Yep he was something special that's for sure. I like what Tony Sirico said about him "he sees lots of colors" whereas the rest of them saw a scene Gandolfini saw things noone else did. The writers said they tried to remember that you can write much more than can be acted out so they tried to not go over anyone's head but with Gandolfini it was can we write to his ability.
@@anthonysouthard5572 There's this RU-vid clip out there analyzing Anthony Hopkins' acting in an episode of Westworld where he portrais a vast array of emotions in a very short scene, and that's when I thought "I know only one other actor that can do it like that: James Gandolfini". In a weird way, they are very similar. They can both convey emotions in the blink of an eye by just raising an eyebrow, blinking or just a look. Brilliant.
@@susanfisher4944 That never occurred to me, only because Tony has shown to be ruthless against anyone close to him that he feels might be a traitor, with maybe the exception of Christopher. But you have something here.
@@deantheodosiou2886Tony became very ruthless over the duration of the series. But in the beginning he seemed genuinely worried about Pus when he went missing. I think it was after his betrayal by Pus in particular that he lost faith those around him and became much more ruthless as a character. Pus also appears in a number of flashbacks and dreams suggesting that he was on Tony's mind a lot as a reminder. For me this scene is actually a sad one because Tony makes an attempt to confront him only as a friend (with no threats or anything). But reality hits after, that there is no true friendship in this type of life they've chosen.
@@williamwilson7857 Yes, it took quite the toll on him psychologically and emotionally. And it also defined his career. Where do you go after you've played Tony Soprano? You can't do anything after that, really. This is the greatest performance of any actor on television. This was his show, he made it legendary.
@@mindysommers ~ I believe the show, contributed to his heart attack 😞 there are dozens of 'Tony raging' clips online... poor bastard, his job literally killed him...
So I worked at Veniero's in Manhattan back in 1997-99 when season 1 was released. I was the cashier during the weekday mornings. James Gandolfini would occasionally come in and order a two pound box of large pastries-- I can tell you exactly what he would order: a rum baba filled with custard, 2-4 chocolate covered chocolate and vanilla cannoli, 1-2 napoleons, a pasticiotti, a sfogliatella, a blackberry tart, a few eclairs, and a bunch of pignoli cookies thrown in there. Those pignolis were incredible. Back then, I didn't have a television so I didn't know about the Sopranos-- I only knew James as Virgil from "True Romance'. It was only later that someone told me that he was taking those pastries and sharing them with Vince Pastore and others on the set who like the old-school Italian sweets. Those other guys would come in too, although i didn't yet know their names or faces. It was a fun time to be living/working in the east village/lower east side. BTW, the owner of Veniero's first cousin is Bruce Springsteen-- who's guitarist is Little Steve, who of course plays Sil Dante. So by patronizing the cafe they were definitely "keeping it in the family'
I could literally feel the look of daggers coming out of Tony's eyes. There will always be only one James Gandolfini. What a actor he was! RIP, Tony Soprano.
This scene is when Tony fully realised Puss had flipped. He was hoping it wasn’t true, but emphasizing he had “friends that would die for him”, Puss couldn’t look him in the eyes. “Hey Puss, come check out my new boat!”
neil Good way of finding out what made his team tick, their reaction to him, body language etc. Plus keeps them in check never knowing if he's gonna turn up unannounced.
Iron Man dude, watch Sebastian Maniscalco’s bit on RU-vid re: the doorbell ringing now vs 20-30 years ago. I miss the old days of company dropping by. But now, I use Ring to decide whether I even acknowledge a knock at the door. SMH.
+sventoby "Did you hear what I told him/her? I said I heard he/she was taking astronomy in school, because of all the space he/she was taking up in class! Hehh-hehh." --Paulie Gualtieri
Gandolfini was such a master of facial expressions. Even if the viewers hadn’t known of Pussy’s transgressions at that point, the last look of the end of the scene makes it clear as day.
This was evident from the very first scene, the very first moment in the show, IIRC, S1E1, when Melfi meets him. It's obvious going to a shrink is scaring him to death. I knew from the look on his face, this actor was solid gold. James Scott Bell counsels writers to give the protagonist a problem ASAP, bc this gets the reader or viewer to bond to the character in empathy. Gandolfini and David Chase understood this. DC wrote it, JG expressed it.
Yes and no, in reality, Puss being an informant did less damage than Paulie, Christopher, or Blundetto ended up doing. Blundetto being the biggest blunder of them all, probably foreshadowed by his name "Blundetto"
@@bereal2479Off the top of my head the conflict between Tony and Jr started with Chris and Brendan jacking comley trucks after they're told not to, He sours relations with Johnny Sack when he tries to give him advice about Little Carmine. That's all I can remember right now but it's still more damage than Pussy did being an informant
It might've been just sheer coincidence when this scene was filmed, but the sound of that airplane in the background during the tense part of the dialogue was perfect. It adds, somehow, to the feeling of loneliness and isolation -- just Puss, Tone, and the dark truth that T is only beginning to suspect and come to grips with.
doorswhofan it probably was added in, i was talking to a tv show sound guy and they say even things like footsteps have to be added in as they don’t sound right from the recordings
@@MrFuzzwuzzle If so, then more to build my case. :-) But it would be real interesting to talk to those guys, and see what their actual rationale was, and if it squares at all with mine.
