2021 is shaping up to be a good year for fans of The Sopranos. The Many Saints of Newark — a feature-length prequel dealing with the formative years of mob boss Tony Soprano — is set to hit screens in September, but first fans have a chance to revisit the crime epic via a three-hour film that helps untangle its sprawling plot.
Titled Sopranos Sessions, the three-part documentary sees Sopranos critics, the cast, and even the creator David Chase sit down for candid conversations on how Chase pulled the show off, and what elevated it to “cultural landmark” status.
The first part of the film will see two critics — Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz, who wrote a making-of book of the same name — in conversation over onion rings at Holsten’s, the New Jersey diner where Tony Soprano ate in the show’s enigmatic finale. Part two, meanwhile, will see actors Federico Castelluccio, Vincent Pastore, Arthur J. Nascarella, and Vincent Curatola chat over a hearty Italian meal.
“My basic conceit was to strip everything away,” says director Kristian Fraga (via Fast Company). “There are no clips of the show. It’s just these guys and the rhythm of the conversation.”
Admittedly, for those that have never watched the HBO drama before, this doesn’t sound particularly entertaining; even Fraga admits that watching Sopranos Sessions “will be like watching paint dry” if you’re not already a fan. If you are a fan, however, and need to swot up before The Many Saints of Newark, then you’re in luck.
Sopranos Sessions is in US cinemas now, running through to June 2021. If you’re in the UK, it’s also available to stream. Watch the trailer below.
You can also read Michael Imperioli’s interview with Dazed — in which he looks back on his favourite memories from The Sopranos — here, and revisit David Chase’s bygone coming-of-age film, starring James Gandolfini, here.
