Goodfellas (1990) Analysis
Analysis of Goodfellas (1990)
Goodfellas (1990) is a film directed by Martin Scorsese, based in the book written by Nicholas Pileggi Wiseguys, where we can see the life of Henry Hill and how he works his way up through the mob hierarchy.
From the beginning of the movie we know that Henry idolizes the mob with the next statement: “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster”. And even though through the whole film the main character loves the gangster lifestyle, the position of the film in this matter is different, what the film or Scorsese really wants to show is the danger of the exuberance of this lifestyle, the greed that comes with this, greed for power, money or more drugs, until they end up killing each other and the police gets them, in other words, this life of devotion to the mob ends in failure.
Although this film is actually based in a true story, the techniques employed in it tend towards exaggeration. Scorsese uses some of these techniques to make sure that the viewers take part of the narrative, like using a first person narrator or even an on-camera narrator, where the character can describe their wonder, excitement and anxiety so they can better understand their decisions and it also aids in creating an emotional attachment to the characters.
Another technique Scorsese uses is the fluid camera; the best example of this is in the scene where Henry takes Karen to the Copacabana, trough the back door, skipping the queue, where the camera tracks them from behind as Henry is being greeted by the workers, even at one point Henry looks over to the side and the camera follows this movement to show a cook smiling at him. This scene is one unbroken shot. In this scene is where the viewers, and Karen, get a real sense of the importance of the Henry, noticing how everyone knows him and tries to accommodate him. As Henry charms Karen, he also mesmerizes the audience. It also must be noticed that this shot symbolizes Henry’s
Goodfellas (1990) is a film directed by Martin Scorsese, based in the book written by Nicholas Pileggi Wiseguys, where we can see the life of Henry Hill and how he works his way up through the mob hierarchy.
From the beginning of the movie we know that Henry idolizes the mob with the next statement: “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster”. And even though through the whole film the main character loves the gangster lifestyle, the position of the film in this matter is different, what the film or Scorsese really wants to show is the danger of the exuberance of this lifestyle, the greed that comes with this, greed for power, money or more drugs, until they end up killing each other and the police gets them, in other words, this life of devotion to the mob ends in failure.
Although this film is actually based in a true story, the techniques employed in it tend towards exaggeration. Scorsese uses some of these techniques to make sure that the viewers take part of the narrative, like using a first person narrator or even an on-camera narrator, where the character can describe their wonder, excitement and anxiety so they can better understand their decisions and it also aids in creating an emotional attachment to the characters.
Another technique Scorsese uses is the fluid camera; the best example of this is in the scene where Henry takes Karen to the Copacabana, trough the back door, skipping the queue, where the camera tracks them from behind as Henry is being greeted by the workers, even at one point Henry looks over to the side and the camera follows this movement to show a cook smiling at him. This scene is one unbroken shot. In this scene is where the viewers, and Karen, get a real sense of the importance of the Henry, noticing how everyone knows him and tries to accommodate him. As Henry charms Karen, he also mesmerizes the audience. It also must be noticed that this shot symbolizes Henry’s
References: * Scorsese, M. (1990). [Director]. Goodfellas [Motion Picture]. New York: Warner Bros. * Evans, B. (2010 July, 13). Goodfellas editing analysis [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://extendedproject2010.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/goodfellas.html * afi. (2011 November, 17). Martin Scorsese on GOODFELLAS [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV7btRCs3Wc * Pask, S. (2009 September, 28). Goodfellas film analysis [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://paskinss.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/goodfellas-film-analysis/ * McKibbin, T. (n.d.). Film Style [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://tonymckibbin.com/course-notes/film-style