--- In [email protected], "authfriend" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], "shempmcgurk" <shempmcgurk@> > wrote: > > > > Aside from being a really great "mob genre" series, Chase did some > > very interesting things with "The Sopranos". And the thing that > > stands out for me is the way he didn't sugar-coat the utter > nastiness > > and depravity of the mob. > > > > I'm referring specifically to the tendency of Hollywood to glorify > > the mob, personified by "The Godfather" movies and the way the > > mobsters are, ultimately, portrayed as noble warriors. > > Er, no, they're ultimately portrayed as > pathetic losers. You think that last shot > of Michael as he reflects on just having > murdered his dim-witted brother shows him > as a "noble warrior"?
Yes, absolutely. It was his "Arjuna" moment. And how much nobler can you get than that? Arjuna had to make the ultimate noble sacrifice: kill his entire family. Michael Corleone killed his older brother because it was the "right" thing to do business-wise (it wasn't personal; it was business). > > Chase had > > none of that; he showed them for the pricks and utter contemptible > > ass-holes that they are. > > I haven't watched any of "The Sopranos," but what > I keep seeing in what's been written about it is > a tremendous amount of *ambivalence* on the part > of the audience, at least toward Tony. They > realize he's a murderous bastard, but at the same > time they have a lot of sympathy for him as a > human bean. That can't have been unintentional > on Chase's part; if he had wanted Tony to be > unsympathetic, he'd have directed Gandolfini to > play him that way. > > Contrary to what others here have said, much of > the viewer commentary, at least that I read, prior > to the last episode was hopeful that Tony would > *not* get what was coming to him, that he and his > family would survive and go on in one way or > another. Many wanted Tony to go into the witness > protection program. > > It seems to me that the ending--again, from what > I've read about it--was very much designed as a > roll-your-own. Each viewer could imagine what > followed the black screen according to what they > wanted to happen--which seems entirely consistent > with what Chase had been doing all along, > portraying both Tony's monstrous side and his > human side, and letting viewers make their own > individual judgments. > You haven't watched any of the "Sopranos". I've pretty well seen all 86 episodes. Go watch, say, 15 of them and THEN come back and discuss it.
