American Cinematographer - September 2007 - (Page 112)

WRAP SHOT peaks — with Journey singer Steve Perry crooning the lyric “Don’t stop” — the screen cuts to black. Millions of viewers reacted with shock. Some thought their cable service had failed at the worst possible moment; others shouted at their TV screens, outraged that the show’s creator, David Chase, had left them in limbo. After the broadcast, countless Web sites were flooded with posts by obsessed viewers intent on solving the mysteries of the cryptic scene. Did the black screen mean that Tony had been shot? Would life for the Soprano clan simply go “on and on and on and on,” as Perry implied in his song? Or did the metaphysical ending mean the audience itself had been “whacked”? Chase wasn’t telling. In his lone post-finale interview, with Alan Sepinwall of the New Jersey Star-Ledger, Chase said he had “no interest in explaining, defending, reinterpreting, or adding to what is there.” Nine days later, however, I interviewed Alik Sakharov, ASC, the show’s longtime director of photography, who proved more forthcoming. When I suggested that the ending called to mind the ambiguous climax of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Sakharov clapped his hands with glee. “We talked about 2001 quite a bit,” he said. “You do certain things in the hopes that people will realize why you’re doing them.” The cinematographer noted that Chase was particularly intrigued by the surreal final scenes of 2001, in which astronaut David Bowman sees an older version of himself eating a meal in a strange room with 18th-century décor. This moment is echoed in The Sopranos by a curious edit that appears to show Tony observing himself in the booth. If Chase intended to blow viewers’ minds, he certainly paid homage to the right movie. Sakharov went on to confirm that the suspicious people in Holsten’s were intended to resemble past characters who had crossed Tony’s path, thus encouraging viewers to “retrace all of the elements of the show.” He also offered his own opinion that the black screen did in fact signal Tony’s fate: “To me, [it means] this person will die, whether he dies in the next second or [in] six months.” He added, “It’s not about whether he’s dead or he’s alive, really. It’s not even important. What’s important is the [thought] process. You know, [it’s] like you have very, very fine caviar: you eat it, and then you let it sit on the palate of your mouth, and then you begin to enjoy the aftertaste.” The rest of Sakharov’s comments about The Sopranos can be heard in a podcast posted on the ASC’s Web site: www.theasc.com. — Stephen Pizzello I 112 September 2007 Photos by Will Hart and Craig Blankenhorn, courtesy of HBO. Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) prepares to enjoy the onion rings at Holsten’s with his wife, Carmela (Edie Falco), and son, A.J. (Robert Iler), during the surprising final scene of The Sopranos. Below: During production of the final episode, director of photography Alik Sakharov, ASC (left) eyeballs a setup while writer/director David Chase uses a viewfinder to check the framing. fter 6½ seasons and 86 episodes, The Sopranos went out with a bang. Or did it? The last episode of the acclaimed HBO drama aired on June 10, but the resulting controversy may live forever. In the now-famous final scene, depressive mob boss Tony Soprano arrives at Holsten’s, a New Jersey ice-cream parlor, to meet his family for a casual dinner. Waiting alone in a central booth, he flips through the songs in a jukebox, selecting Journey’s 1981 power ballad “Don’t Stop Believin’.” (What better choice for a softhearted Mafia don with a sentimental streak?) Soon enough, he’s joined by his wife, Carmela, and son, A.J. As Tony orders a plate of onion rings “for the table,” daughter Meadow struggles to parallel-park her car outside. Meanwhile, a potential hit on Tony is signaled by cutaways to ominous patrons: a suspicious-looking man wearing a Member’s Only jacket (a “member” of the mob?); a taciturn trucker sporting a “USA” cap; a pair of lingering African-American youths. After glancing at Tony, the man in the jacket strolls to the restroom, recalling an operatic murder scene in The Godfather. Meadow finally rushes through the eatery’s entry, causing the bell above the door to jingle. Tony glances up, but as the unbearable tension http://www.theasc.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - September 2007

Contents Editor’s Note Global Village DVD Playback Production Slate Bourne Again Cultural Immersion Baroque Visions Once Upon a Time in Bucharest Short Takes Post Focus Filmmakers’ Forum New Products & Services Points East International Marketplace Classified Ads Ad Index ASC Membership Roster Clubhouse News Wrap Shot

American Cinematographer - September 2007

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