Twenty years ago, cinema changed. It came in the form of “Goodfellas.” On the surface it was simply an homage to the old Warner Brothers gangster movies, but in tried-and-true Martin Scorsese (“Raging Bull”) fashion he took the genre and
Twenty years ago, cinema changed. It came in the form of “Goodfellas.”
On the surface it was simply an homage to the old Warner Brothers gangster movies, but in tried-and-true Martin Scorsese (“Raging Bull”) fashion he took the genre and art of movie-making to the next level.
This is a film where I could dedicate an entire review to the editing, use of music or even the performances from Oscar-winners Robert De Niro (“Godfather 2”) and Joe Pesci (“Casino”). “Goodfellas” is one of maybe 10 movies in American cinema that works on every level. The writing, directing, editing and groundbreaking cinematography of the film; all bring you into a specific world.
The world is that of mafiosos, a world many of us don’t know. The film is also known for landmark use of narration as a character. The tactic had been tried in film before, but never to such great effect as in “Goodfellas.” I can’t explain how many films since “Goodfellas” borrowed the narration-as-character tactic, most notably “Casino,” “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Up in the Air.” The film also does something that is very hard to do in film — the movie itself spans 25 years in the lives of most characters. You never for a second doubt the age change or feel like movie-magic is why it’s believable. It’s a good movie in its “purest” form. STORY. I say this because nowadays we take computer images over story or 3-D over a shared-communal experience.
The famous opening line of the movie, “As far back as I can remember I wanted to be a gangster,” is spoken by Ray Liotta, who plays the film’s main character, Henry Hill. Hill is a small-time gangster who takes part in a robbery with Jimmy Conway (De Niro) and Tommy De Vito (Pesci), two other gangsters who have set their sights a bit higher. His two partners kill off everyone else involved in the robbery, and slowly start to climb up through the hierarchy of the mob. Henry, however, is badly affected by his partners’ success, but will he stoop low enough to bring about the downfall of Jimmy and others?
This may sound like the plot of the movie. It’s not. It’s only the set-up. That’s how grand “Goodfellas” is. I’ve stayed away from reviewing it for many reasons. First off, no review does it justice, it’s too good of a movie to put into words or narrow down why it works and it’s one of those movies you have to watch multiple times before it sinks in. I’ve watched if off and on for 20 years (sometimes once a week) and it never gets old. The more you learn about cinema, yourself and people; the more powerful this film is. This movie is Martin Scorsese in his element. He was robbed of the best directing Oscar by Kevin Costner for “Dances with Wolves.”
I also selected this film as part of my grandma tribute, because my grandma was Sicilian. For me some of the funniest parts in the movie are when they’re enjoying a big pasta dinner, telling stories with friends or chomping down on fresh cold-cut sandwiches among fellow Goodfellas. My grandma’s favorite activity was to eat cold cuts and talk to people. I watch this film and see a peek into my ancestors (NO, none of them were mobsters).
September is Animation Film Month at Lihu‘e Library Film Club (call 241-3222 for dates/titles).
Studio: Warner Brothers
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Larraine Bracco,Paul Sorvino
Oscars: Best supporting actor (Pesci), Nominations: director,picture, screenplay, supporting actress, editing)
1) Charlie Chaplin (“City Lights”)
2) Billy Wilder (“The Fortune Cookie”)
3) Alfred Hitchcock (“Vertigo”)
4) Frank Capra (“Meet John Doe”)
5) David Lean (“Oliver Twist”)
6) John Ford (“The Informer”)
7) Howard Hawkes (“Red River”)
8) Orsen Welles (“Touch of Evil”)
9) Martin Scorsese (“Shutter Island”)
10) Michael Mann (“The Insider”)
