Dickie and Christopher Moltisanti: A Character Comparison

In this episode, we will compare Dickie Moltisanti with his son Christopher by first taking a quick second to address the parallels and reverse parallels between them, before digging into their real similarities and differences as revealed through their actions and, especially, their desires.

[@ningenJMK]

Chris got made alongside Eugene Pontecorvo. Corvo in Italian means "crow." Ponte means "bridge" like the Latin "pontus" for the same meaning.

[@ningenJMK]

I don't think it's coincidence when you got an Italian creator and show runner and tons of Italian writers and actors.

[@kathygrosvenor4464]

Josh please forgive my ignorance, what is the significance of a crow and bridge? Was it a crow by the window when Chris was made? It looked like a common bird. I’m amazed at what you guys pick up!

[@ningenJMK]

@@kathygrosvenor4464 imo I think writers put symbolism into every scene or significant scene. Just to make it more interesting. Some may call this "Easter egg." Idk. I think that the day Chris swore into the mob was the day he sealed his fate. That's what the crow on the window signified. There was no way out. Even his induction mate, Eugene, had to kill himself in order to escape being a rat and a made guy.

[@adamantiiispencespence4012]

@@kathygrosvenor4464 crows are omens of death and bridges are limnal or in between spaces that often symbolize the transition from this life to the hereafter. So a bridge crow it would practically be a grim reaper.

[@mitchtherighteous]

I wish David Chase would do yet another prequel where we get to see the legend of Penussi Moltesanit

[@aguy559]

Consider that both Adrianna and Giuseppina were killed because they CONFESSED to someone they were naive enough to trust.

[@PageandPlant4Life]

Giuseppina WAS a hoo-ah tho

[@BovineIntervention]

A giuseppina was a hookah B she hit me

[@sellingwolftickets5025]

@@BovineIntervention whowa*

[@jamesw7072]

And that both Dickie and Chris were killed by Sopranos.

[@BovineIntervention]

@@sellingwolftickets5025 whoower*

[@taylorherod6995]

This made me wonder if Tony in the coma is what his life could have been like if Dickie never died and persuaded Tony away from the mafia

[@DaveSCameron]

The Christopher character was definitely an out of limit and thrill seeking one, the actor himself has written a fantastic novel called Purfume Burned his Eyes, a lyric from a track on Lou Reeds 1989 album New York. Thanks again these insights and hope you have a peaceful week there 🙏

[@bullywhispers9544]

You are welcome and you too! Thanks for watching!

[@ureallysuckglobes]

Been meaning to pick up that book, heard good things.

[@DaveSCameron]

@@ureallysuckglobes enjoyable little novel indeed 📚

[@user-if4nx2jn8r]

I think Dickie definitely wanted to keep Tony out of the life in their meeting, but whether he actually could've committed to doing so when the going got tough is unanswerable.

[@mikimiyazaki]

(Adrianna speaking to tony just prior to the infamous crash) "i never had a problem with his nose. to me his nose is beautiful, rubenesque".

[@Iamspacemountain]

🤣🤣🤣

[@promnightdumpsterbaby9553]

Chris was my favorite. If tony had exposed him to the same kinda self help books like "The art of war",maybe he'd have turned out differant.

[@nattturner]

RIP Ray Liotta

[@kevinouellette5316]

Chris like Tony reached heights their father's never did, better gangsters or not. Chris was a captain and was more wealthy, in a more difficult time to be in the mafia. Tony being the boss. Were they the classic mobsters like the old timers like their father's, definitely not. Different times tho

[@vitigaymer1053]

They reached higher positions in a time where the mob was at its weakest.

[@taylorherod6995]

Also, character comparison idea: Paulie and Uncle Jr.

[@christophermoltisanti9301]

Great episode my friend. Your videos are awesome, just what we lovers of 'The Sopranos' and wannabe wiseguys need. Keep up the good work!!!

[@bullywhispers9544]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@bobby.m136]

Some good insight in your comparisons...i wish we got to see more of young Tony and dicky in the movie

[@Tobi_Wan_Kenobi]

Must have crawled under there for warmth lol

[@laurenpeterson9510]

So that's where he got the constipated owl lol

[@villian99918]

The many saints of Newark strays so much from what the timeline was i seriously wonder if its a retcon

[@freebee8221]

That movie sucked. So many things that dont add up. Dickie does NOT seem like the guy tony always said he was.

[@ningenJMK]

Names on this show are interesting to me. You got the Sopranos. It's a singing range for females. The highest vocal range. Yet you have Tony Soprano, who is a tough, brutal mafioso at first glance. Moltisanti means "many saints." Chris Moltisanti is a Catholic and arguably believes in saints. His surname is ironic as well as he's ultimately done in by his many demons, not his many saints.

