Some films grab a person by their imaginary balls and don’t let go. These are cinema stories that are spellbinding and hold shocking images up to the light for all to see and remember. I don’t have any life stories that can relate to this particular movie. Thank goodness. I might have grown up in New York, but I was never a part of the gangsta world. My parents and relatives were not a part of a syndicate that used violent methods to settle their differences. No one owned a gun or would think of digging up a body in the middle of the night. Yes, we do love to cook and eat, but so do many famous chefs. Our butcher knives are for carving a nice brisket, not someone stuffed in the car trunk.
I must say the togetherness factor was overwhelming. They ate, partied, and vacationed within the same circle. Their children attended the same school and often went to each other’s birthday parties. Every celebratory event was done in unison. I can’t even imagine. Families are so scattered nowadays. It would not be easy to discover any individual space growing up. But this was the beauty of “the life.” Henry Hill has said, “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” Hill’s dream came true from 1950 to 1980 and was brilliantly filmed in Martin Scorsese’s GOODFELLAS.
GOODFELLAS is a magnificent, iconic story that leads audiences through one of the roughest and toughest New York neighborhoods. Hill (Ray Liotta) tutored by two notorious gangstas, Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) and James ‘Jimmy’ Conway (Robert De Niro), made the rules very clear. Hill knew how to keep his mouth shut and do what he was told to do by the mob boss Paul Cicero (Paul Sorvino). They all survived for decades, killing, gambling, drugging, and stealing, but the law has a way of slowly catching up. Decisions had to be made that changed everyone’s lives forever. This film is based on a true story. These people were using unimaginable violence on anyone who crossed their path. Nicholas Pileggi chronicled their adventures in his novel WISEGUY. He and Scorsese teamed up to write the screenplay, and the rest is history. With Scorsese’s artistic vision, GOODFELLAS was destined for greatness.
There are many unique facts about the movie. Here are a few. The word “fuck” was said 321 times mostly by Joe Pesci’s character. His mom told him later that she thought he was great, but he should curse a little less. Ray Liotta’s character repeated all the narration from Henry Hill’s interviews. The narratives were just about verbatim. The late-night supper at Tommy DeVito’s home featured Scorsese’s mom, Catharine, portraying Pesci’s mom in the scene. It was all improvised, and she was never told why they needed a butcher’s knife. The scene with the entire family together was also improvised. This is why everyone is talking over each other. Scorsese loved the Copacabana Club. His prom was held there, but it was tough to film in the club. He had to get extremely creative, making that infamous scene of dancing fun and frolic actually happen.
Gathering the likes of De Niro, Pesci, Liotta, Sorvino, and Lorraine Bracco all under one roof, led by Scorsese, is mind-boggling. The amount of extraordinary acting ability in one room would give me pause. These are some of Hollywood‘s finest. It must have been like being in a master class every day. Scorsese is a very hands-on director. Every scene had to be exactly as he saw it in his mind, right down to the perfect tie around De Niro’s neck. Every day, Scorsese tied it for De Niro himself. Details were important. They brought this dark, powerful snippet of time into the open for all to judge. The cast needed to know every detail about the mob so those who were there would recognize the physicality every character portrayed in GOODFELLAS. This was the genius behind this piece of art. It was another level above all of us.
The music in GOODFELLAS played a crucial role in every scene. It brought together decades with hit tunes and, at times, made the horror of what was happening on the streets and among the gangsters even more horrific.
GOODFELLAS is legendary. It is humorous, intense, bloody, and at times violently out of control. It is a thirty-five-year-old criminal classic that will endure forever. Because it did happen in America, the story and film hold a tremendous amount of nostalgia. It shows us at our worst and most vulnerable. It makes us realize that the ties that bind can sometimes destroy as well. It is a wake-up call movie. It helps the common man discover his strengths and weaknesses, as well as how easily he can be led astray. I’m glad my New York neighborhood wasn’t near this one. Who knows how I would have turned out otherwise?
GOODFELLAS is streaming on MAX.
