The Sopranos: The Complete Fifth Season

Director: Timothy Van Patten, John Patterson, Allen Coulter Timothy Van Patten

Overview

This highly lauded television show follows the adventures and misadventures of America's favorite psychologist-consulting mob family. The series opens when wiseguy Tony Soprano's (James Gandolfini) long lost sister, Janice (Aida Turturro), returns to New Jersey after living in Seattle. Soon it becomes apparent that she seeks to take over her ailing mother's house. Meanwhile, Richie Aprile (David Proval) is itching to regain his turf after a stint in the slammer. Unaware or unwilling to realize that the Sopranos are under FBI surveillance, Richie soon starts acting like a bull in a china shop. All of this compounds Tony's growing stress and frustration with running the family business.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/01/2022
UPC:	0883929639496
Original Release:	1999
Rating:	NR
Source:	Hbo Home Video
Language:	English
Sales rank:	46,723

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

James Gandolfini	Anthony Soprano
Lorraine Bracco	Dr. Jennifer Melfi
Edie Falco	Carmela Soprano
Michael Imperioli	Christopher Moltisanti
Jamie-Lynn Sigler	Meadow Soprano
Dominic Chianese	Corrado `Uncle Junior' Soprano
Robert Iler	Anthony Soprano Jr.
Steven Van Zandt	Silvio Dante,Gabriella Dante
Tony Sirico	Paulie `Walnuts' Gualtieri
John Ventimiglia	Artie Bucco
Vincent Curatola	Johnny `Johnny Sack' Sacramoni
Aida Turturro	Janice Soprano
Steven R. Schirripa	Bobby `Bacala' Baccalieri
Jerry Adler	Herman `Hesh' Rabkin
Frank Vincent	Phil Leotardo
Julianna Margulies	Julianna Skiff
Sharon Angela	Rosalie Aprile
Kathrine Narducci	Charmaine Bucco
Max Casella	Benny Fazio
Ray Abruzzo	Little Carmine Lupertazzi
Dan Grimaldi	Patsy Parisi
Peter Bogdanovich	Dr. Elliot Kupferberg

Technical Credits

Timothy Van Patten	Director
John Patterson	Director
Allen Coulter	Director
Brad Grey	Executive Producer
David Chase	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

A film has only one chance to make its impression, but a television show can add layers to itself every seven days. Most programs don't take advantage of that, but few have done better than HBO's The Sopranos. The first season, released in a four-DVD set, allows one to savor The Sopranos, which quickly became one of the most confident and insightful shows on television. Early on, David Chase's portrait of the private and professional life of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano teeters on the edge of parody. Tony himself, artfully played by James Gandolfini, is believably complicated and conflicted, emerging as a family man (in both the literal and colloquial senses of the word) depressed by the slow rot of his own inner life. His sessions with psychotherapist Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) help in some ways (through a new understanding of his family's importance, and a Prozac prescription) and hurt in others (his continued "anti-social" behavior and an intense case of doctor-patient transference), but never go over-the-top. It's Tony's fellow gangsters who feel exaggerated at first, though the crew develops quickly in the first season from well-acted stereotypes who spend a lot of time quoting Al Pacino movies into legitimately multi-dimensional characters. These supporting performances, most notably by Michael Imperioli and Vincent Pastore, give the show's mafia moments the juice they need to transcend parody. The other Soprano family members -- an upper-middle class nuclear unit that worries about upper-middle class things -- is that rare portrayal of suburban life: one drawn with care and humor without condescension, and with attention to regional and ethnic detail. Ultimately, though, what makes The Sopranos so good is its unfailing dedication to its characters. Their lives are fully and richly imagined, steeped in a deep understanding of suburbia by writers and directors who know what they're doing and care about doing it intelligently. No show since Homicide: Life on the Street has created so nuanced a world; one packed with real ironies, ambiguities, and quiet truths. Who would've thought the artistic high road would look so much like the New Jersey Turnpike?