(Student’s Full Name)
The name of the film that is being reviewed is Goodfellas (1990), which was directed by Martin Scorsese. The movie’s symbolic value lies in the fact that the movie is about the main character’s desire to pursue the “mythos of glamour, power, and money” regardless of the means that are required (Friedman, Desser, Kozloff, Nochismon & Prince, 2014, p. 420).
In Goodfellas (1990) is a “late-twentieth-century” gangster film, which subverts elements of other gangster film genre conventions that preceded it (Friedman, Desser, Kozloff, Nochismon & Prince, 2014, p. 420). Firstly, it sought to subvert the elements found within the Warner Brothers gangster films, which were influenced by the economic hardships of the Great Depression. Secondly, it subverted the elements found in Cold War gangster films where the main character was almost always a psychopath. Finally, it even went against the elements presented in the Godfather trilogy, where Italian immigrants are forced to enter a life of crime out of a need to easily move up the socio-economic background without coming from a family that has settled in America for a prolonged period. The main character, Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta), simply desires to have all of the trappings of the luxurious, high life that can be experienced while living a life of crime. Furthermore, it can be said that Henry Hill is similar to a main character from another Scorsese’s film, Mean Streets, who is not “motivated by a desire to ‘get ahead’” when he decides to enter a life of crime (Mitchell, 2003, p. 225). Therefore, it can be argued that the director is questioning the American society’s preoccupation with materialism and which affirms persons who are living an outwardly successful lifestyle.
Furthermore, it should be noted that when the couple are seated that the director chooses to use low key lighting. Low key lighting is frequently used in gangster films because it is high contrast. In other words, low key lighting highlights both the dark and light areas of the characters faces, bodies, and their surroundings. This is effective because it helps to unnerve the audience and prepares the viewer from something negative that would happen later on in the movie. Furthermore, the high contrast created by the low key lighting suggests a supposed contest or battle between good and evil. Indeed, it can be said that the high contrast created by the low key lighting suggests an internal conflict that is taking place within the characters as struggle with whether or not they should accept living a life of crime so as to enjoy a luxurious lifestyle
Nowhere is the glamour of the American Dream exemplified than in the steadicam shot where Henry Hill enters through the private entrance at the back of the Copacabana with his date. It is clear that he exposes a lifestyle to her where she is not required to stand in lines at a restaurant. As he enters through the private entrance he pays the wait staff as he and his date makes his way to their table, which is instantly placed for them right there at the front of a very packed restaurant. In addition, the friendly manner in which he speaks to the wait staff and chefs suggests that his generosity has allowed him to have a good relationship with them. Moreover, besides speaking to the wait staff, Henry speaks with, shakes hands, and gestures to some of the patrons of the restaurant, who instantly recognize him. The steadicam shot is effective because it highlights the fact that Henry’s life of crime, which allows him to earn him a substantial amount of money, earns him the respect, friendship, and admiration of those around him.
References
805Bruin. (2009, July 2). Goodfellas-Steadicam Shot [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Sr-vxVaY_M
Friedman, L. D., Desser, D., Kozloff, S., Nochimson, M., & Prince, S. (2014). An introduction to film genres. New York: W. W. Norton & Co.
Mitchell, E. (2003). Apes and essences: Some sources of significance in the American gangster film. In B. Grant (Ed.), Film genre reader III (pp. 219-228). Austin: University of Texas Press.