[@mikimiyazaki]

Is "soprano" really just female though? I thought it was everything you said minus the female part.

[@officialdazer]

@@mikimiyazaki Sopranos are not exclusively women but only a tiny percentage of men are actually capable of that type of vocal range and normally they are referred to slightly differently anyway. You do technically get male sopranos tho. I honestly don't think the OP's statement has much depth just a trivial observation

[@diarradunlap9337]

Hence the title "The Many Saints of Newark" for the prequel.

[@mikimiyazaki]

I feel like the dickey was a drug addict thing that was revealed to be him getting pills for tonys mom, was thought up and penciled in for the movie. I feel like dickey was an addict then they changed it for whatever reasons.

[@QFl7098]

Yea having him not be an actual drug addict kinda cheapens that scene with Chris and tony

[@mikimiyazaki]

@@QFl7098 agreed, and it just sounds ridiculous. How would chris have heard about his father being an addict, and why wouldnt tony at least indicate in some way that he wasnt. I cant see any reason why tony couldnt tell him how that rumour started if that was the case. Also it would have suited tonys argument etc to refute that to chris be as he couldn't lean on the "genetical" lol.

[@QFl7098]

@@mikimiyazaki lol one of the many reasons I don’t consider MSON cannon

[@mysteryjunkie9808]

I think the drug addict thing would’ve been a rumor started by Junior after his death

[@fortunateson7852]

Christopher confessed to Tony once that he was an addict just like his father. Even though he never knew his father he felt he had that same connection. Also he seemed reflective in the revenge murder of the man who Tony said killed his father. Christopher even recognised that he may have been manipulated in making the hit. Both had similar problems. Proving the old adage that the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.

[@attila_the_hunk9685]

Where's borkos Arc? He uploaded HBO videos, which then got taken down, but then he uploaded them all again..? He's got no identity... So what? He's alive.

[@kathygrosvenor4464]

While at a traffic stand-still awaiting an accident to be cleared, I found your channel! Wow! So many points and asides I’d never realized or seen. You’re magnificent! I’m going back for the “binge-fest” and looking for all the poignant scenes you’ve brought up. I do wonder…and I’d love your input as well as the opinion from others. Was David Chase really that brilliant to have all the hidden nuances, character depth and depth of storyline, included in Sopranos? Or, did Mr Chase simply write a sensational, fictional account of a mob family into which fans inserted vague scenarios and messages into each episode?

[@bullywhispers9544]

A little bit of both I imagine. Thanks for watching!

[@jaylenlenear7850]

Where does Jackie aprile come in since I don't remember him in the many saints of Newark

[@usedcondom8481]

you should do tony and dickie’s similarity when tony grows up

[@brettbaratheon9776]

Great video. I’m wondering though, and I hate to even ask this, do you think the Sally twin brother thing was real ultimately? Dickie even made the comment that his wife couldn’t have kids- cut to him having a son. The cuts to him sitting alone all of a sudden, how open Sally was the last time the met, it all seemed like a dream. I never subscribed to this after seeing it in the theater and at home twice. Waited a long time and just watched it again. For some reason, I was picking up the Sally wasn’t really there vibes this time. Furthermore, wished this movie was so much more than it was. Regardless, still happy we got anything. Any input you have would be great.

[@BookshelfQBattler]

They were both done in by Sopranos

[@coolpeople4287]

You must've watched the MSN in slow motion if you noticed that bird in the garage. I missed that part. What is the significance of these crows?

[@plunkdaddy4505]

Theres a belief that a crow flying into your house means death. Its a really bad omen, so when Christopher saw it when he was being made, he was rightly paranoid.

[@coolpeople4287]

@@plunkdaddy4505 Thank you.

[@mistersonnen848]

That crow looking at Chris thought he was seeing an omen

[@dr.bright5670]

As for the bird I have my own answer, or rather, the radio playing when Chris died has one. "The child is grown, the dream is gone."

[@TooLooze]

It's pronounced "E-mail".

[@paulrobinson3213]

Chris would have been killed so many times just from the way he talked to made guys when he was just an associate.

[@wildflash6319]

0:31 yup & Carmela defends Christopher, telling Tony that many ladies found Chrissy very attractive 😍 lol she told Tony that after the teasing re: Christopger's daughter's schnazz lol

[@richardfilanderer]

This video really reinforces my view that The Many Saints of Newark is a good movie and the backlash comes from it not being a masterpiece. Which brings me to my other point, release a god damn extended cut already damn it!

[@tapset]

It's not. It's watchable if youre a sopranos fan

[@etc2913]

These parallels are not executed well. There’s a difference between sounding good and being good

[@salvietesta6806]

even if it was a masterpiece most people would have complained anyway.