@@doorswhofanIt would be interesting. I bet it is very well thought-out. Pethaps to give an indication that Pussy lived in an area where an airplane maybe was approaching for a landing; (in contrast to Tony 's house in a very swanky neighborhood.)
Shit. The way Tony looked at him during his "you got options" talk. His finally look at Pus, as his turncoat friend walked away. Gandolfini was stone cold brilliant. Such a tragic loss. Dare I say, he was as intense as Pacino. Everything he said, even when he was joking, was with conviction.
@@ghostehh The damage never turned out to be anything, thats the beauty and irony of the show. Tony's guys that DIDN'T flip did just as much if not more damage than those that did flip. Chris and Paulie probably did the most damage.
“Friends that would die for you.” And also the same friends who will kill you in the blink of an eye if they think they need to. What a shitty life to live.
Tony had a lot of love for Puss. I think he was giving him a way out before he got too far in. Puss and Tony had one of the better relationships on the show, so the fact Puss flipped on Tony was unbelievable
@@emmanuelmondesir1314 fucking suicidal AJ is such a little bitch....how did that little tool come out Tony and it's not like carmela is a slouch she's got some backbone, but AJ is a useless little bitch.
@@philjoyce1548 *He was an entitled brat. Even the way he walks screams Entitlement. I wanted to slap him everytime he was on screen. I was cheering when he was attempting suicidé. Bit I think that was the point of his character.*
2:33 - In his heart Toney basically knew at this point, but his head didn’t want to believe it. That was what Pussy meant in the dream: ‘You knew..’ In other words, deep down you knew. If this has been anyone else but Puss, Toney probably goes with his hunch and has him executed.
At this time in the show, Tony, Sil and Paulie really did love Pussy. The vrew didn't start hating each other until season 3. The dealings and deaths of Pussy and Richie Aprile really fucked things up. If you noticed, season 3 is when Tony started acting like an asshole to everyone, Paulie became an uncaring prick, Silvio became stoic and cold, etc.
It’s incredible how Tony sees right through that “my back is putting me behind in the game” spiel. He then assures Puss the FBI isn’t his only option that’s there’s people willing to die just to help him. Unfortunately Puss gives Tony the wrong answer to his every question in this scene
wrong! puss did a good job here. he is not some idiot, but a seasoned mafioso! saying "yes i know" looking at tony confused like "wtf is he talking about". tony was suspecting but wasnt sure still. btw this isnt the scene where tony realised he was a rat for sure!
This scene is great. Very subtle. OK, I've been doing some re-watching here and there, admittedly on RU-vid. But it's clear Paulie, Sil and Tony loved this guy. Why did he flip?
At this point in the show i honestly believe that Tony meant what he said ... 'you've got friends that would die for you' ... even if pussy was trapped Tony loved him so much he would have died trying to help him
I used to watch these Soprano clips a few years back I'd forgotten all the references that use to come up in the comments on these clips. Glad to see the classics are there "should have done more with this character" , "never had the makings of a varsity athlete", funny how today after years I got recommended soprano shorts again but wasn't disappointed one bit .
Other than a needed story line I could never understand why a connected guy like Puss would turn rat instead of just dealing with the Feds on the heroin beef. He could have made a deal on the time and just handled it. I’m really not just talking through my hat. He did have options.
Sal is not a rat. He never was. It was the medication he was on. For painkilling. It messed with his head, but he is over that now. He could probably get a letter from his doctor.
How did Tony forget all the suspicions that easily. He should have bee more suspicious, but he was his friend, and so , he didn't want to see the truth.
I love how many scenes are taken from other mob movies Ex: when puss was playing John gotti best friend in the movie gotti. John calls him out on having secrets the same way Tony does here and puss answers the same way
What “options” could T possibly have been referring to? Puss going off the grid and underground, so to speak? Certainly wouldn’t have been the best option with regards to earning, which would’ve made T’s pockets lighter, ultimately leading to Puss getting whacked anyway. He was too compromised once he flipped, and forced Tony’s hand and sealed his fate in doing so. He was a dead man either way.
Matthew Morris This plot sort of parallels the way the guys that were implicated by Donnie Brasco reacted when they were told he had infiltrated their family. They thought it was a lie to get them to turn on each other.
He was the one guy that Toney really loved. It was really hard to admit to himself that he would rat at on him. Toney was never the same after getting rid of Puss...
