My Year with Meryl Streep: Sophie’s Choice (1982)
A look at the 1982 film that features Meryl’s Oscar-winning and arguably career-best performance!
I recently spent a whole year watching a Meryl Streep film every week, and I thought I’d share with you some of the reviews I wrote for her many classic films!
Sophie’s Choice (1982)
It can be argued that Meryl Streep didn’t become Meryl Streep until Sophie’s Choice. Sure, she had impressed in The Deer Hunter, Kramer vs. Kramer, and The French Lieutenant’s Woman, but Meryl’s Oscar-winning performance in the acclaimed 1982 drama solidified her status as one of the best actresses of her generation. When Sylvester Stallone proclaimed her the winner of the Academy Award, he called her the “marvelous” Meryl Streep. In 1982, only five years into her film career, she was already a national treasure.
Sophie’s Choice, based on the acclaimed 1979 novel by William Styron, features what still remains Meryl’s most complex and haunting film performance. She apparently got on her knees and begged director Alan J. Pakula (Klute, All the President’s Man) for the role, and it’s easy to see why.
