Post 8: Goodfellas, 1990, Directed by Martin Scorsese

As the theme of crime and drama are apparent in 1990 films, the film “Goodfellas” displays an excellent example. This American crime and drama film is about a man named Henry Hill who he and his friends work their way up through the mob hierarchy. Actors like Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci make this film a gangster classic. Most movies about criminal’s figures have a moralistic arc. We watch as the hero rises and then falls, a victim of his own appetite and ambition. Goodfellas is often mesmerizing. Directed by Martin Scorsese, he draws us into the raw excitement of Henry’s world even as he shows us the shocking spurts of violence that propel it. Technically, Goodfellas is artfully blending exhilarating cinematography. There is dynamic editing and an electric soundtrack of classic pop tunes that span the story’s 30-year arc. The several cinematography techniques within the film include camera shots, camera movement, camera angles, and focusing and framing. There are a lot of straight cuts used throughout the movie with the use of close up shots of the men showing facial expressions. An extreme close up is seen when young Henry is shown looking out of his window at the “gangsters”. The lighting used in Goodfellas consists of dim lights making it dark and shadowy, this is mainly done through the use of artificial lighting compared to natural. The use of voice over/ narrator is used at the beginning of the movie along with diegetic and non-diegetic sound in the film.
Undoubtedly Goodfellas is one of Scorsese’s most fun movies. The film can be titled a masterpiece in editing and cinematography as Scorsese captures the sense of what Henry Hill feels like, his rebellion, his power, and ultimately his fear. The film was nominated for the British Society of Cinematographers award for Best Cinematography