still hold onto their last breath well into Season Six, Part 2, even though each one is less glaring and intrusive.) Interview with David Chase (HD, 43 minutes): As if that weren't enough, self-proclaimed series fan Alec Baldwin David Chase Interviewed by Peter Bogdanovich (SD, 75 min.) –In this lengthy and in-depth interview, filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich chats with series creator David Chase in the Sopranos' kitchen set. As it progresses, the interview gradually works its way into a comfortable conversation about the creative process, how 'The Sopranos' came to be, and what Chase's real ambitions are. And because of that, it all comes down to people clinging to the idea of a "better time" and maybe even a "better place," even though doing became yet another destructive force. It consumed the individual (and, in this case, the violent, insular community he's a part of) faster than the unavoidable tide of change – or, in the case of 'The Sopranos,' the inevitable end of it all.

L. Lost Scenes (Season 6B, Episode 1): Tony and Bobby play with fireworks. Janice asks where her hat is. (00:47) The Sopranos' not only elevated the medium, but also illustrated some of television's distinct strengths over feature films, especially when it came to exploring the lives of its characters and delivering subtlety and nuance over bombast. Moreover, it helped TV to solidify itself as a writer's paradise, a place where those crafting the stories, building the characters, and giving them voices were the creators and supreme masters of their own microcosms. Directors – though some helmed magnificent episodes – came and went throughout the season, but the showrunner always remained. The popularity of the series and recognition of the level of its craft, then, gave rise to the age of the showrunner (or, at the very least, the concept of the showrunner as auteur), making celebrities out of the grand overseers of everything from a New Jersey crime family to a philandering Madison Avenue advertising executive in the '60s to a man literally and metaphorically riddled with malignancy, determined to leave his mark in the world. As was the case in 2009, Season One is notably, sometimes frustratingly inconsistent and underwhelming. So much so that it

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James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano and Edie Falco as Tony's wife Carmela, plus Lorraine Bracco as therapist Dr. Jennifer Melfi, Silvio of course), Chase's creative impulses and influences, the characters' varied reactions to death, and more. And it all comes Falco, Robert Iler and Jamie-Lynn Sigler, "Luxury Lounge" with writer Matthew Weiner, "The Ride" with writer Terence Winter The Sopranos: The Complete Series Blu-ray delivers great video and superb audio in this excellent Blu-ray release Bubbling over with the kind of writing, performances, casting, cinematography, music, relevance and resonance any series

and most memorable protagonists, and drastically accelerated the blurring of the line between cinema and the small screen. content as well, including a 46-minute retrospective, two round table discussions between David Chase and members of his Audio Commentaries: Four cast and crew audio commentaries are available: "The Weight" with writer Terenceshows you love (and the shows you love to hate) might not even exist. And that isn't being hyperbolic. At the very least, saturation, more convincing hues, and more revealing detail. Not perfect, mind you. But closer to the mark. Season Three Defining a Television Landmark (HD, 46 minutes): "It was the beginning of this new wave of American television." Cleaver talk about the film, what it means to them, and what Christopher was and wasn't able to accomplish with his

he was before The Sopranos (his childhood right on through to his pre- Sopranos career), his approach to

Side guide

The Sopranos cast discuss what drew them to the show, its appeal and quality, the characters and performances, the For more about The Sopranos: The Complete First Season and the The Sopranos: The Complete First Season Blu-ray release, see the The Sopranos: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Review published by Kenneth Brown on November 30, 2009 where this Blu-ray release scored 3.0 out of 5. There are a few episodes here and there that are uneven. The most blatant is in the brilliant 'College.' While the Tony and Meadow scenes look tremendous, and may even be some of the best on the disc, the scenes between Carmela and Father Phil (Paul Schulze) tend to run red, and green. Now, granted, Carmela was just getting over the flu in the story, but even then, it is a little off putting.

isn't as extensive as it might first seem. The commentaries are also extremely hit or miss, with a few highlights nestled among The Music of The Sopranos (SD, 17 min.) - A comprehensive look at the kinds of music and the role it plays in any given episode.

seasons and never once released its grip on its audience. Even today, some fifteen years after it debuted, The Sopranos C. Lost Scenes (Season 1, Episode 1): Tony and Dr. Melfi discuss Gotti, Guiliani and his Mother (01:33) season mafia drama was much more than HBO's second original hour-long drama (the first being Oz). It intensified an performances, story progression, critical success and, more to the point, the manner in which it changed the way Americans