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. They befriend Stingo, the ... See full summary »

Director:

Alan J. Pakula

Writers:

William Styron (based on the novel: "Sophie's Choice" by), Alan J. Pakula (screenplay)

Stars:

Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Peter MacNicol

Won 1 Oscar. Another 12 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Meryl Streep	...	Sophie
Kevin Kline	...	Nathan
Peter MacNicol	...	Stingo
Rita Karin	...	Yetta
Stephen D. Newman	...	Larry
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

Storyline

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 Stingo, the movie's narrator, a young American writer new to New York City. But the happiness of Sophie and Nathan is endangered by her ghosts and his obsessions.

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Plot Keywords:

writer | aspiring writer | concentration camp | phone ringing | kiss | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Polish German French Russian

Release Date:

4 March 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

La decisión de Sophie

Filming Locations:

Reiserovo castle, Samobor, Croatia

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$202,131, 12 December 1982, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$30,036,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Incorporated Television Company (ITC), Keith Barish Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

150 min 157 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When director Alan J. Pakula was initially signed on to the film, he envisioned only Liv Ullmann in the title role.

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Goofs

When Nathan toasts Stingo on the bridge, as the shot pulls back you see first one then several cars from 1982, obviously an issue with how long they could hold up the bridge traffic for the shot, they needed to hold it up an extra minute or maybe lacked the budget to pay for late 40's cars to drive by instead. You can also see the lights of The River Cafe, a waterfront restaurant under the bridge that didn't open until 1977.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: It was 1947, two years after the war, when I began my journey to what my father called the Sodom of the north, New York. They called me Stingo, which was the nick name I was known by in those days, if I was called anything at all.

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Connections

Referenced in The Apprentice: Cupcake Challenge (2009)

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Soundtracks

Symphony No 9 in D Minor: Choral
(1826)
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven (as Ludwig Van Beethoven)
Courtesy of Intersound, Inc,

User Reviews

22 years later.....still the BEST acting ever

This is still one of my favorite movies of all time ....and absolutely the best acting by an actress in all the years since then. Streep is magnificent and flawless. The "choice" scene was so horrifying to me (a mother of a young son and daughter at the time) that it took me several years before I could watch the movie without skipping past that part. It is such a small scene, yet its impact was so haunting and so horrifying - I can't think of any other scene in a movie that has affected me like that. Kline was terrific as well, and the musical score is beautiful and memorable. All in all, a wonderful film, and a perfect 10 from me. What a gifted actress!