Mob movies and TV shows have been popular since the advent of film, but despite how much content has been made over the years, two names stick out as the best and most popular of the genre. First, there is the work of legendary directorMartin Scorsese, likeThe Irishman,Casino,The Departed, and, of course,Goodfellas. Scorsese has beenthe king of those kinds of movies for decades, but there was also a mob show just as popular as anything he’s done. In 1999,David Chase’sThe Sopranosdebuted on HBO and madeJames Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano a household name. 25 years later it’s still looked at asone of the best TV series ever madewith a series finale we can’t forget. However, despite how similar they are,Martin Scorsese was never a fan ofThe Sopranos.
Martin Scorsese Didn’t Like ‘The Sopranos’
Martin Scorsese and David Chase have a lot in common. Both are nearly 80 or over and from the state of New York, andboth changed the face of entertainment because of their love for mob stories. In real life, no one would want to know a guy who worked in the mob, but the drama and violence sure make for some captivating movies and TV shows. It’s easy to surmise thatChase was a fan of Scorsese and 1990’sGoodfellasin particular. As proof of this, just look athow many actors Chase cast overThe Sopranos' six seasons who were also inGoodfellas. Before she played Tony’s psychiatrist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi,Lorraine Braccohad a big role as Karen Hill, the wife ofRay Liotta’s Henry Hill, in Scorsese’s film. So many more actors inGoodfellaslater found themselves inThe Sopranostoo, from the likes ofMichael ImperiolitoVince PastoreandTony Sircio.
There is so much crossover that you’d actually thinkGoodfellasandThe Sopranoswere related, butas much as Chase seemed to love Scorsese’s work, it’s a feeling that surprisingly wasn’t mutual. In a 2019 interview withBFI, the director explained why he never connected with the HBO series, saying:
“I think I only saw one episode of The Sopranos, for example, because I can’t identify with that generation of the underworld. They live in New Jersey with the big houses? I don’t get it. They use language – four-letter words – in front of their daughters, at the dinner table? I don’t get that. I just didn’t grow up that way.”
Martin Scorsese’s Mob Movies Are Filled With Vile Characters
This answer came from the interviewer talking abouthow the characters inThe SopranosloveGoodfellas. Perhaps Scorsese saw the series as ripping him off because of it, but he argues that in his movies, likeThe IrishmanandGoodfellas, the violence is not enjoyable because of the moral cost. This assumes that the violence inThe Sopranosis there for its own sake to make the characters look cool, without any cost being involved. That’s not the case. So many lives are lost inThe Sopranosand it’s never glamorized. Characters who are in it for the prestige of the lifestyle never last long. As more proof of how muchThe Sopranoshates violence, just look at how muchTony struggled with his first kill in Season 1, or how he’s rarely shown killing other characters.Then there’s that much-talked-about series finale. Tony Soprano probably meets his end when the screen goes black, but Chase refuses to show the audience the violence of the moment.
James Gandolfini Was Never the Same After ‘The Sopranos’
It took a lot to create Tony Soprano.
Yeah, the characters inThe Sopranoscurse a lot and have big houses, but this is because they are foul people who are using their ill-gotten gains to show off. Scorsese didn’t grow up that way,but that’s not the point. Most of his films have no connection to his own life. In fact, so many arebased on tragic true stories of mobsters who rose to high levels before seeing it all crash down.
Tony Soprano Is Not Your Average Mob Boss
The reason whyThe Sopranossucceeded was becauseTony Soprano was not your stereotypical mob boss. He had some commonalities but was not a caricature of what you might find in a Martin Scorsese film. He felt real and raw, like a fleshed-out person. He might have had a big house, but he didn’t live a lavish lifestyle. If you were a person out and about and saw Tony, you’d think he was a normal guy.
What really made Tony Soprano work was the inner turmoil.The Sopranoswas never about the violence. The bloodshed was the result of or the instigation of an event, but it was never the focus. It was about the personalities. That’s why we kept coming back. It was about the emotional pain Tony carried around about his mother and his work, a pain so deep that it gave him anxiety attacks andforced him to see a therapist.The Sopranoswas also about family. Tony might have cheated on his wife, and he wasn’t above yelling obscenities at his kids, butyou’d also see him crying when his son, A.J. (Robert Iler), attempted suicide.The Sopranoswas like if a mob movie took a left turn to become something deeper and more relatable. It’s a shame Martin Scorsese couldn’t see that.
The Sopranosis available to watch on Max.
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The Sopranos
New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life that affect his mental state, leading him to seek professional psychiatric counseling.
