Review of Sophie's Choice (1982) by Ellen B — 06 Mar 2013

Someone said this didn't age well. I'd like to read that point explained. When it was released in 1982, it was already aged. It takes place in the 40's, after all.

Additionally, Kevin Kline is not overshadowed. Meryl is a gracious and professional actor and plays with - not against - her fellow actors. This was Kline's first film endeavor and his pin on the map. He was downright frightening, fascinating and, at times, quite funny. I still cringe every time I see the scene where he accuses Sophie of infidelity and having survived Auschwitz using sexual favors. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if Nathan had learned the truth about Sophie's father, as long as he was going off the deep end, anyway.

To continue to argue against that, and other reviews, Peter McNichol's role was critical. And he did a great job. Best thing I've ever seen from him. These three friends are wildly different in their experiences and their mental/emotional composition, but find a doomed and bittersweet friendship on a planet so divided. And it's not only the world divided, but this country. To this day, there are divisions in cities and towns - the wealthy white parts, the "urban" areas, the Chinatowns, etc. There is a huge cultural divide between Stingo's southern Christian upbringing and Sophie's worldly, liberal and experienced views.

But mostly, this story - a fantastic interweaving of at least four significant stories: Sophie, Nathan, Stingo and, of course, the holocaust - was told by Stingo for some very good reasons. One: he was the writer, after all. Two: Styron is, himself, a writer who embraces the sprawling southern style and actually lived, for a time, near a Polish neighbor who survived the concentration camps.