An Analysis of How Narrative and Genre Features Create Meaning and Generate Response in the Opening of Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas
analytical Essay
931 words
An Analysis of How Narrative and Genre Features Create Meaning and Generate Response in the Opening of Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas
Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas is based on the culture of organized gang
crime
in New York. The gangster genre from the 1920s up until the early
1930s was
extremely popular because most urban, ethnic and working class
audiences shared
gangster’s desire to attain the American dream. A central motif of
Howard Hawks
‘Scar face’ is a neon sign that states ‘the world is yours’ and the
contemporary
audience shared this dream. Typical of the genre the close knit
Italian American
community introduced at the beginning of the film by the voice over of
the
protagonist Henry Hill which is later taken over by his wife Karen as
he starts to lose
control of his life. The classic early genre made no attempt to
camouflage their greedy
motives and the audience were attracted to their blunt honesty. Martin
Scorsese taps
into this enjoyment of gangster of the gangster’s ability to do what
the audience can
onlydream about. Hill’s voiceover” At thirteen I was making more money
than most
of the gown-ups in the neighbour hood, I mean I had more money than I
could
spend”.
Gangster films almost nearly always follow a rise and fall narrative
structure
therefore Henry Hills claim to ‘have it all’ maybe seen by the
audience as ironic.
Initially, however, in gangster genre the accumulation of wealth and
power seems
unstoppable and in Goodfellas Henrys youthful fascination with the
mobsters in his
neighbour hood mirrors the public fascination with the ma...
... middle of paper ...
...enrys drug fuelled recklessness which later on
leads to his final arrest.
The opening indicates the excitement of being a gangster. Scorsese
brings a
twist to these conventions that make the film and his characters more
appealing to the
audience as they seem like ordinary people. Scorsese demythologises
the gangster
world, much of what initially attracts the young Henry is a charade,
as the narrative
unfolds we see relationships deteriorate as greed and paranoia take
hold as characters
move from loyalty to betrayal. Normally the protagonist invariably
dies in a hail of
bullets, Henry returns to a normal anonymous lifestyle he was trying
to escape. A fate
that to him, seems worse then death. He also shows no remorse, ‘I was
an average
nobody. I ad to live my life like a shnook’.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how narrative and genre features create meaning and generate response in the opening of martin scorsese's goodfellas based on the culture of organized gang crime in new york.
- Analyzes how howard hawks 'scar face' is a neon sign that states ‘the world is yours’ and the contemporary audience shared this dream. the close knit italian american community introduced by the voiceover of the protagonist henry hill.
- Analyzes how martin scorsese taps into the enjoyment of the gangster's ability to do what the audience can onlydream about.
- Analyzes how henry hills' claim to 'have it all' may be ironic in gangster genre, but the accumulation of wealth and power seems unstoppable in goodfellas. henry's youthful fascination with mobsters in his neighbour hood mirrors the public fascination
- Analyzes how the gangster genre is notorious for the level of violence it brings to the screen and the opening does not disappoint.
- Analyzes how scorsese's use of freeze frame is a pivotal screen as it marks henry hill’s downfall.
- Analyzes how the autobiographical element draws the audience closer to ray liottas character. the film begins in the 1950s with henry's childhood, a narrative situation seen in gangster films such as ‘angels with dirty faces’.
- Analyzes how the use of voiceover is more of a convention of film noir than classic gangster genre. the mise en scene in the opening sequence goes along way in explaining the mafia mystique.
- Analyzes how the use of low angle shots and freeze frames as his dad beats him with his belt is the most disturbing depiction of violence in the opening scene.
- Analyzes how scorsese doesn't stress economic necessity of being a gangster, as henry's mother alludes to in lizard snake skin shoes and silk shirt.
- Analyzes how scorsese visually highlights riches that come with life of crime in the opening sequence.
- Analyzes how the soundtrack creates atmosphere of the 1950's america and the lyrics link to the central theme of gangster narratives (rags to riches).
- Analyzes how the gangster structure ends with the protagonist isolating himself to reach the top. henry's views of the mafia lifestyle are both romantic and nave.
- Analyzes how henry's information regarding the cautious ways in which pauli lives his life for example not owning a telephone and only meeting up with one person is ironic considering henrys drug fuelled recklessness.
- Analyzes how scorsese demythologises the gangster world and makes his characters more appealing to the audience.