[@BillBraskyy]

0:27 I sees something else that is beautiful and Rubenesque

[@juniorfortune5873]

Nice

[@officialdazer]

Bully whispers is a terrible name, just saying

[@JoJoJoker]

Christopher was an interesting developed character. Dickie is a Nothing Burger.

[@junkboxxxxxx]

Ce n'est pas "je ne sais quois," c'est l'argent

[@mikimiyazaki]

2:46 bahahahaha my guy has me rolling! Bahahahahahahahaha

[@Lucas-ru6mm]

lmao scrolled down to comment the same thing

[@lsb2623]

The garage bird was a fuckin pigeon!

[@shaanhashmi5836]

I personally believe Dickson Moltisanti was the godfather of the cosa nostra during his tenure

[@fuckoffgoogle1657]

Renaming the channel is stupid asf unless you are changing the content that radically. Just saying. Not a smart move.

[@bryantaylor9874]

When did he get Ade pregnant?

[@bullywhispers9544]

He didnt. She was the love of his life, but he had a kid with Kelli, just like it seems Guiseppina was Dickies, but he had a kid with Joanne. Thanks for watching!

[@williamrogers9004]

He couldn't, she had an abortion and the Dr. Clipped botb her Uterus 's 😂😂😂😂

[@introspectivetonysoprano]

Totally nitpicking and impossible to work with, I know, but it bothered the hell out of me that Dickie and Christopher looked absolutely nothing like each other at all. Which wouldn't typically bother me as much, but Christopher has such an extremely distinctive face that it seemed obsurd to have that guy play his dad. I would've never guessed they were meant to be related had I not been told. Plus we saw a photo of "Dickie" with a baby Christopher in the show (very obviously the actor's real father) who is a clone of the actor so....ugh it just threw me off the whole time. I mean, even Livia's actoress didn't look like her but they still made an attempt, ya know? With the fake nose. Just...eeeeeh

[@mecka9389]

Chris got his mothers darker features but it looks like he got em from giuesipina or whatever

[@drdree8396]

Neither had the makings

[@sigg4789]

Definitely not a crow

[@cloudsombrero]

God many saints of Newark was shite

[@johnallenbailey1103]

Tony would've became Jackie if Dickie shut him out.

[@introspectivetonysoprano]

I kind of feel like Johnny Boy would've kept Tony in. He knew his son had the stomach for it and he didn't seem the type to care much for keeping his son *out* of the life. Especially if it would've benefited him.

[@cumswag1222]

The movie isn't canon lol.

[@CourtCjbLand]

It gets a lot of facts wrong about the show like Tony’s age but Chase wrote it so it’s gotta be cannon. Its his show and his move.

[@cumswag1222]

@@CourtCjbLand Don't care. it's a cliché-ridden mess that doesn't come close to the writing or acting quality of the show. The tone is completely wrong. The Sopranos was about more than just Mafia stuff, it was about the human condition. As James Gandolfini put it when asked if they planned on ever making a Sopranos movie, "when David Chase runs out of money." The film lacks the spirit of the show, and just misses the mark as a film so many times over. A bad movie.

[@maylabrown4584]

@@cumswag1222 Correct.

[@fabybaby]

@@cumswag1222 still canon

[@danielbergonzi7319]

Just because it's a bad contradictory movie doesn't negate Chase's presence. If anything road to respect wasn't canon because it's wasn't David's idea

[@wookieboss2643]

Just when I'd almost forgotten about the worst piece of crap prequel ever. It's best we all forget and don't mention it imo

[@rman52]

Sad that Liottas last movie was the many craps of Newark. At least he was good in it. Maybe they should have had him write it too.

[@nathaninostroza7655]

I'm grateful towards liotta, he went on top, and yes that movie was really bad, but Ray s acting was pretty compelling.

[@clarenceworleez1433]

This was the worst movie ever made and i’m sorry it has nothing to do with The Sopranos

[@williamrogers9004]

In 'Soul Plane' they had a 747 going down the runway hittin the switches, it had hydraulics and was hopping, so NO 'Many Saints ' coudn't be worst movie ever, hahaha

[@assmandelta4693]

Dont make the name bully whispers, thats a lame name

[@jfdesignsinc.innovationsid1583]

So,,,is dickies uncle and his father the same guy.? Is this just another terrible choice by the directors in the making of this horrible and disappointing addition to the franchise…. I mean,,, the amount of potential and various ways that things could have gone with the opportunity of this show…. Really what would have been wrong with picking up right where the show left off with sil and paulie as acting bosses?

[@salvietesta6806]

because Sil was in a coma and most of the interesting characters had been killed off or the actor that played them had passed away by the time the movie was filmed. Tony Sirico wasn’t healthy enough to reprise the Paulie role either.

[@toby099]

Dickie seemed to have better social skills and charisma than Chrissie