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IMDbPro

Sophie's Choice

  • 19821982
  • RR
  • 2h 30m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
48K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,252
305
Kevin Kline and Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice (1982)
Trailer for Sophie's Choice
Play trailer2:20
2 Videos
99+ Photos
DramaRomance
Sophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who has found a reason to live with Nathan, a sparkling if unsteady American Jew obsessed with the Holocaust.Sophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who has found a reason to live with Nathan, a sparkling if unsteady American Jew obsessed with the Holocaust.Sophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who has found a reason to live with Nathan, a sparkling if unsteady American Jew obsessed with the Holocaust.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
48K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,252
305
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Alan J. Pakula
    • Writers
      • William Styron(based on the novel: "Sophie's Choice" by)
      • Alan J. Pakula(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Meryl Streep
      • Kevin Kline
      • Peter MacNicol
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Alan J. Pakula
    • Writers
      • William Styron(based on the novel: "Sophie's Choice" by)
      • Alan J. Pakula(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Meryl Streep
      • Kevin Kline
      • Peter MacNicol
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 199User reviews
    • 42Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 13 wins & 12 nominations total

    Videos2

    Sophie's Choice
    Trailer 2:20
    Sophie's Choice
    Who Are the "Hunters"?
    Clip 3:20
    Who Are the "Hunters"?

    Photos176

    Kevin Kline and Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice (1982)
    Kevin Kline and Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice (1982)
    Meryl Streep and Peter MacNicol in Sophie's Choice (1982)
    Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice (1982)
    Meryl Streep at an event for Sophie's Choice (1982)
    Sophie's Choice (1982)
    Kevin Kline and Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice (1982)
    Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice (1982)
    Kevin Kline and Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice (1982)
    Kevin Kline and Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice (1982)
    Kevin Kline and Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice (1982)
    Kevin Kline and Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice (1982)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Meryl Streep
    Meryl Streep
    • Sophie
    Kevin Kline
    Kevin Kline
    • Nathan
    Peter MacNicol
    Peter MacNicol
    • Stingo
    Rita Karin
    • Yetta
    Stephen D. Newman
    • Larry
    Greta Turken
    • Leslie Lapidus
    Josh Mostel
    Josh Mostel
    • Morris Fink
    Marcell Rosenblatt
    • Astrid Weinstein
    Moishe Rosenfeld
    • Moishe Rosenblum
    Robin Bartlett
    Robin Bartlett
    • Lillian Grossman
    Eugene Lipinski
    Eugene Lipinski
    • Polish Professor
    John Rothman
    John Rothman
    • Librarian
    Joseph Leon
    • Dr. Blackstock
    David Wohl
    David Wohl
    • English Teacher
    Nina Polan
    • Woman in English Class
    Alexander Sirotin
    • Man #1 in English Class
    Armand Dahan
    • Man #2 in English Class
    Cortez Nance Jr.
    • Bellboy
    • (as Cortez Nance)
    • Director
      • Alan J. Pakula
    • Writers
      • William Styron(based on the novel: "Sophie's Choice" by)
      • Alan J. Pakula(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Meryl Streep not only learned a Polish accent but also learned how to speak German and Polish in order to have the proper accent of a Polish refugee. She reportedly learned the Polish from one of the assistants working on the film who happened to speak it.
    • Goofs
      Slavic surnames ending in -ski/-skiy are, in Slavic grammar, considered adjectives, and so the female form is -ska. Sophie's and Eva's surname should therefore be Zawistowska. Moreover, it is unlikely for Eva's name to be spelt with a 'v' as the proper Polish form is 'Ewa' ('v' does not appear in the Polish alphabet and is only used in foreign names and loanwords).
    • Quotes

      Sophie: My mother, she's very sick, you know. And I can't do anything. But I think - if only I could have got - that meat for my mother it would make her strong. So I go to the country and er... the peasants were selling ham and I buy it with the black market money and I bring it back. But it's forbidden, you know, because all the meat goes to the Germans. So I sat on the train and I hid it under my skirt, I am pretending that I am pregnant, you know? Oh I was so afraid. I was shaking. And then the German, was in front of the train and he saw me. So he come over and take under my skirt that ham and...

      [pause]

      Sophie: So they sent me Auschwitz.

      Stingo: You were sent to Auschwitz because you stole a ham?

      Sophie: No, I was sent to Auschwitz because they saw that I was afraid.

    • Alternate versions
      CBS edited 12 minutes from this film for its 1986 network television premiere.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Tootsie/The Verdict/Sophies Choice/Airplane II (1982)
    • Soundtracks
      Jesu, Joy of Man s Desiring
      (1723)

      Written by Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performed by Lorin Hollander

    User reviews199

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    The finest performance by an actress in the history of film.
    'Sophie's Choice' should be compulsory viewing for any member of the voting panel who decide Academy Award winners. Quite simply, Meryl Streep's performance is THE benchmark for that 'Best Actress' category. I've seen a LOT of films, but not one performance has ever (and will ever) match her's. The manner in which she embodies Sophie goes beyond explanation. It is too accomplished and moving for words. It is almost offensive to think that Julia Roberts was awarded the same statue for ‘Erin Brockovich'!

    Aside from the breathtaking central performance from the marvellous Ms Streep, there are so many other reasons to see this film. Kevin Kline and Peter MacNicol are excellent, the cinematography is beautiful (particularly the shots of Brooklyn Bridge) the score is haunting ... I could go on.

    Although certain critics have berated 'Sophie's Choice' as a mere platform for Meryl Streep as an actress, I urge you to overlook this view. The film succeeds admirably in bringing to horrific life an event in history which we should all be made aware of. It is undeniable that the phenomenal performance of MS leaves you spellbound, but NOT at the expense of being horrified and affected by what you have seen. All I can say to sum up is: just see it. An intelligent and profoundly moving film which will (I promise you) live on in your memory long after the closing credits.
    helpful•171
    47
    • Jen_UK
    • Dec 28, 2001

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 4, 1983 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Polish
      • German
      • French
      • Russian
    • Also known as
      • Sophies Entscheidung
    • Filming locations
      • Reiserovo castle, Samobor, Croatia
    • Production companies
      • Incorporated Television Company (ITC)
      • Keith Barish Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $12,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $30,036,000
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $202,131
      • Dec 12, 1982
    • Gross worldwide
      • $30,036,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 30 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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