While much has been made of the cut-to-black finale of “The Sopranos” since its initial broadcast back in 2007, the show has been exploring them in various ways. There is no doubt that choosing to end the show in such a manner could be regarded as an audacious move by the creator, David chase which left everybody guessing and speculating about Tony Soprano's ultimate fate. Now, a new documentary titled “Wiseguy: Gibney's Tribeca-granted documentary “The Untitled David Chase Project,” which casts hints of how the Sopranos could've concluded on a very else note.
The guest revealed that in the whole 160-minutes expanded edition of the show, Chase said that his intention was to finally murder Tony Soprano at the climax. Contrary to what many viewers expected, the murder was not supposed to happen in a diner as many of the fans of the show assumed. However, Chase wanted Tony to leave Donor at the diner while he went to New York for a meeting only to be shot dead on a bridge.
At some point, though, Chase probably realized that things aren't going to be that easy, and thus he did not go for the ending of the story this way. He had selected Journey's ‘Don't Stop Believin'' for the finale of the show with its lyrics ‘the movie never ends / It goes on and on and on and on. ' This selected track, as it related to the theme of the show, aimed at showcasing that life is ongoing even if many things are unpredictable.
The famous cut-to-black was fitting for the conclusion which gave the audience food for thought and made them guess Tony's fate by themselves. This was largely seen as a move more akin to auteurist film-making than it was to light-entertainment television – open-endedness over neat resolution. Some think that this decision helped make ‘'The Sopranos'' the greatest TV drama series made as it is discussed alongside the best of the best like ‘'Breaking Bad'', ‘'The Wire'', and ‘'Mad Men.
“Wiseguy: While “The Sopranos” is recognized today as part of TV history and serves as the inspiration for many contemporary dramas, “David Chase and the Sopranos” also discusses the pre-production and production process. To all those die-hard fans of ‘The Sopranos' as well as those who are new to the phenomenon it is a treat to watch this documentary that provides various perspectives about David Chase's creative mind and why ‘The Sopranos' is still seen to be among the greatest creations in television history.
