Product Details

• Actors: James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Dominic Chianese, Nancy Marchand, Michael Imperioli
• Directors: Allen Coulter Tim Van Patten
• Format: Anamorphic, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: HBO Home Video
• DVD Release Date: November 6, 2001
• Run Time: 696 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (124 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005NOHO
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,160 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  #5 in	Movies & TV > Drama > Television > The Sopranos
  #36 in	Movies & TV > Television > Action & Adventure
  #46 in	Movies & TV > Television > HBO

• For more information about "The Sopranos: The Complete Second Season" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

• This is item 2 in The Sopranos Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
In its second season, The Sopranos sustains the edgy intelligence and unpredictable, genre-warping narrative momentum that made this modern mob saga the most critically acclaimed series of the late 1990s. Creator-producer David Chase repeatedly defies formula to let the narrative turn as a direct consequence of the characters' behavior, letting everyone in this rogue's gallery of Mafiosi, friends, and family evolve and deepen.

That gamble is most apparent in the rupture of the relationship that formed the spine of the first season, the tangled ties between capo Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and monstrous matriarch Livia (Nancy Marchand), whose betrayal makes Tony's estrangement a logical response. Filling that vacuum, however, is prodigal sister Janice (Aida Turturro), whose New Age flakiness never successfully conceals her underlying calculation and opportunism. Soprano's relationship with therapist Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) also frays during early episodes, as she struggles with escalating doubts about her mobbed-up patient. At home, Tony contends with wife Carmela's ruthless ambitions on behalf of college-bound Meadow, as well as son Anthony Jr.'s sullen adolescent flirtation with existentialism--the sort of touch that the show handles with a smart mix of sympathy and amusement.

Without spoiling the surprise of the season's climactic last episode, it's worth noting that only on The Sopranos could we expect a scene that sets up a mob hit with a perversely funny touch of magic realism--a talking fish, lying on a fishmonger's iced display, speaking with the voice of the victim. It's a touch at once morbid and goofy, and consistent with the show's undimmed brilliance. --Sam Sutherland

Product Description
For Tony Soprano, there's no such thing as business as usual. Balancing the demands of his immediate family - wife Carmel, daughter Meadow and son Anthony Jr. - witht the demands of his other family - Paulie Walnuts, Silvio Dante and Big Pussy Bompensiero - means walking a tightrope no self-respecting mobster should have to walk. With his mother and uncle plotting against him, his older sister Janice wreaking her own special kind of havoc, and the very real threat that one of his closest allies is wired by the F.B.I, Tony needs the support of his psychiatrist Dr. Melfi more than ever.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Biographies
Featurette
Filmographies
Other
Scene Access
TV Spot

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a Family Thing...., March 26, 2004

By	Michael Crane (Orland Park, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

The Sopranos is one of HBO's greatest achievements (although I admit that I think it lost some of its momentum and spark with seasons three and four). When I first saw the show, I was hooked. I'd watch anywhere from three to four episodes a day. One of the great things about first watching this show on DVD was that I could watch any number of episodes instead of just watching one per week.

"The Sopranos: The Complete Second Season" has to be my favorite season. As much as I love the first one, this was when things were really funny, intense, dramatic and involving. The season doesn't let us down when it comes to Tony having more problems than ever before. Both in his Mafia Family and his immediate family, Tony can never get a break. His wife gives him grief while his kids keep doing things that upset him. And don't get me started on his ill mother and self-centered sister. Life isn't much better in his Mafia Family when the brother of Jackie is released from prison and is giving Tony a hard time both personally and professionally. Not to mention that his long time friend, Big P. comes back from a long hiatus when he was first suspected of turning rat to the Feds. All of this leads to one incredible and unpredictable season that showcases the show like none other.

For me, this was the most entertaining season of them all. I loved the characters, the constantly changing storylines, and the personal and business life of Tony Soprano, which is superbly balanced in this season. There's still the much appreciated humor in these episodes that were found lacking in the next two seasons. It doesn't feel like a soap opera, but a more enhanced look into the Mafia world. There's plenty of action as well as dramatic storylines that will make everybody happy for the most part.

This season comes in a set of four discs, totaling at 13 episodes. The great thing about the show is that it is presented to us in a widescreen format that is enhanced for widescreen TVs. This really makes the show that more effective because you feel like you're actually watching a movie rather than a show on cable. The picture and sound quality is great and really shows. There are some nice little extras, such as featurettes, brief previews and recaps of episodes, web-links and more.

"The Sopranos: The Complete Second Season" is a bundle of laughs, suspense, drama, action and surprises. You're always on your toes and you never know what's coming next. One thing's for sure; this is the most unpredictable season out of the four seasons (the fifth one looks pretty promising thus far). While you'll want to start with the first season if you've never seen the show before, you'll know that you will have something special to look forward to once you get to the second season. In my opinion, this is where Sopranos is flawlessly at its best. -Michael Crane

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Watch out. It's addictive., August 7, 2001

By A Customer

In some viewer's eyes, season two of HBO's The Sopranos suffered in comparison to the sensational first season. The initial buzz of such a high calibre television show had worn off to a degree. What helps make season two so special is how those qualities that made season one such a hit were (and are) intact.

O.K., the overall feel of the sophomore season isn't as lighthearted as the first--should it be? There is much that Sopranos creator David Chase has to say about life in general. And you may find that you have more in common with the mobbed-up characters than you think. It's an interesting, edgy, wicked, funny and frightening ride that hasn't lost it's intelligent touch. The production of The Sopranos in subsequent seasons has grown (along with the size of its viewership), and the writing has been progressively more mature, dark and realistic. Yet, it's still fun to watch, even with the darker plotlines.

If you've never seen an episode of The Sopranos, please do. WARNING: Once you do, you'll probably fork over the money to buy both seasons of the series. It's THAT addictive. The episodes are more rewarding upon repeated viewings.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Drama on Television Gets Even Better!, March 2, 2002

By	Jason Waldman (Laguna Niguel, CA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I originally rented the first season of the Sopranos on DVD and ended up watching all thirteen episodes over a two day period. I went out and bought the second season as a Christmas present for myself and I am pleased to say it surpassed even my lofty expectations!

The season starts out where the last one left off. Tony's not talking to his mother, Uncle Junior's been arrested and is let out on house arrest, Big Pussy's is now an FBI informant, and Dr. Melfi's seeing patients in a motel. But things get turned upsided down with the addition of two new characters: Tony's sister Janice (aka Parvati) and Richie Aprile, the brother of the late former boss Jackie Aprile and Janice's former lover. He's just been released from prison and is looking for a piece of the action, both from Tony and from Janice.

I'm not going to spoil the season for you by running down every episode, but every episode, while self-contained, helps paint a piece of the larger picture of the season. Everything is covered here from the relationship between Tony and Dr. Melfi to a friend's gambling problem to a power struggle at the type to a final farewell to a major player in the Sopranos.

I know the high price might keep some people from buying the set, but it is well worth it! If you get the chance, buy it!