‘Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos’ – Review
When it comes to serialised television, there is no bigger name in the field than David Chase, the singular visionary behind HBO’s The Sopranos, often regarded as the greatest television series of all time, and creator of one of the most complex and complicated characters ever to reach the small screen, mob boss Tony Soprano. Now documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney takes audiences inside Chase’s mind and just how this New Jersey boy brought to life the mob world of The Sopranos in a conversation that talks creativity, culture and conflict in Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos.
David Chase, the creator and writer of The Sopranos, discusses the creative process behind the award-winning show and the intimate connections between his own life and many of the characters.
HBO’s The Sopranos is regarded as the greatest television series of all time, and for good measure, as audiences were introduced to the complicated and multi-faceted character of Tony Soprano, a middle-aged ‘waste management consultant’ and mob boss of a New Jersey mafia clan, who juggled work and family, life and death, and a very complicated relationship with his mother in a television series that changed the medium forever. Now-noted documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney has the ultimate sit down with David Chase, the creator and singular visionary behind this series, and it is an eye-opening watch. In this two-episode series, Gibney examines Chase’s complex personality and personal life, how his childhood struggles led him to a career in television and film, and, ultimately, the creation of The Sopranos. Replicating the office of Dr. Jennifer Melfi, Wise Guy offers up a completely honest and raw space for Chase to talk with Gibney, and his answers cut straight to the point and paint a picture of the completely complex and intriguing creator.
Along with a portrait of the complex Chase and his sharp, almost dictatorial style of management of creativity, audiences also get a completely up close and personal presentation on the creation of The Sopranos and how it all came about. With key cast interviews including the likes of Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Steven Van Zandt and Drea de Matteo, along with key collaborators including director Terence Winter, we see how this series came about, and it’s utterly fascinating. Insider stories and on-set squabbles are brought to the surface, and we get a picture of pure creative tension that resulted in absolute television genius. All of this is presented with absolutely no filter, and of course, being that we’re in the world of The Sopranos, we’d expect nothing less, and fans will be flawed by what they get to witness.
Along with Chase, another key part of the series comes in the form of the presence of the late, great James Gandolfini, who forever changed television history with his depth and performance as the multi-faceted Tony Soprano. In Tony, Gandolfini created a character who had never been seen on television before, a man who who was stuck between the role of hero and villain, and we get a full picture of the creative cost that Gandolfini went through to bring this character to life. What we get in Wise Guy is a picture of Gandolfini that we have never seen before, and the heavy cost he carried in bringing Tony to the screen, coupled with a level of fame and recognition that he never wanted nor tried to court, and which he hid with a savage alcohol problem. There’s a lot of emotion present in discussing Gandolfini’s legacy, which is tied hand in hand with The Sopranos, and fans will get a lot out of seeing a very different side to Gandolfini’s life and performance as Tony Soprano.
Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos is an unflinching portrait of creativity and the toll that it can take on those whose hands it calls up. Whether you’re a long-time fan of The Sopranos or have only come to the series in recent years, you’ll get a lot out of this documentary, and it’s fascinating insight into one of the most important voices in television history, with plenty of surprises added in for good measure.
Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos is streaming on SKY TV and Neon.
Image: SKY TV
