Sophie's Choice

 

 

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I read Styron's novel, Sophie's Choice, when it first came out. I was mesmerized all the way through. I didn't go to see the movie in the theatre because, knowing the story, I didn't want to be depressed. A couple of years ago, I bought the movie, but it sat on the shelf for a long time, unwatched until last night when I viewed it with my family, none of whom had read the book.

My Polish husband left the room about half way through because he just couldn't stand to be reminded of things that were way too real for him. The rest of us continued to watch, hypnotized by the inexorable unfolding of the tragedy. After it was over, nobody spoke for a very long time. It's that kind of movie.

There is something about the movie, though, that disturbs me. You see, the book had a certain emphasis that was excluded from the movie version. In Styron's novel, he is explicit about the parallels between the Nazi/Jew atrocities and the terrible abuses of the American South against Black Americans. This was an important theme - the universality of suffering - that he then developed more fully by making Sophie, a NON-Jew, the center of the story. In the novel, the suffering of the Jews IS discussed, but it is made quite clear that Hitler's main target was the Slavs. He carefully makes his case that the Holocaust is NOT an exclusively Jewish experience or tragedy. The fact is, 6 million Polish citizens were killed by the Nazis, only half of which were Jews. The other three million victims were Polish Christians and Catholics. For the Nazis, the Poles were, in fact, the First Target: "All Poles will disappear from the world.... It is essential that the great German people should consider it as its major task to destroy all Poles." (Heinrich Himmler)

Hitler quickly took control of Poland by specifically targeting and eliminating the Polish Intelligentsia. During the next few years, millions of other Polish citizens were rounded up made slaves for German farmers and factories or taken to concentration camps where they were either starved and worked to death or used for scientific experiments.

The Jews in Poland were forced inside ghettos, but the non-Jews were made prisoners in the concentration camps very early, as well as inside their own country. No one was allowed out.

That's what Sophie's Choice was about, mainly: the suffering of the Poles, and Sophie exemplified this suffering. But this major theme has been completely lost in the movie version.

Nathan, the "spokesman for the Jews" in the story, is a paranoid schizophrenic which might be considered a subtle way to portray the "paranoid" nature of the Jewish claim for Holocaust exclusivity. Entwined with the major theme of the book is Nathan's inability to cope with the fact that Sophie, a Polish-Catholic, experienced horrifying sufferings that were claimed to be exclusively Jewish.

The monstrous decision that Sophie is forced to make (sometimes idiomatically used as way of describing a choice between two unbearable options, a "Sophie's Choice"), is not even fully portrayed in the film version. In the novel, Sophie describes the fussing and whining and crying of her daughter who was sick with an untreated ear infection prior to being forced to make the choice. It is suggested that her choice was partly influenced by her irritation at the child which makes it all the more monstrous.

Meryl Streep gives a fabulous performance as do Kevin Kline and Peter MacNicol. All three are perfect for their roles. The movie is only slightly slow, but still manages to carry the viewer along. It could have been a better movie if the nuances of Sophie's choice as well as the primary themes of the book had been included. These elements would have made it stupendous instead of just excellent.

All through the book and movie, Sophie faces choices and in every instance, she chooses from a position of illusion of safety and fear, and it seems to be suggested that when she chooses, someone dies as a consequence of her choice.

For example, after her father and her husband have been taken by the Nazis (at that point, you would think that Sophie would have realized that there was no rationality to Nazism since her father and husband were supporters of the Nazis and died anyway), she has a lover, Józef, who, with his half-sister, Wanda, is a member of the Polish Resistance. They ask Sophie to translate some stolen Gestapo documents, but fearing she might get into trouble, she refuses. Two weeks later, Józef is murdered by the Gestapo. One gets the impression that if Sophie had helped, this might not have happened, but that is uncertain. It is only a short time later that Sophie is arrested and sent to Auschwitz with her children. So, again, holding back, acting out of fear for the self, trying to protect the self, is not seen to be a good choice.

When Sophie is in line at Auschwitz, she again tries to save herself and her children by telling a doctor that she is a good catholic, a supporter of the Reich, etc. Even though she is pretending to support the Nazis out of fear for herself and her children, and trying to save them, it is this act that precipitates the terrible choice. There is clearly no humanity in the Nazi mentality and that is something that Sophie never seems to grasp. She continues to think that they are normal humans, that they can be reasoned with, their consciences appealed to, when it is clear they are psychopaths and have no consciences at all. This occurs again in her interactions with camp commandant Hess. She refuses to help others by stealing a radio, and caves in to her fears again and pretends to be a Nazi supporter to try to save herself and her son.

Again and again Sophie makes the wrong choices. Finally, Sophie seems to understand that saving herself isn't worth what she has paid with the coin of her soul. She returns to the deadly embrace of her Jewish lover who, in his paranoid schizophrenia, takes both their lives.

