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The Sopranos - The Complete Series | 
 enlarge | Actors: James Gandolfini, Edie Falco
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $399.98
Buy New: $189.90
You Save: $210.08 (53%)
New (44) Used (8) Collectible (1) from $189.90
Rating:  35 reviews
Sales Rank: 423
Format: Box Set, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 33
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 21.1
Dimensions (in): 17.1 x 9.4 x 4.4
MPN: HBOD39226D
UPC: 883929022311
EAN: 0883929022311
ASIN: B001C3O6R2
Theatrical Release Date: November 11, 2008
Release Date: November 11, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW! FACTORY SEALED!!!
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Product Description
Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 11/11/2008
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| Customer Reviews: Read 30 more reviews...
 Finally, the whole series in its entirety July 13, 2008
55 out of 57 found this review helpful
This 33 disc 10 pound set will contain all 86 original episodes as well as an interview with series creator David Chase conducted by Alec Baldwin and two "Supper With the Sopranos" featurettes that will show cast members sitting down for dinner to discuss their favorite episodes. Other features include:
Sopranos Spoofs
2 CD soundtracks on 3 discs
16 page episode guide
56-page collector's album
As the Godfather saga was the view of the mafia from the executive suite, this series is a complex tale of the mafia from the working man's point of view. If you've never watched this show, you're in for an extended treat. Yes, there is violence and nudity, but it is never gratuitous and is needed to contrast Tony Soprano, the thinking man's gangster, with the reality of the life he has been born to and, quite frankly, would not ever have left even knowing how so many of his associates have ended up. Tony Soprano can discuss Sun Tzu with his therapist, then beat a man to death with a frying pan in a fit of rage, and while dismembering and disposing of the body with his nephew, take a break, sit down and watch TV while eating peanut butter out of the jar, and give that nephew advice on his upcoming marriage like they had just finished a Sunday afternoon of viewing NFL football. Even Carmella, his wife, when given a chance for a way out, finds that she really prefers life with Tony and the perks that go with it and looking the other way at his indiscretions versus life on her own. If you followed the whole thing, you know how it ends. If you didn't, trust me you've never seen a TV show end like this.
I'm looking forward to seeing all 86 episodes together over a short time period versus the very annoying long time periods between seasons that we had after the first three seasons. Remember, it took eight years (1999-2007) for the show to go from season one to season six.
This Generation's Greatest Contribution to Pop Culture July 14, 2008
64 out of 78 found this review helpful
Meet Tony Soprano. He sleeps until noon, has a boyish sense of humor, and enjoys old war movies on The History Channel. He has two high maintenance children, a more high maintenance wife, and he grew up with a controlling mother so manipulative he has to see a psychiatrist to deal with his depression and panic attacks.
And in his spare time, he runs a middling outfit of La Cosa Nostra and controls most of the organized crime in North New Jersey.
This is the set-up for the show that superseded all its predecessors and took its place at the pinnacle of television artistry. Creator David Chase's masterpiece follows Tony is his travels through his three worlds: family, work and therapy. The plot arcs are simultaneously short and long-ranging, as resolution is found in each episode and also builds toward season climaxes and long-reaching series payoffs. The end result is a television show with the grand scope of a novel, but one that doesn't forget to keep viewers interested with weekly rewards.
Probably the only series in history with more Emmy nominations (112) than episodes (86), The Sopranos has been called the greatest show ever to appear on television, the pioneer for all current successful pay cable programs and the most influential piece of pop culture over the last quarter century. In this day where novels have lost their broad appeal and 90 minute films paint on a limited canvas, Tony Soprano is destined to be the most studied and analyzed literary figure over the next few decades.
Such critical focus is not unjustified. As much as the series hinges on the many supporting characters, the show IS Tony. Women love him, men fear him and viewers are captivated by all his complexities. James Gandolfini dazzles in his performance as one of the greatest characters ever seen on stage, television or film, a man without faith in god or country, and a man whose own allegiance to both his literal and figurative families is at best tepid. Often, his inconsistent and unpredictable behavior leaves audiences confused until he lays himself open in his therapist's office, scenes that are sometimes uncomfortable to watch because of the degree of vulnerability Gandolfini allows Tony to reach.
