Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24465 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-11-24
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 30
• Running time: 5160 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
A flat-out treasure trove of television, The Sopranos Complete HBO Seasons 1-6 box set brings together every episode of a genuinely extraordinary series. Those that call it quite possibly the best show America has produced in the last decade aren’t far wide of the mark (although fans of The Wire could have an argument there).
To think The Sopranos all started from a simple sell: that a New Jersey mob boss falls into depression, and seeks out counseling to help him cope. And while early episodes followed Tony Soprano’s balancing act as he sought to keep this from his mobster friends, The Sopranos took this foundation and built upon it a collection of layered, intriguing characters from both Tony’s ‘work’ and ‘home’ families.
That’s only part of the reason for The Sopranos’ extraordinary success, though. Because the writers then seeded many delightfully intricate plot lines, that seemed to seamlessly weave between one another. The end result was that every character was important, and--crucially--there was a real sense of unease, as fans began to realise that The Sopranos could have a quiet run of episodes, and then suddenly take out a character you’ve spent hours engaged with.
It’s a fascinating cocktail. Ruthless yet emotional, violent yet intimate, brash yet insecure, the characters of The Sopranos are as three dimensional as television drama gets. It’s a tragedy it’s finished, but the six series in this box offer a stunning legacy, and a masterclass to anyone else on the planet looking to make a character-driven drama. --Simon Brew

DVD Description
This deluxe Sopranos box set contains every episode of all six seasons as well as two brand new bonus discs loaded with over three and a half hours of unseen extras. All 86 episodes are split across 30 discs in this new box with iconic photography by Annie Leibovitz. The new special features delve deeper into the world of the show with interviews with series creator David Chase, writer Terence Winter and many of the cast members.

The Sopranos follows Tony Soprano. He tries to be a good family man to his wife, kids and widowed mother, and as a capo in the New Jersey mob. But when the pressures of work and family life start giving him panic attacks, Tony begins seeing a therapist. He keeps these visits to himself having realised that if one family doesn't kill him, the other one will.

The groundbreaking dramatic HBO series from writer-producer David Chase stars James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli and Nancy Marchand in an inside look at the family life of a modern-day mob boss. Part satirical, loving homage to the influences of the great American gangster films, part darkly comedic study of a New Jersey Italian-American family, The Sopranos has become one of the most critically acclaimed TV series.

Special Features
Three and a half hours of all new bonus features including:

• Never before seen scenes from all 6 seasons

• Exclusive interviews with David Chase (creator) conducted by actor Alec Baldwin

• Supper with The Sopranos: Two sit-down dinners with the cast and crew of the show as they discuss the series finale

• Lost scenes from all six seasons of The Sopranos

• Panel Center Seminar: Discussions featuring "whacked" characters

• Extra Gravy: Spoofs and Parodies including The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live

• Original Audio Commentaries from the cast and crew

Customer Reviews

Excellent set
This is a review of the box set itself, since obviously the show gets 5 stars and we all know how good that is - so in response to an earlier review calling for comments on the packaging, here's my take.

There's an outer sleeve showing all the characters lined up as you can see on the product image. Inside this you pull out the oblong box which is also shown. This has the words "The Sopranos" along it. This box splits in two and reveals two sides, with 15 discs on each. Each disc is on its own sleeve and is tucked away to reveal just a number, from 1-4 (since this is how many discs are in each season - season 6 is in two parts therefore 8 discs).

My only gripe lies in the way in which the discs are stored within the sleeve. The sleeve is all just cardboard, there's no plastic holder, no fabric to stop it from scratching and no clip to make sure it stays in. To take the disc out you have to get your finger inside the sleeve and slide it out, which isn't particularly awkward but may leave you wondering if you're doing any harm to the disc. (You aren't)

Having said all of this, despite the usual faults which I thought would accompany the cardboard sleeve system - it doesn't seem to have any. There was definitely no damage in transit, I doubt they even moved because they are very secure in their sleeves. I checked every single disc and the only marks i found was a slight fingerprint which was left after I slid it out. Although I haven't done much of the sliding the discs in and out, after roughly 10 times I couldn't find any scratches on the discs, just the usual fingerprint in the same place. I'm fine with this because it can easily be removed with a cloth - whereas if there were any scratching then that's probably not reversible.

