Goodfellas/Scorsese

             Overall, Goodfellas is one of the best gangster films of the 20^th 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 19^th, 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.

LINKS

http://blog.moviefone.com/2010/09/14/goodfellas-20th-anniversary/