# Is "The Sopranos" intro accurate re: continuity? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 14, 2007, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-intro-accurate-re-continuity/400072 "2007-04-14T05:42:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-intro-accurate-re-continuity/400072/1 "2007-04-14T05:42:16Z")
Just saw the latest “Sopranos” episode. During the intro, the drive Tony takes, I assume he takes one of the tunnels from NYC to NJ. He then eventually ends up at his house. For those who know the area, is the drive portrayed accurately in terms terms of real continuity? If you made that drive would you see those same things in that order? Also, which cathedral is that? Thanks all ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-intro-accurate-re-continuity/400072/2 "2007-04-14T12:23:13Z")
[QUOTE=Shamozzle] During the intro, the drive Tony takes, I assume he takes one of the tunnels from NYC to NJ. He then eventually ends up at his house. For those who know the area, is the drive portrayed accurately in terms terms of real continuity? If you made that drive would you see those same things in that order? Also, which cathedral is that? [/QUOTE] No, it takes liberties for maximum New Jerseyness. When I first saw the credits I was struck by the appearance of the “tanks” on the Turnpike – if he left the Lincoln Tunnel, he wouldn’t drive that far south to get to the Newark/Elizabeth area, where the rest of the landmarks are. But everybody who drives through NJ that way rememkbers the tanks. The cathedral is probably in Newark, although it could be Elizabeth – you can see a similar one from the Turnpike. **What Exit?** will be along soon to pin this down, I hope. From an article in [nj.com](http://www.nj.com/sopranos/ledger/index.ssf?/sopranos/stories/location.html): > [@](#): > > The opening credits sequence also takes a few liberties with geography, says Jason Minter, the assistant locations manager and New York City native who helped create it. But the ultimate goal is the same: to give viewers an abstract, almost poetic sense of New Jersey and its landscapes. > > A couple of years ago, when Chase was looking for opening credits ideas, he had Minter and first assistant director Henry Bronchtein to drive around northern New Jersey with a camcorder, taping whatever they saw. Chase liked the jagged, staccato look of the raw footage so much that he wanted to duplicate it on film. So Minter, frequent “Sopranos” director Allen Coulter and cinematographer Phil Abraham revisited the locations on the videotape twice - the first time with a fully-loaded camera car, the second time with a hand-held camera in a car driven by star James Gandolfini. > > There were complications (the State Police don’t permit camera cars on the Turnpike) and fakery (the World Trade Center is seen in Tony’s rearview mirror coming out of the Lincoln tunnel, which is not possible; the shot was taken from a road near the Liberty Science Center). But the result has the desired effect. The WTC has been edited out of the credits. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-intro-accurate-re-continuity/400072/3 "2007-04-14T13:46:08Z")
I believe it’s the [Basilica](http://www.cathedralbasilica.org/) in Newark. Despite the creative interpretation used to arrange the locations, I think it does a great job of capturing the concept of “driving in New Jersey” in general, at least from my point of view as a person who occasionally drives through New Jersey from New York. You definitely hit those sequences of industrial landscape/old town/new suburb within relatively short distances. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-intro-accurate-re-continuity/400072/4 "2007-04-14T14:04:58Z")
The credit sequence has also gotten longer over the years. That’s probably decreased the accuracy. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-intro-accurate-re-continuity/400072/5 "2007-04-14T19:59:29Z")
Thanks for the info everyone ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-intro-accurate-re-continuity/400072/6 "2007-04-14T20:06:56Z")
No, it’s not. But it does make me think of riding on Rt. 21, the Turnpike, and I-280. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-intro-accurate-re-continuity/400072/7 "2007-04-15T00:03:40Z")
Thanks everyone