The notoriously naughty drama contains the sex and violence consistent with an examination of the mafia, but also provides its share of tenderness. Although a habitual philanderer, Tony aspires to be a great husband, father, brother, and son, but too often he lacks the strength or skills to care about anyone but himself. His longing for a modest normal life leaks into his dreams and therapy and illuminates a man who hates what he sees in the mirror but can't do anything about it.
With a few hundred words, this review does not do justice to the monumental achievement. An entire piece could be written about the show's black comedy, culinary artistry, or exploration of familial roles. The Sopranos routinely tackled difficult subjects like caring for the elderly, Italian-American defamation, religion, homosexuality, terrorism and the many flaws in the federal government. Wrapped together with a soundtrack that's one part classic rock and one part 1960s Las Vegas, the Sopranos achieved the nearly impossible feat of being both the most entertaining/watchable show from its era and also the one that provided the most insight into the human condition and experience. Yes, seeing the loves, hates, desires and deaths of these characters made for great television and very exciting Sunday nights, but the discussions sparked from these 86 works of art will be continued on message boards and in classrooms long after we are all gone.
Very happy with this DVD collection and finally enjoying this great show December 19, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
After hearing for years about what a great show this is, from critics and from friends alike, I treated myself to this set in advance of Christmas. Customers may be misled by a lot of the garbage that is in the reviews here, but this DVD collection is worth the money. As someone who had never seen a single episode before buying this set, I'm already satisfied that I will enjoy the entire series after watching just the first three episodes.
The video quality is terrific- no longing for Blu-Ray for me. The picture is near hi-def (as good as any cable hi-def with a good upscaler/player) and looks fantastic on my 50" plasma.
Few reviewers mentioned that this set also includes the three soundtrack discs that are also sold separately. This was a nice bonus, as the music on each is good stuff and not much of it overlaps with my somewhat eclectic collection.
Finally-- the price is coming down for the holiday sales crunch, and this set can be had at a very attractive price, I got mine at Costco at a steal, which made the choice to buy a no-brainer. Even at the current standard street price, I would say that fans of the show would be perfectly happy, and any of those outsiders like me, who were considering catching up on this acclaimed show one day, would really enjoy it as well.
PS- I'm not sure what the fuss about closed-captioning was about, unless it was based on pirated copies, but they are included on my set-- I've already used them on occasion to catch some of the famous slang that I otherwise couldn't decipher. They are standard DVD-encoded subtitles, available in multiple languages. Capische?
fuhgetaboutit December 23, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
assuming your already a fan of the show, you know that the series is one of the best. the boxed set holds all the seasons in a relatively easy accessible package. the shows themselves are remastered, and the difference is noticeable to these eyes. the special features are not enough to warrant buying this boxed set, they are short and only slightly revealing. the box itself is very attractive and durable, with only a small problem with unweildlyness. recommended to fans of the show that must have everything. if you previously own the seasons as they came out i cant recommend it for the remastering, or special features alone.
As per complaints about the dvd's being scratched. a few of mine did get scratched on the taking in and out of the cases, this did not affect quality or performance of the dvd's, but it will surely happen over time. i am aware some people are obsessive over their dvd's and like to keep them flawless like a rare gem, but meh faint scratches dont bother me that much.
This Set Is A Well Made Car, You Have To Take Care Of It January 2, 2009
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is the finest DVD series set I have seen so far. The set is very well made and they have gone out of their way to keep it that way. After opening the outer case you'll find a velvet bag around the book the DVD are held in, the whole thing being kept safely in place by inserted pieces of styrofoam to insure safe arrivial to whoever purchases them. Aside from that there is the ribbon for removal and another styrofoam insert placed in the spine of the large book itself to keep it further protected. All the discs in the book are placed in neatly with their labels faced properly and none of mine had any scratches. I give this set and obviously this series itself 10 stars each. That said I want to comment on something in the other reviews.
True alot of people have stated how incredibly nice this set is, yet I keep seeing reviews from alot of others complaining about the set. I obviously really like this set, it is the nicest thing on my shelf and probably will be for quite a while. I think people are complaining because they don't understand what they bought. This set is for people who don't mind taking care of it as long as it's a nice expensive set they can appreciate, which it is.
