Sophie’s Choice (1982)

Summary: It is 1947 and a young man of good background moves into large house, divided into apartments in Brooklyn, where he intends to write a novel. He is adopted and named “Stingo” by a couple who live in another apartment, Nathan and Sophie. Nathan appears to be a slightly mad chemist, who according to him has made some discoveries. Sophie we find, in flashbacks has been found by Nathan, collapsed in a library. Sophie is Polish, and we see that she has a number tattooed on her arm. The three become inseparable friends, Sophie remaining faithful to Nathan, despite his erratic behaviour and Stingo’s obvious interest in her. Stingo visits Nathan’s brother, to find that he is not a chemist, but a part time assistant in the library, and that he has passed through a succession of funny farms. When Nathan falls out with Sophie she turns to Stingo, but feels the need to tell him her distressing holocaust story.

Content: I was going to write “No sex”, but there sort of is, however no nudity. Quite  bit of drinking and some implied drug taking. A lot of time spent in the very attractive Brooklyn house inhabited by the characters, mostly in Stingo’s apartment where a lot of champagne is drunk. When we finally get to it extended scenes in Auschwitz where Sophie becomes a secretary to the boss in the camp. A lot of emphasis placed on the difference between the terrible conditions of the prisoners, and on the other side of a wall, the well ordered and decorative house and garden of the commandant. Just a bit of time back in Poland showing us how Sophie came to be arrested, and that her father was a Nazi lover.

A View: This film was nominated for several Oscars and won one. Best Actress for Meryl Streep. It was 30 odd years before she won another. Honestly, I thought it was far too long, but the director was also the writer, often a bad sign. I really did not require us to watch for more than an hour to find out that Nathan is a nut. And if I’m honest I did not really see the connection between the present and the past, although I’m sure there is supposed to be one. Perhaps if I read the book I would find out. Of course we all probably know what the choice is before seeing the film, so not really a watch unless you want to be miserable.

This film was Kevin Kline’s first film outing, and his performance caused John Cleese to cast him in A Fish Called Wanda. He is also pretty goof in Dave, and memorable for all the wrong reasons in Wild Wild West.