I knew that the lead actress won her second Academy Award for her leading role, I knew her two supporting actors, and I knew vaguely the storyline behind it, and it turned out to be a very good film, from director Alan J. Pakula (Klute, All the President's Men, The Devil's Own). Basically young American South writer Stingo (Peter MacNicol) has come to post World War II Brooklyn, and meets beautiful Polish immigrant Sophie Zawistowski (Oscar and Golden Globe winning, and BAFTA nominated Meryl Streep), and her lover Nathan Landau (BAFTA nominated newcomer Kevin Kline). The three of them spend much time together, and become the closest of friends, but Sophie is not as innocent as she seems, she is haunted by ghosts from her past, Nathan is obsessed with the Holocaust, and his violent temper is increasing, it is apparent he suffers from mental illness doesn't help. One night, Sophie tells Stingo the reason behind her tattoo serial number, and the reason for her pain, with flashbacks to 1938, where she and her daughter and son were taken to a Nazi Concentration Camp. Back in present day, Stingo asks Sophie to marry him, she accepts, but at the same time, Nathan is asking the same of Sophie, and Stingo has to be best man, Nathan goes into another violent mood, and Sophie runs to Stingo, and tells the rest of her story. She and her children arrived in Auschwitz, and a Nazi officer forced her to choose life for one of her children, while the other would be taken away and exterminated, she pleads not to have to choose, an officer almost takes both children, but she chooses her daughter to be taken, she believed her son would better survive the camp. After she has finished her story, Sophie tells Stingo not to mention marriage or children, despite sleeping together, and finding a note from Sophie saying she went back to Nathan, Stingo finds that they both committed suicide, he leaves Brooklyn soon after. Also starring Rita Karin as Yetta, Stephen D. Newman as Larry Landau, Greta Turken as Leslie Lapidus, Josh Mostel as Morris Fink, Marcell Rosenblatt as Astrid Weinstein, Moishe Rosenfeld as Moishe Rosenblum, Robin Bartlett as Lillian Grossman, Günther Maria Halmer as Rudolf Hoess, Karlheinz Hackl as SS Doctor and Ulli Fessl as Frau Hoess. The three lead stars all have their great moments together, Kline is splendid being both serious and silly, MacNicol is good as the adorable timid character, but the stand out is obviously a deserved Oscar winning performance by Streep, who handles the Polish accent and language perfectly, and gives real depth to the film that has all the right ingredients, and especially gripping in the Holocaust flashbacks, a splendid drama. It was nominated the Oscars for Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Music for Marvin Hamlisch and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, and it was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama. Meryl Streep was number 58 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, and she was number 26 on The World's Greatest Actor, and the film was number 19 on The 100 Greatest Tearjerkers. Very good!
Review of Sophie's Choice