In referring to issues raised in other reviews I'll address most remarks and discount them right away as being from people who just don't want to shell out for this set and already bought the previous seasons, that's fine guys and I'm sorry but this happens. Aside from those of us who didn't mind shelling out for such a nice set there are also all the people who are fans of the series who haven't bought it yet and this is the best option for them. You guys didn't want to buy a really nice car to take care of and show, you were fine with getting from point A to B with the car's you already had, that's fine but don't discount the set for that.
Aside from those remarks and reviews there are the others of legitimate concern over the packaging not being the best in terms of storing the DVD themselves and various claims that the set will wear too much over time. Well I am the most anal retentitive person I have ever met when it comes to DVD, the slightest dent on a box or scratch on a disc and I will return the set as faulty, if I'm paying upward of forty dollars I want my money's worth. I am here to say bottom line that I hold none of those conerns when it comes to the quality of this set. I was discouraged before I opened mine on Christmas because so many negative reviews had gotten to me but none of the discs were scratched and nothing came dented, torn or anything. Maybe I was just lucky, certainly a few customer's must've recieved faulty sets as happens with anything and I'm sorry for them. However, alot of others seem to be blaming the maker's of the set for something that isn't there fault.
In my set the ribbon never came undone, possibly because I didn't tug away at it rather I eased the book out of the box with complete care. The discs have been in and out repetitively since Christmas and none have scratched in the slightest way, possibly because I am reasonably careful and any lint or dust that is on them as result of transfering from one spot to another I lightly wipe off from inner to outer edge in proper fashion. Also I lightly lift the disc off the inner sleeve pressing the labeled side of it against the outer sleeve until it is slid to the bottom when I set it into it's place. In saying that it's not like it takes ten minutes to remove a disc or that I'm using tweezer's and rubber gloves, I am just taking appropriate care. The book itself I keep outside the storage box because it looks nicer set up on my shelf the way I have it and it makes it easier to get at the discs. The pages that some complain are already wearing at the seems and will worsen over time, mine have not worn and I can say will not excessively over time either, possibly because I carefully turn the pages and hold the heavy side of the book while doing it to keep the weight from straining the pages, this isn't a three ringed folder or five star note book built to withstand any amount of wear and tear but it is well made, serves it's purpose and when handled appropriately should keep until the day I expire.
The set is only going to keep as well as you handle it, if you are rough with it what do you expect, that doesn't mean it is poorly made. Our bodies are well made but if we were always throwing ourselves down flights of stairs we would get some broken bones, or if we slid our fingers over a knife blade they would get cut that doesn't mean our bodies aren't well made. Everything is built to be handled a certain way.
I believe that those complaining were either more unlucky than I with the sets they recieved or more likely most of them aren't so much showing concern for their sets but more over laziness on the part of their care of them. A set like this that cost two hundred dollars isn't supposed to simply serve it's purpose, though that's nice, it's supposed to be high quality. It's like having a nice expensive car, if you keep a cover on it and drive it appropriately and take care when handling it then you won't scratch it and there will be no forseeable damage. That's what you have to do with this set.
The set could have been made a hundred different ways but this is how they made it and personally I can't imagine it looking better than it does at the same time as serving it's purpose. They couldn't have done it the same with the plastic storage containers, and on that note these cardboard sleeves everyone is so mad about are not 'cardboard' sleeves when compared to other sets (like the dreadful Simpsons Season 11 which might as well have been sold between two old pieces of a cardboard pizza box), the pages are indeed made of fine doubled up bonded cardboard but the actual DVD sleeves themselves have a well smoothed back edge specifically to keep discs from scratching. This set is designed so that if you take care there will be no more scratches to your discs resulting over time than there would be in the handling of any other set from laying them on DVD Player Trays or placing them in their plastic holders.
This set is beautiful and made for those of us who want to drive an expensive car and want to take care of it just for the sake of owning such a nice well made car. Anyone who doesn't like taking the time for things like that and would rather have a regular car that takes less time to care for but still gets them from point A to point B should buy the individual sets. There is nothing wrong with that or with buying this one as long as you accept the wear and tear 'you' cause, don't blame it on the maker's of the set just because it isn't perfectly designed for every single person's needs in lowest common denominator fashion. That's like buying a book and being mad at the maker's of the book when you give yourself a paper cut while turning the pages because they aren't printed on Special Ed. class circle paper.
Thanks For Your Time, Just My Opinion.
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