When the series finale of “The Sopranos” aired over 14 years ago, audiences’ feelings were divided on the show’s end, and their interpretation of the fate of the HBO drama’s namesake character, Tony Soprano. Fans once again find themselves divided regarding their opinion of the long-awaited prequel film, “The Many Saints of Newark,” which premiered in theatres and on HBO Max over the weekend.
WARNING, SPOILERS AHEAD!
“The Many Saints of Newark,” was written by “Sopranos” creator David Chase and directed by Alan Taylor, who had also directed multiple episodes of the series. The film is set in Newark, NJ during the late 1960s and early 70s, partially taking place during the Newark Riots of 1967. The movie depicts a young Tony Soprano played by Michael Gandolfini, son of “Sopranos” star James Gandolfini who portrayed the titular character throughout the series’ run. Young incarnations of some of the show’s most beloved characters make appearances, including fellow mobsters Silvio Dante, Paulie Gaultieri, and Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero, but audiences also take a dive into characters only discussed or briefly shown in the series, most notably Johnny Soprano, Tony’s father, and Dickie Moltisanti, father of Tony’s nephew, Christopher. Dickie is portrayed by Alessandro Nivola and the film is narrated by Christopher, with Michael Imperoili reprising his role from the show. In the series, Tony takes Christopher under his wing as a sort of “mobster mentee,” much like his Uncle Dickie does to him throughout the film.
The movie largely focuses on Dickie’s conflicts with his father, his former associate-turned enemy Harold McBrayer, played by Leslie Odom Jr., and most of all his own morality, mirroring a plight that Tony often struggles with throughout the show’s run.
I wanted to gather some opinions from both “Sopranos” fans, as well as people not as familiar with the series, so I took a poll on Facebook. It would be somewhat challenging to find opinions from those who have not seen the show, which is either a testament to its long-standing impact, or simply a factor set in place by the fact that I’m a 27-year-old kid from New Jersey. Nonetheless, opinions on the film seem to be mixed.
“It needed to be longer,” “it should have been a six-part miniseries,” and “I think it’s a victim of the format,” were the first three comments to hit my poll and all from long-time “Sopranos” viewers. I could not help but agree. The truth is that fans of the show are accustomed to the original series’ long-form storytelling, something Chase perfected during the show’s first season in 1999, and something that feels like a requirement in the “Sopranos” universe. Two hours just isn’t enough time for fans to dig into the plot or the characters we’re familiar with, let alone those we don’t yet know.
Despite the limited total run time of the film, audiences can learn how some of the show’s characters developed into their 2000s counterparts. Fans of the series will be delighted to spot Easter eggs and scenes depicting events only previously discussed in “The Sopranos.” For instance, the season six episode, “Sopranos Home Movies,” recalls Johnny Soprano shooting a bullet through his wife Livia’s beehive hairdo, and fans are afforded the opportunity to see this situation come to life on screen in the film as if it is unfolding for the first time. During the scene, Johnny, discussing an event that landed Tony in trouble earlier in the film, says, “we all do things like that when we’re kids right…beat up the Mr. Softee man?” This is representative of how normalized violence and dysfunction were in the lives of the Soprano family — it was always a part of their environment.
I think in many ways, the film helps reinvent the audience’s perception of events that happen on the show. This is most apparent with Livia Soprano. In the series, Livia, played by the late Nancy Marchand, is depicted as an emotionally abusive mother, incapable of loving her children. It all comes to a head when she plots to have Tony killed. In my opinion, Livia’s character undergoes a sort of redemption throughout the film. Vera Farmiga takes on the role of a younger Livia and her performance helps to humanize the character. We see her undertaking the emotional burden of the lifestyle that she has found herself surrounded by, one of violence, infidelity and uncertainty at every corner. She clearly needs help, but the stigma around mental health issues prevents her from getting any. We learn that Livia wasn’t always the monster she will become by season one of “The Sopranos,” but that she grew into one as a byproduct of her environment, continuing a cycle of dysfunction that plagues the Soprano family. When a doctor recommends Livia begin taking medication to help with her sleeping problems, she expresses her distaste to Tony, claiming she isn’t “crazy.” Tony echoes a similar sentiment early on in the show, cautious about entering the therapeutic journey he will take on.
Seeds are also planted for Tony’s uncle, Junior Soprano, that become integral to the plot of the film, as well as the series. In the movie, Junior is often shown as not being taken seriously or getting passed over, which will develop and fuel his insecurities. When Livia needs someone to talk to young Tony about behaving better, she opts to have Dickie see him instead of Junior. Junior is also often the punchline of jokes made by members of his mafia family, including Dickie. When Dickie laughs at Junior after he slips and falls on some icy steps, the last straw is drawn, and Junior orders a hit on Dickie. These events reinterpret a situation that happened in a season four episode of the series, “For All Debts Public and Private,” an episode I wrote about in a recent article (LINK HERE) in which Tony supposedly reveals the identity of Dickie’s killer to Christopher, a cop undergoing retirement. It could have been interpreted as the truth: Tony had done a good deed by offering Christopher a chance at poetic justice, a chance to avenge his father’s death. Now that we know this is not the case, we can see that this was merely a tactic Tony used to manipulate his nephew into doing his bidding.
Viewers of the series may have had trouble remembering that Tony was the bad guy. He is painted as admirable and other times ugly, but audiences loved every ounce of his personality. Dickie mirrors these qualities. He is personable, he tries to do good deeds like coaching a blind children’s baseball team, and he mentors his nephew Tony, but at the end of the day, Dickie is a murderer and a criminal.
Just as much as the story helps bring to light all the darkness and evil inherent in men like Dickie and Tony, we see that they are just as much products of their environments as Livia was. Tony is depicted as shy, sensitive and even good-natured, and it would take years of dysfunction before he transformed into the magnetic monster that captivated audiences every Sunday night for eight years. Still, the film leaves audiences wanting more. As is such in “The Sopranos” world, some questions have been answered, yet others arise. Although we begin to see the origins of Tony’s criminal activities, we never really get to observe his character transform into the mob boss we all know so well. Will this open the door for future “Sopranos” stories? One can’t be certain of what’s to come, all we can do is “focus on the good times,” or whatever the hell Tony said.
“The Many Saints of Newark” is on HBO Max, and in theatres everywhere.
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