Sophie's Choice (1982)

Director:

Alan J. Pakula

Writers:

Alan J. Pakula (writer)
William Styron (novel)

Release Date:

8 December 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Between the innocent, the romantic, the sensual, and the unthinkable. There are still some things we have yet to imagine.

Plot:

Sophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who has found a reason to live in Nathan, a sparkling...

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | Writer | Holocaust | New York City | Concentration Camp

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 11 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Meryl Streep	...	Sophie Zawistowski
Kevin Kline	...	Nathan Landau
Peter MacNicol	...	Stingo
Rita Karin	...	Yetta
Stephen D. Newman	...	Larry Landau
Greta Turken	...	Leslie Lapidus
Josh Mostel	...	Morris Fink
Marcell Rosenblatt	...	Astrid Weinstein
Moishe Rosenfeld	...	Moishe Rosenblum
Robin Bartlett	...	Lillian Grossman
Eugene Lipinski	...	Polish Professor
John Rothman	...	Librarian
Joseph Leon	...	Dr. Blackstock
David Wohl	...	English Teacher
Nina Polan	...	Woman in English Class

Also Known As:

Sophie's Choice (Australia)

Runtime:

150 min | Canada:157 min (Ontario)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Polish | German

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:16 | Iceland:12 | Singapore:PG (cut) | South Korea:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn Promenade, Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Incorporated Television Company (ITC)

Trivia:

The quoted poem is "Ample make this Bed" by Emily Dickinson.

Quotes:

Sophie: [after having taken a sip of the wine that Nathan has poured for her] Mmm. You know, when you... when you live a good life... like a saint... and then you die, that must be what they make you to drink in paradise.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Friends: The One with Phoebe's Uterus (#4.11)" (1998)

Best Performance Ever

Meryl Streep's performance as Sophie is simply the finest performance ever captured on film. Period. The subtlety and depth with which she reveals Sophie's wounds are simply spellbinding. She is at once radiantly beautiful, yet deeply wounded. She is charming, yet vulnerable. She is someone you want to love, yet someone whose pain keeps you at a distance.

This film takes the viewer on an intense emotional journey. Anyone, but especially anyone who is a parent, would have to be an emotional rock to not be absolutely haunted by this story. As much as I have studied and pondered the Holocaust, this film has connected me to those events more emotionally than I have ever been before.

This film, and Ms. Streep's performance, are a gift to humanity.