Sophie's Choice (1982)

Sophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who has found a reason to live with 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 with 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 Meryl accepted her Best Actress Oscar for this film, she was already 5 months pregnant with daughter Mamie Gummer (Dorothy Chandler Pavilion / 11 April 1983).

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Goofs

During the "Choice" scene, Sophie refers to the officer as "Hauptmann." The SS had different rank designations, separate from the Wehrmacht. The correct rank designation would be "Hauptsturmfuehrer," evident by his collar tab. This title is, however, equivalent to "Hauptmann" (Captain) in the Wehrmacht Heer.

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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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Alternate Versions

CBS edited 12 minutes from this film for its 1986 network television premiere.

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Connections

Referenced in Captain Simian & The Space Monkeys: Splitzy's Choice (1996)

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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

Christmas with Sophie 2017

I don't know why I didn't want to see Sophie's Choice, not for years. I knew about Meryl Streep's performance, Alan J Pakula. Kevin Kline and I also knew that I had to see it eventually. Well, Christmas 2017 brought the shattering story into my life and now forever in my subconscious. Extraordinary is the first word that comes to mind. Meryl Streep's performance is out of this world. Every detail in her creation is a sort of link to her heart and therefore to mine. "Emil Dickens?" Her eyes, asking the question to the awful librarian will stay with me forever. Meryl Streep as Sophie asked that question 35 years ago. Amazing! What a devastating treat. It will make me go back to see all of her films., specially "A Cry In The Dark", "Plenty", "The Bridges Of Madison County" "Julia and Julia" even "Death Becomes Her" and "The Devil Wears Prada" Thank you Meryl Streep, thank you very much.