'The Sopranos' ' David Chase: Savior of TV...and now film

By Tom Tapp

Vanity Fair is the magazine that once called Mark Wahlberg the next Cary Grant. So it shouldn't come as any surprise that, in its showbiz coverage, the often excellent publication is prone to hyperbole.

This month's cover story (not online) trumpets the return and impending departure of HBO's "The Sopranos" after 6 seasons.

Early in the piece Peter Biskind writes, "In our culture of hype, the currency of praise has been so de-valued that no one credits it, even when deserved." Biskind then goes on to prove just that, as he rhapsodizes over "Sopranos" and lionizes creator David Chase for his film ambitions.

Some high/lowlights:

"The Sopranos" and Gandolfini's performance as Tony Soprano, "has recast American television -- almost, or at least occasionally -- into a medium for adults."

"The truth is, 'The Sopranos'...is one of the masterpieces of American popular culture, on par with the first two "Godfathers," "Mean Streets" and "Goodfellas..." (The piece compares "The Sopranos" to "The Godfather" or "Goodfellas" five times, as well as Fellini's "8 1/2, Visconti's "The Leopard," and Fassbinder's "Berlin Alexanderplatz.")

David Chase is "one of the few authentic 'auteurs' television has produced."

As Chase moves on to direct features, he'll be helped by "'The Sopranos,' the greatest calling-card film in the history of motion pictures."

"...features, both studio and "independent, have become more and more problematic...Television, on the other hand, has gotten progressively better -- in large measure thanks to Chase himself...If we're lucky, he will be able to do for features what he did for television."

Given this effluvium, it's probably appropriate the photos accompanying the story were shot by Annie Leibovitz. After all, she also did the show's ads. See link below for an accordingly glossy video of the shoot.