Today, few series can compete with The Sopranos for the title of “greatest series of all time”. The HBO series, which aired from 1999 to 2007 and spanned six seasons, represented a new golden age, or era, of American television. “suffering men” From the title of Brett Martin’s excellent book.
The genius of The Sopranos is that it was able to transpose the traditional codes of the mafia series, mixing them with family drama. From the first episode of the show, Tony Soprano – an evil mobster from New Jersey – overcomes an anxiety attack.
The latter then begins therapy with a psychoanalyst (Lorraine Bracco), who confides in the latter about his family problems, but also about the problems faced by his other “family”, his mafia clan.
Controversial ending
A true gem of writing, The Sopranos also managed to rely on absolutely perfect casting, notably James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, Edie Falco as his wife Carmela, and even Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisante. , whom Tony treats as his nephew, even though they are not related by blood.
The show ended its run on June 10, 2007, with one of the most controversial finales in American television history. A stroke of genius for some, a botched act for others, this ending, left intentionally open-ended, does not show Tony Soprano’s supposed death on screen.
Almost fifteen years after this episode aired, a spin-off film called The Many Saints of Newark was released. Both an official prequel to the series and a completely standalone feature film, the film written by David Chase (creator of The Sopranos) takes place in the 70s, thirty years before the plot of the series.
The main character of this prequel is Dicky Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), Christopher’s father. Twenty-year-old Tony Soprano will also appear in a supporting role. The production had to find a successor to James Gandolfini, facing a huge responsibility.
The best choice for James Gandolfini’s success
The choice finally fell on an actor literally born to play the role. Michael Gandolfini, the son of Tony Soprano’s translator, was actually chosen to lend his qualities to the young mobster. The young actor’s striking resemblance to his father and his strikingly similar acting methods made it possible to pay homage to the late actor without falling into the trap of mimicry.
Although this film was supposed to spawn The Sopranos series, The Many Saints of Newark was not successful in theaters. Released in a difficult context (delayed several times due to Covid, the film was simultaneously released in theaters and on HBO Max), the feature film earned only $13 million worldwide on a budget of $50 million.
Small consolation: Many of the Newark Saints hit the stream. The film has broken audience records since its first week, garnering millions of views in the United States. Therefore, its failure in the theaters was just a mere accident, probably caused in the context of health.
Many Saints of Newark, adapted from the hit series The Sopranos, can now be seen on Netflix.
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Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
