Overall, Goodfellas is one of the best gangster films of the 20th century. Martin Scorsese’s forward, and no holds barred approach on the film allowed it to be one of the most recognized films till this day. Not only did its cast set the bar high for future acting, but Scorsese did for his direction as well. I believe the way Scorsese utilized his cast and environment really helped with the reality of the movie, giving a realistic feel of violence, love, hate, and friendship.
Before it’s release 22 years ago on
September 19th, 1990, Goodfellas
wasn’t approved by all who viewed the test screening. Many people walked out
disgusted, saying the film was way too bloody in the first 10 minutes. In order
to keep a bigger audience, Scorsese cut 10 shots out of his original
screenplay. Now, aside from an all-star cast, Goodfellas had something a lot of other mobster movies didn’t have
up until this time; and that was depth. As an audience, we were able to learn
about certain character’s lives, like where they came from and who they were
married to. It was all really helpful information for us to understand the
story better. According to “Moviefone” on AOL, “it was the first movie about
what mobster life was like as a day-to-day job, from the point of view of Mafia
footsoldiers, not kingpins.”
Although Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather saga featured the life of an
Italian crime family, its cinematographic look was different than that of Goodfellas. It implemented dark
lighting, quick cuts, and more sepia-toned shots, making it more like a noir
film. Martin Scorsese purposely did a lot of tracking shots, and continuation,
with no cuts ever being needed. Not only did this show that the cast was on top
of their game, but that Scorsese knew exactly what he wanted to show the
audience, and have them feel too.
Goodfellas
paved the way for a television series that came just seven years later, “The
Sopranos.” During it’s television tenure on HBO, the show focused on the trials
and tribulations of a New Jersey mob boss, Tony Soprano, and his everyday life
struggles. What seemed to be just another TB show, was basically a script derived
from Scorsese and Pileggi’s work. Also, a lot of the actors in Goodfellas were asked to do several
other roles in later years, like Michael Imperioli, who played Spider in the
film; starred as Christopher Moltisanti in “The Sopranos.” Other actors and
actresses who got big time roles were Ray Liotta, Joe Pescie, and Debi Mazar,
who played Vince’s assistant in the hit HBO show, “Entourage,” which basically
embodies the money making lifestyle.
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