Related
- analytical
- Carlito's Way: Movie Analysisanalytical essaySince the last century, the City of New York has been epicenter of the entertainment industry. Its neighborhoods and the many emblematic places such as The Empire State building or the Statute of Liberty have been part of the most ambitious films. Accordingly, New York City is one of the famous metropolises around the world. Besides the attractions and places that belong to this urban jungle, its undeniable fame is due to its appearance as an arena in production films. One of my favorites movies filmed in New York City is “Carlito’s Way”.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that new york city has been the epicenter of the entertainment industry since the last century. its neighborhoods and emblematic places have been part of ambitious films.
- Analyzes how carlito's way, starring al pacino, tells the story of a puerto rican ex-convict who has been behind bars for five years.
- Analyzes how the film captures the essence of the hispanic community in new york. the film depicts a persecution against carlito in the iconic grand central station.
- Describes three important places of interest to highlight in the movie: the spanish harlem, the subway, and the grand central station.
- Concludes that the movie is presented in the middle 70's, portraying a city of new york overcrowded. the violence, drugs, betrayals and murderers are also included in this film.
590 wordsRead More - The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King is both a wonderful film and a brilliantly written short story. There are many themes represented in each form of The Shawshank Redemption. The one major theme that interests me in both the film and the story is freedom. Freedom serves a large purpose for both the story's writer and the filmmaker. Both use similar examples to signify freedom, not only in the jail, but also in a larger context about life. There are many events and examples in both the film and the short story that signifies the theme of freedom. The one main difference is when the film uses the director’s technique to portray a feel of freedom for the inmates. The overall three issues used in this essay are all linked to the feeling of the inmates feeling the sense of freedom with the prison walls.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the theme of freedom in stephen king's the shawshank redemption. the film and the short story use similar examples to signify freedom, not only in the jail, but also in a larger context about life.
- Analyzes how andy dufresne's "sunday expeditions" at shawshank shows the reader and/or viewer that it will make him feel free.
- Analyzes how andy dufresne got beer for all of the crew that tarred the prison's roof, and for those twenty minutes they felt like free men. andy wanted himself and his 'co-workers' to feel freedom.
- Analyzes how andy carried an "inner light" inside him, an inner light that burned for the dream of freedom. andy got the beer for all his crew because he wanted the crew to have a sense
- Concludes that freedom serves a large purpose for both the story's writer and the filmmaker.
810 wordsRead More - Literary Devices Utilized in Thomas Foster's Book "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" Put to Use in "Pulp Fiction"analytical essayThe only real way to truly understand a story is to understand all aspects of a story and their meanings. The same goes for movies, as they are all just stories being acted out. In Thomas Foster's book, “How to Read Literature Like a Professor”, Foster explains in detail the numerous ingredients of a story. He discusses almost everything that can be found in any given piece of literature. The devices discussed in Foster's book can be found in most movies as well, including in Quentin Tarantino’s cult classic, “Pulp Fiction”. This movie is a complicated tale that follows numerous characters involved in intertwining stories. Tarantino utilizes many devices to make “Pulp Fiction” into an excellent film. In this essay, I will demonstrate how several literary devices described in Foster's book are put to use in Tarantino’s film, “Pulp Fiction”, including quests, archetypes, food, and violence.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how thomas foster's book, "how to read literature like a professor", explains in detail the numerous ingredients of any given piece of literature, and the devices discussed in his book can be found in most movies.
- Explains that quests are a popular device used frequently in literature. in "pulp fiction", each character's voyage revolves around one main quest, marsellus' quest to get his briefcase back.
- Analyzes the symbolic meanings of the briefcase and the band-aid in "pulp fiction".
- Analyzes how food is used in several scenes in "pulp fiction", including the opening scene. honey bunny and pumpkin discuss a robbery, robbing banks, convenience stores, and liquor stores.
- Analyzes the use of violence in "pulp fiction" to show the significance of spirituality in the film.
- Concludes that many other devices mentioned in foster's book were employed throughout the film "pulp fiction". these devices were used to make the story more interesting and easier for the audience to relate to.
1048 wordsRead More - In the classical Western and Noir films, narrative is driven by the action of a male protagonist towards a clearly defined, relatable goal. Any lack of motivation or action on the part of the protagonist problematizes the classical association between masculinity and action. Due to inherent genre expectations, this crisis of action is equivalent to a crisis of masculinity. Because these genres are structured around male action, the crises of action and masculinity impose a crisis of genre. In the absence of traditional narrative elements and character tropes, these films can only identify as members of their genres through saturation with otherwise empty genre symbols. The equivalency between the crises of genre and masculinity frames this symbol saturation as a sort of compensatory masculine posturing.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how thomas elsaesser explains the emergence of a new ideology within american filmmaking, which reflects the dissolution of psychologically relatable, goal-oriented characters. christian keathley outlines this shape in trapped in the affection image.