I'd say this is probably the best solution for this set since 30 discs is not to be scoffed at, and most other sets with that many would be a lot bigger. It's easy and quick to access and looks good on the shelf. Each disc has a number which is visible while it's in the sleeve, but this is just the disc number and doesn't show the season number. It would have been nice to have seen what disc and what season without having to remove the disc, but I'm fussy like that.

I can't comment on whether the set is an improvement on the individual seasons since I never owned any of them, so I couldn't even tell you if the menus have been upgraded or not. If you already have all the sets then I'm not sure it's worth over £90 just for the two bonus discs, but if you're new to the Sopranos or haven't bought the sets then I'd definitely recommend you buy this deluxe edition - especially since there doesn't even seem to be a Blu-ray on the horizon. (Sort yourself out Warner!)

I'd say it's a fabulous collection, with the only slight drawbacks being the fear of damage in the cardboard sleeves and the lack of visible season numbers in the sleeve - but don't let these put you off. All of my comments regarding the wear of the discs by removal from their sleeves and the state of them after transit is purely subjective, and it wouldn't surprise me if someone found the complete opposite to be true; but I certainly know I'm happy with it and if you're undecided I advise you to take the plunge, especially with Christmas looming.

Regarding size, it's difficult to place but I'd say smaller than an Xbox 360 but bigger than one of those big hardback books.

Someone asked about subtitles, so I've detailed them in one of the discussions below.

The Sopranos Will Feel Like Your Family
There is no question that The Sopranos achieved an astounding milestone in television history. Every episode has the aura of a feature-length film, from the inter-weaving plots and interesting character arcs to the flawless wide-angle camera work.

The Sopranos rises above great television to become great art because the characters, plots, even the beautifully shot scenes of the not-so-beautiful New Jersey, become embedded in your mind. Once you're hooked, you cannot go one day without thinking about the Soprano universe and exactly what is going to happen next.

When it comes to the characters, don't be mislead: these are horrible, ruthless people who, when all is said and done, are always thinking about themselves. However...you'll like them. You'll cheer at the screen when Tony Soprano gets one over on an enemy or the Feds; you'll laugh your socks off when Silvio impersonates Michael Corleone. This is the genius of the series - here are mobsters who fight, steal and kill for a living, yet they go to PTA meetings, worry about the mortgage, put on a smile when they meet their children's friends.

The 18-rated themes of violence, sex and corruption are dealt with carefully and realistically. There are no stylised depictions of mob life - it is made clear that people fight back when someone tries to kill them, drugs and alcohol ruin lives and hardly anybody, when push comes to shove, actually likes what they sometimes have to do. The side-by-side rendering of domestic and mob life makes The Sopranos the most believable Mafia story ever committed to screen. Yes, even more so than Goodfellas of the Godfather.

The cast do the writing every inch of justice - James Gandolfini dominates every scene that Tony Soprano is in: even his breathing chews the speakers and reminds the viewer who is in charge.

Quite simply, no review can fully describe how ground-breaking, addictive and joyous The Sopranos is. Buy it, watch it and re-watch it.

TV Drama. Redefined.
Despite being a fan of mob movies, I never managed to catch The Sopranos when it was broadcast on TV (I'm always too busy to properly follow a TV station's schedule). Nonetheless, I heard it was a good show, so I took the plunge and purchased the complete box set.

Boy, am I glad I did!

The Sopranos is compulsive viewing. I managed to watch all six seasons over the course of one month, because when one episode finishes, you're simply dying to watch the next! Each episode is crammed with interesting characters, cutting dialogue and first-rate acting. And although classified as a TV drama, there is a lot of humour injected into each episode, so its not all downbeat and grim - you'll be laughing during scenes as well!

For fans of mob movies, The Sopranos is essential viewing. For casual fans, it still makes a great TV show. I know because my wife could care less for mob movies but even she would sit there watching episodes with me... Because its not just about the Mafia. Its about family and relationships as well - but certainly not in the "boring" way you may think it is.

Highly recommended.