Perhaps a prophetic lesson for our own times. It's a beautiful film, but it could have been better with very little effort.

This movie should be shown to every student in acting, not much as an example of filmmaking, as the film itself is flawed and slowpaced, although truly beautiful in patches, but as an example of acting. Mac Nicol and especially Kline offer very good performances, but the real standout in this movie is of course Meryl Streep, the greatest of them all.
Yes, Katharine Hepburn was charming, yes, Bette Davis' eyes were the silver screen's most expressive ones, yes, one single silent moment in a Greta Garbo movie was well worth the price of the ticket or that of the DVD, yes, Liz Taylor was beautiful and skillful, yes, Jane Fonda was talented and versatile. But when it comes to sheer acting skills Meryl is simply the best. I mean the best of all time. So far she has offered us so many totally different characters speaking different languages and accents that I wouldn't be too surprised seeing her onscreen speaking perfect chinese or albanian in a near future. Personally I don't consider her so much an actress as an incarnation of the character she plays, and she has already pushed this concept to further limits. She is so studied and spontaneous at the same time, poignant, moving, cold, distant, expressive, fascinating, sexy, sometimes even beautiful, economical and parsimonious in her acting. Like de Niro, she simply has no limits at all.
I don't like so much comparing one actor to another, especially actors or actresses that have lived and worked in different decades or centuries, and not only actors; I mean, how can you compare Shakespeare to Hugo, Einstein to Newton, Macchiavelli to Churchill, Mohammed Ali to Michael Jordan, Beethoven to Mozart, Brando to de Niro?
But sometimes it happens that the gap between the best and the rest of them all is so obvious that you can't help comparing and choosing. I just hope that Meryl Streep continues to make more and more beautiful movies and offer us more pleasure and emotions with her acting skills, although quite frankly I don't expect her to top herself, as what she's done in "Sophie's choice" is as good as acting in movies can get. But I don't expect it from any other actress either. Not in the near future anyway.

This is a truly sad movie, but consider the subject matter. How could you make a happy movie dealing with the Holocaust?

All the actors in this film offer haunting performances, but Meryl Streep is the stand out. She becomes Sophie! She is luminous, humorous, heartbreaking, thoroughly convincing in her role. If Meryl Streep had not won the Oscar for her performance, it would have been a terrible travesty.

It is a deep film - difficult to watch at some points, but worth the ride.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Very Very Long Wait for DVD - Still Waiting!! for Sopie's Choice
I have not yet received this DVD (Sophie's Choice). Actually, it is the 2nd time I have ordered this DVD. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Victor Dawe

5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfied
The product arrived pretty quickly given that I ordered it the week before Christmas, and it was in perfect condition - still wrapped, no marks, as shown in their picture... Read more

Published 16 months ago by Kate

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor Picture Quality and Not Real Widescreen
Once again - a great movie released on DVD in a careless transfer. Picture quality is poor and this is not a widescreen DVD as it is compressed.

Published on Feb 14 2010 by Mark Thomas

5.0 out of 5 stars I don't believe this is fiction
I read the book the moment it hit the stands because I was already a huge William Styron fan. I had a first edition! Read more

Published on Sep 9 2004 by CaptStLucifer

4.0 out of 5 stars Agonizing - in more ways than one
This movie is simply agonizing in more ways than one. First, the bad. This movie is very lengthy - 2 hours and 30 minutes, and let me tell you, I could feel each and every minute... Read more

Published on July 4 2004 by Colin

5.0 out of 5 stars the most depressing movie ever
I agree with others that this is an excellent movie--Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, are wonderful, etc. I saw it first in a movie theatre when it first came out, and found it's... Read more

Published on Feb 1 2004 by S. Collins

5.0 out of 5 stars Meryl Streep is simply exceptional
Probably everyone has seen this movie, and probably everyone knows the premise, and probably everyone knows what Sophie's choice was and why it's slowly driving her crazy. Read more

Published on Jan 10 2004 by Peggy Vincent

4.0 out of 5 stars To The Point
If you want to see why many people think that Meryl Streep is the greatest film actress on the planet, this is the film to see. Read more

Published on Dec 7 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars But don't see it until after you've read the book
Sophie's Choice is both a love story and a tale of such unbearable horror that human beings can barely comprehend it. Read more

Published on Oct 31 2003 by Kenneth Wolman

4.0 out of 5 stars Streep's excellence saves this from being "Stingo's Story"
I've seen Sophie's Choice many times and it's probably Meryl Streep's best performance. She speaks English with a Polish accent, Polish, and German portraying a Holocaust... Read more

Published on Oct 26 2003 by Adam Bernstein

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