Whaddaya Lookin’ At? Re-reading the Gangster Genre Through “The Sopranos”

Summary Nochimson talks about the gangster sub-genre as well as the classical gangster genre. She talks about the differences between the two citing that that The Sopranos sub-genre is a new hybrid version of old gangster films with a melodrama element. The Sopranos shares some of the standard similarities between gangster films such as viewing crime as a legitimate career path, masculinity is strongly associated with power, the genre having a close connection to reality and finally convinces the audience to be emphatic towards the criminal elements of the flicks. She also goes on to describe the differences of The Sopranos and how it is different, stating that The Sopranos incorporates the middle class society of people such as doctors, lawyers, teachers etc, as the cowardly and morally neglectful. She goes on to describe Tony Sopranos’ weakness from examples from the show, which breathes new life into the genre as he visits his therapist for help, compared to the gangster films where the protagonists are seen as strong brutal mobsters. Other elements of the show include family melodrama which is a more in depth look at family conflicts, physicality of mobsters of the show which are conveyed in more detail that include actions such as drinking, eating, kissing and so forth with more meaning than the films. Finally, the use of religion within the show is displayed as a tool of evil and self- destruction of Tony Soprano’s wife, Carmella. The author talks about the strengths and weakness of Tony Soprano as a character and why he appeals to the audience in general and the many ways they can relate to him.