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Sophie's Choice

I had tried to read Sophie's Choice by William Styron years ago and did not make it past twenty pages - it just did not flow at a pace that makes reading pleasurable for me. I watched the movie this evening and it made me cry.

Maybe because I am the mother of a little girl, it left me feeling terribly depressed and disturbed. I know I will not be able to get over the image of Meryl Streep making the choice that would haunt her for life or the heart rending cries of her baby girl as she is taken away to die.

Sometimes when you have read a book and loved it, your expectations from the cinematic transfer come in the way of being able to enjoy the movie. I am glad I did not read the book before, now I don't want to because it may take away from the Sophie I got to know. I don't know if Alan Paluka stayed faithful to Styron's story but to have Streep bring his character to life so amazingly could be a writer's dream come true.

This is possibly the most powerful performance of Meryl Streep I have ever seen. So immediate and real is her portrayal of the holocaust horror, that she made me grateful beyond belief to have a living, breathing child to hold close to my heart.

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celestialmtn said…
I have read the book, many times, but unfortunately have never seen the movie. I'm curious now to watch the movie, after having read your entry.

The book was quite tedious at certain times, but after finally getting through the book, it has become one of my favorites.
11:48 AM
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