Boardwalk Empire

About Boardwalk Empire

Boardwalk Empire is an American period crime drama television series that aired from 2010 to 2014. The show is set in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era and focuses on Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (played by Steve Buscemi), a political figure who rises to prominence and controls a significant number of bootlegging operations. As the series progresses, Nucky is forced to deal with increasing competition and pressure from the government and his enemies.

Making / Production

The production of Boardwalk Empire was overseen by many big names in the industry including Martin Scorsese and Mark Wahlberg, who served as executive producers. The pilot episode was directed by Scorsese and the series was created by Terence Winter, a writer and executive producer for The Sopranos. The show features high production values, including a meticulously recreated Boardwalk set that cost $5 million.

Actors

• Steve Buscemi as Enoch "Nucky" Thompson: A compelling performance from Buscemi who navigates his complex character's journey from corrupt political leader to bootlegging kingpin with ease.
• Michael Pitt as James "Jimmy" Darmody: Pitt delivers an excellent and intense portrayal of a man torn between his loyalties and his ambitions.
• Kelly Macdonald as Margaret Thompson: MacDonald provides a heartfelt portrayal of a woman trying to navigate her way in a male-dominated, corrupt society.
• Michael Shannon as Nelson Van Alden: Shannon brings a chilling and complex performance as a deeply troubled prohibition agent.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The recreation of the Atlantic City boardwalk, as it was in 1920, was a 300-foot-long by 40-foot-wide boardwalk at Marcy Ave. in Brooklyn.
• The series was inspired by the book "Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City" by Nelson Johnson.
• Many characters (including Nucky Thompson) were based on real historical figures.

Awards

Boardwalk Empire has been the recipient of numerous awards and nominations. Notably, it won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama in 2011, and Steve Buscemi won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series twice (2011 and 2012).

Quotes

• Nucky Thompson: "We all have to decide for ourselves how much sin we can live with."
• Richard Harrow: "We're all cowards...we can't evade who we are."
• Margaret Schroeder: "This is what I think of your offer...Nothing!"

Music / Soundtrack

• The series' opening credits feature a song called “Straight Up and Down” by The Brian Jonestown Massacre.
• Many scenes feature period-accurate popular music, creating an immersive historical atmosphere.
• Music on the show has ranged from classic renditions of Irish folk songs to big band jazz tunes of the Roaring Twenties era.