Sophie's Choice (1982) on Netflix
In 1947, Stingo arrives in Brooklyn to begin his first novel. He meets Sophie, a Polish immigrant, and Nathan Landau, her emotionally unstable lover, whose jealousy turns to abuse.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb7.5/1056,424 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes74%
Trailer
Plot summary
In 1947, Stingo settles in Brooklyn to write his first novel and falls in with the couple in his boarding house, Sophie Zawistowska, a Polish immigrant, and Nathan Landau, her lover. Nathan's jealousy and violent mood swings make him accuse Sophie of being unfaithful, and he abuses and harasses her. Nathan met Sophie after she came to the United States and collapsed from severe anemia. Sophie had known a comfortable life in Poland before the war. She tells Stingo that the Nazis took away her father, who taught at a university, and her husband, who assisted him, and that both died in a German work camp, while she was interned at Auschwitz.
Cast
- Stephen D. Newmanas Larry
- Greta Turkenas Leslie Lapidus
- Marcell Rosenblattas Astrid Weinstein
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Sophie's Choice (1982)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Styron wrote the novel with Ursula Andress in mind for the part of Sophie, and the Slovak actress Magdaléna Vášáryová was also considered, while Pakula's first choice was Liv Ullmann. Streep obtained a bootlegged copy of the script, went after Pakula and threw herself on the ground, begging him to give her the part.
- Production was at times more like a theatrical set than a film set: Pakula allowed the cast to rehearse for three weeks and was open to improvisation, “spontaneous things” according to Streep. Sophie's flashback scenes were shot in Zagreb, Yugoslavia.
