The Sopranos - Season 1

Alan Taylor, Allen Coulter, Andy Wolk, David Chase,

Overview

This hard hitting release from the landmark mafia drama The Sopranos includes all 13 episodes from the show's first season, following the story of Tony Soprano, a Mafioso living in New Jersey who strives to reconcile the brutal violence of his criminal life with his ability to function in his emotional and personal life.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/24/2009
UPC:	0883929083398
Original Release:	0000
Rating:	NR
Source:	Hbo Home Video
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound, Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound]
Time:	13:00:00
Sales rank:	19,945

Special Features

Exclusive Interview with Sopranos Creator David Chase by Peter Bogdanovich; ; 2 Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

James Gandolfini	Tony Soprano
John Heard	Vin Mazakian
John Ventimiglia	Artie Bucco
Al Sapienza	Mikey
Anthony de Sando	Brendan Filone
Edie Falco	Carmela Soprano
Jerry Adler	Hesh Rabkin
Michael Rispoli	Jackie Aprile
Lorraine Bracco	Dr. Jennifer Melfi
Dominic Chianese	Corrado 'Junior' Soprano
Kathrine Narducci	Charmaine Bucco

Technical Credits

Alan Taylor	Director
Allen Coulter	Director
Andy Wolk	Director
David Chase	Director
Henry Bronchtein	Director
Lorraine Senna	Director
Matthew Penn	Director
Nick Gomez	Director

Editorial Reviews

A film has only one chance to make its impression, but a television show can add layers to itself every seven days. Most programs don't take advantage of that, but few have done better than HBO's The Sopranos. The first season, released in a four-DVD set, allows one to savor The Sopranos, which quickly became one of the most confident and insightful shows on television. Early on, David Chase's portrait of the private and professional life of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano teeters on the edge of parody. Tony himself, artfully played by James Gandolfini, is believably complicated and conflicted, emerging as a family man (in both the literal and colloquial senses of the word) depressed by the slow rot of his own inner life. His sessions with psychotherapist Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) help in some ways (through a new understanding of his family's importance, and a Prozac prescription) and hurt in others (his continued "anti-social" behavior and an intense case of doctor-patient transference), but never go over-the-top. It's Tony's fellow gangsters who feel exaggerated at first, though the crew develops quickly in the first season from well-acted stereotypes who spend a lot of time quoting Al Pacino movies into legitimately multi-dimensional characters. These supporting performances, most notably by Michael Imperioli and Vincent Pastore, give the show's mafia moments the juice they need to transcend parody. The other Soprano family members -- an upper-middle class nuclear unit that worries about upper-middle class things -- is that rare portrayal of suburban life: one drawn with care and humor without condescension, and with attention to regional and ethnic detail. Ultimately, though, what makes The Sopranos so good is its unfailing dedication to its characters. Their lives are fully and richly imagined, steeped in a deep understanding of suburbia by writers and directors who know what they're doing and care about doing it intelligently. No show since Homicide: Life on the Street has created so nuanced a world; one packed with real ironies, ambiguities, and quiet truths. Who would've thought the artistic high road would look so much like the New Jersey Turnpike?

Barnes & Noble - Dave Roth