HBOs Boardwalk Empire On Blu-Ray DVD

Nucky’s character is based on Enoch Johnson, a real person who was a political boss in Atlantic City for decades. In the show Nucky Thompson is a charismatic, powerful man, who at the beginning of prohibition becomes involved in the illegal liquor underworld in what was one of the busiest ports for the business in the United States. He’s smooth, sophisticated, smart, and larger than life. Kelly MacDonald is Margaret Schroeder, an intriguing and beautiful Irish immigrant who Nucky meets, and then secretly murders her husband so they can marry.

The show also gives a rare glimpse of how Al Capone got started in crime. There have been lots of movies about Al Capone the crime boss, but this is about a very young Al Capone just beginning his career. Other famous crime figures Nucky deals with are Arnold Rothstein, Meyer Lansky, Joe Masseria, and Lucky Luciano in New York; Mickey Doyle in Atlantic City; Waxey Gordon in Philadelphia; and Johnny Torrio in Chicago. In fact there are several story lines that play simultaneously throughout the series, but Nucky is always the central figure, with ties to bosses in the other cities. His African American counterpart in Atlantic City is Chalky White, who both relies on and competes with Nucky for a piece of the bootleg action. Chalky, Lucky, Mickey, Waxey, Nucky…..getting confused? You need to watch the story from the beginning.

Boardwalk Empire was created by Terence Winter, who wrote and produced The Sopranos, and Deadwood, two other highly successful HBO series. Mark Wahlberg and Martin Scorsese are the executive producers. The show is starting its 5th and final season and has received numerous Golden Globe and Emmy nominations and awards. It’s really a great show.

The boxed Blue Ray set for sale on Amazon includes the first 4 seasons of the show. I’ve watched it again and again. The sets and costumes are so detailed. I read that the first episode cost $20 million because of the elaborate replica of the 1920s Atlantic City Boardwalk that was built. It’s a period show with realistic hairstyles, makeup, and scenery. Even the language is reminiscent of the time. It’s the first series about that time frame in American history. And it’s based on things that really happened.