--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "shempmcgurk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <jstein@> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "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).
Which is what makes him so pathetic at the end. There's no "nobility" in killing a family member for the sake of your business. That's the ultimate in heartless materialism and lust for power. <snip> > > 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. Yeah, but I've been reading viewer reaction. If Chase wanted the audience to find Tony contemptible, as you maintain, he failed with a lot of viewers. I don't have to see any of the series to say that.
