. Kevin Kline and Peter MacNicol, who do battle over Sophie, and within their own hearts, are exceptional foils for Sophie, and each brings a resonance to the evocative Brooklyn locations. The European sequences, swathed in a sepia tone, are mesmerizing and horrific. Sophie's journey is also a mystery, and it unravels with devastating results. Marvin Hamlish designed the lush musical score, which continues to rip my heart open every time I play it. While Schindler's List is a more gigantic vision of the experience of the Holocaust, this movie is intensely personal, but does perhaps more to drive a stake through your heart. You will continue to wonder, long after the haunting images of Sophie's face fade from view, what might you have done in her shoes?"
What is Evil?
Marc Ruby? | Warren, MI USA | 03/22/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Caught forever in an existential moment, Meryl Streep's portrayal of the aftereffects of Auschwitz is transfixing. Sophie is the guilt-ridden survivor of a Nazi concentration camp, and Streep's remarkable work brings her leaping off the screen into the hearts and minds of the watcher. This is a complex film which plays the outer tragedy of Sophie's present life against the inner tragedy of the evil she faced during the war.As the story of Sophie's devastating past unfolds in flashbacks Streep faces choice after choice in her present life. Each seems to eat away at her life. Peter MacNicol and Kevin Kline unite to give performances that that carefully balance Streep's, creating an intense overall effect that cannot be described easily,The film's emotional and intellectual content make is a bit too lengthy and stagy, but the lulls set the stage for the emotional crises. This is a heart rending story that will not be everyone's cup of tea, but Streep well deserves the Academy Award she got for this film, which was also nominated for best screenplay and best cinematography."
A very powerful film, impossible to forget!
Edward Mross | West Allis, WI | 11/03/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I watched "Sophie's Choice" not knowing at all what to expect. I assumed that the "choice" would be something commonplace in a film, like a choice between two lovers. When I found out what the choice really was, it made a very deep impression on me. It was the most gut-wrenching thing I have ever seen, in the movies or in real life. The scene is unforgettable. The emotionless evil of the SS officer offering Sophie the choice is highly disturbing. The man is extremely cold, almost Satanic in the evil he radiates. The strange thing is that he is not physically ugly-at first I thought the part was played by Alec Baldwin. This is easily the best portrayal of the Holocaust I've seen on film, much better than "Schindler's List." The evil of Auschwitz is so all-encompassing, so icy and devoid of emotion, that I can't help but think that it is the closest thing to Hell ever recreated on Earth. Also, Meryl Streep's performance is by far the best I have ever seen in any film. Her virtuosity and technical brilliance are unmatched. One reviewer compared it to DeNiro in "Raging Bull," and I have to agree. The supporting performances are excellent, especially Peter McNicol who is indispensable as the narrator. The one flaw I found with the film (and probably with the novel as well, although I have not read it) is Stingo's (the author's) highly self-conscious fixation on sex. I thought that it was irrelevant to the story. To anyone who feels that the film is too slow-paced, I say keep watching action movies until you grow up and leave superb films like these to people emotionaly mature enough to appreciate them. On the whole, I would rate this among the best films I've ever seen. Definitely don't miss it!"
See it for Streep
Baron Sardonicus | Pennsylvania | 08/03/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)

"This will be the role she is always remembered for. This is the role of a lifetime, the jewel in her crown.

I don't know if I would want to watch this film again. It leaves me spent and empty and sad. I suppose I would watch it to see Streep's astonishing performance. But the themes explored are so brutal, so unspeakable, that they leave me dumbfounded.

Yes, there is beauty here. Cinematography, music, acting, writing. But there is a sense of hopelessness that leaves scars.

It is worth seeing for a beautiful, haunting and incredible acting performance by Meryl Streep.
"