IMDb > Sophie's Choice (1982)
Sophie's Choice
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Sophie's Choice (1982) More at IMDbPro »

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Sophie's Choice (1982) -- 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...
Sophie's Choice (1982) -- Open-ended Trailer from Universal
Sophie's Choice (1982) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   10,653 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 17% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Alan J. Pakula (writer)
William Styron (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for Sophie's Choice on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 December 1982 (USA) more
Genre:
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... more | full synopsis
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 11 wins & 10 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(34 articles)
Meryl Streep past her ''sell by date''
 (From Monsters and Critics. 1 December 2009, 2:14 AM, PST)

Their Best Role: Meryl Streep
 (From Cinematical. 18 November 2009, 9:02 AM, PST)

User Comments:
..only one of the commentaries found its true star... more (105 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
more
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Sophie's Choice (Australia)
more
Runtime:
150 min | Canada:157 min (Ontario)
Country:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #91 Greatest Movie of All Time. It was the first inclusion of this film on the list. more
Quotes:
Nathan Landau: To Stingo! more
Movie Connections:

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
26 out of 30 people found the following comment useful.
..only one of the commentaries found its true star..., 1 May 2006
10/10
Author: fimimix from United States

...all of the characters in this astounding book/movie were as good or as unimportant as viewers/readers found them to be, simply because William Styron developed them that way: Stingo WAS an unexperienced nerd, having lived an idyllic life in the South with nothing happening in his life, yet aspired to write the Great American Novel; how perfect for a virginous male to so fortunate to live with people who educate him what a horrendous journey life can be. McNichols was perfect for this role, because he was the opposite of Sophie. Nathan was mad and KNEW he was mad, longing with all his soul to be otherwise; a little madness drives people to do astounding things. Kline was perfect; what a shame he has never found another role as good. Sophie was the haunted lady whose life made her that way; Styron's development of her character is masterful. I read an interview in which he was asked how he felt his novel was presented in the film. His reply, "I took the money and ran." He could foresee there would be controversy over his work.

Some viewers, especially the younger ones, cannot appreciate how actresses have developed over the life-time of movie-making. They should watch some of the "silent" films to learn that mime was the only way to express an emotion. Mellodrama, intentionally so - yet, look at the entire work of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford as examples of contrived performances. They were, at last, able to confront one another in "Baby Jane" - attempting to "out-drama" one another made it the wonderful film it is.

There is simply no other actress, that we know of, who is more talented a performer than Streep. Unlike Davis and Crawford, she is not concerned about her "star-power". She becomes whatever character she is playing, no matter if we like them or not. SO WHAT if "Sophie's Choice" was a vehicle to demonstrate her power? Please write another !! William Styron, stand forth ! Because of her absorption into her characters and the many nuances she developed in "Choice", take a look at "The Deer Hunter" to see how powerfully she played an un-extraordinarily plain woman perfectly. Under-playing a character, to make you believe people are actually like that, is the mark of a great actress.

I ardently pray there will be another role for Ms. Streep - even in her older years - that will allow us to become totally engrossed, to get outside of our own lives, to become completely destroyed, delirious, shattered just for a couple of hours, to realize there is still such talent in the world - THAT WE CAN AFFORD TO WATCH, at least.....thank heavens for this magical film.....

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Sophie's Choice (1982)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Dubbing herself in French. deluded_dreamer
Ok this could be the stupidest question ever... Corky89
Best performance by an actor EVER thisempty
this is a terrible movie slick_18
The performance of a lifetime carlosmbeltran
What was this movie rated in the US? CaptGage
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