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        David Chase Gives a Shot-for-Shot Breakdown of the Final Scene From 'The Sopranos'

        So what really happened to Tony Soprano?

        April 15, 2015
        Not Available Lead
         
        Image via Complex Original

        The Sopranos continues to be well-regarded, flaws and all, years after its conclusion—in part because of its open to interpretation ending that continues to be debated. After a false alarm last year that creator David Chase reportedly revealed Tony Soprano’s fate, comes now a thorough breakdown of the final scene of the series from Chase himself for the Director’s Guild magazine, DGA Quarterly.

        Just in case you have yet to watch The Sopranos, here’s a not-too-spoilery quote from Chase’s analysis:

        1.

        The Sopranos continues to be well-regarded, flaws and all, years after its conclusion—in part because of its open to interpretation ending that continues to be debated. After a false alarm last year that creator David Chase reportedly revealed Tony Soprano’s fate, comes now a thorough breakdown of the final scene of the series from Chase himself for the Director’s Guild magazine, DGA Quarterly.

        Just in case you have yet to watch The Sopranos, here’s a not-too-spoilery quote from Chase’s analysis:

        2.

        "I thought the ending would be somewhat jarring, sure. But not to the extent it was, and not a subject of such discussion. I really had no idea about that. I never considered the black a shot. I just thought what we see is black. The ceiling I was going for at that point, the biggest feeling I was going for, honestly, was don't stop believing. It was very simple and much more on the nose than people think. That's what I wanted people to believe. That life ends and death comes, but don't stop believing. There are attachments we make in life, even though it's all going to come to an end, that are worth so much, and we're so lucky to have been able to experience them. Life is short. Either it ends here for Tony or some other time. But in spite of that, it's really worth it. So don't stop believing."

        You can relive the final scene below and read Chase's shot-for-shot analysis here.

        3.

        [via HitFix​]

        HBONewsJames GandolfiniThe Sopranos