- Analyzes how the equivalency between the crises of genre and masculinity frames this symbol saturation as a sort of compensatory masculine posturing.
- Analyzes how john mccabe embodies elsaesser's figure of failure through his behavior and characterization. his love for constance miller is withheld until nearly halfway through the film.
- Analyzes how altman toys with the idea of mccabe's agency on a formal level, often through frustrating or denying the "action image" component of deluze’s proposed sensory motor schema.
- Explains that if the protagonist of a western film does not exhibit the characteristic goal-oriented drive and rugged individualism that describe the standard hero archetype, the film itself will not live up to the conventions of the genre.
- Analyzes how mccabe's deviance from the classic western hero archetype prevents the confrontation from resolving in one of the dynamic showdowns that are emblematic of western films.
- Analyzes how altman undermines the buildup by continuing the funeral dirge in place of more suspenseful music in the absence of non-diegetic music.
- Analyzes how mccabe's inability to take positive action renders him, and consequentially the scene itself, impotent.
- Analyzes how altman completely foregos non-diegetic music to create a profound sense of stillness. the visual potency of movements is also minimized through the liberal use of long shots.
- Analyzes how the hero's agency is compromised when the perception image is followed by an action image as he hesitantly confirms the kill.
- Analyzes how altman uses pans and zooms to emphasize spaces and objects in the mise-en-scéne. the narrative irrelevance of these shots underscores their function as genre affirmation.
- Analyzes how the motivated, action-oriented male protagonist is as central to the film noir genre as to western. chinatown is subject to crises of masculinity and genre that appear in mccabe & mrs.
- Analyzes how keathley's trapped in the affection image combines affection and perception by following gittes' line of sight up to the sign.
- Analyzes gittes' emotional and psychological distance from the viewer through his intentionally vague backstory. his experiences in chinatown, reasons for leaving the police force, and romantic history are mentioned frequently, but never explained to an extent that would allow audiences to empathize or understand his motivations.
- Analyzes how polanski emphasizes the camera through a zoom away from gittes’ assistant, bringing mr. mulwray into the image.
- Analyzes how polanski references his film's "noir-ness" in the first shot of the stash of pocketwatches; excessive dramatic shadows are themselves a convention of film noir.
- Analyzes how polanski calls attention to the genre by writing in direct references to noir tropes.
- Analyzes how the inclusion of western and noir tropes and symbols in their respective genres exposes their use as intentional genre signifiers to compensate for the films' failure to follow their traditional classical narrative structure.
- Cites elsaesser, robert, and keathley, christian. the last great american picture show: new hollywood cinema in the 1970s.
2198 wordsRead More - The Philadelphia Storyanalytical essayThe Classical Hollywood style, according to David Bordwell remains “bound by rules that set stringent limits on individual innovation; that telling a story is the basic formal concern.” Every element of the film works in the service of the narrative, which should be ideally comprehensible and unambiguous to the audience. The typical Hollywood film revolves around a protagonist, whose struggle to achieve a specific goal or resolve a conflict becomes the foundation for the story. André Bazin, in his “On the politique des auteurs,” argues that this particular system of filmmaking, despite all its limitations and constrictions, represented a productive force creating commercial art. From the Hollywood film derived transnational and transcultural works of art that evoked spectatorial identification with its characters and emotional investment into its narrative. The Philadelphia Story, directed by George Cukor in 1940, is one of the many works of mass-produced art evolving out of the studio system. The film revolves around Tracy Lord who, on the eve of her second wedding, must confront the return of her ex-husband, two newspaper reporters entering into her home, and her own hubris. The opening sequence of The Philadelphia Story represents a microcosm of the dynamic between the two protagonists Tracy Lord and C.K. Dexter Haven, played by Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant. Through the use of costume and music, the opening sequence operates as a means to aesthetically reveal narrative themes and character traits, while simultaneously setting up the disturbance that must be resolved.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the classical hollywood style is bound by rules that set stringent limits on individual innovation. the philadelphia story, directed by george cukor in 1940, is one of many works of mass-produced art evolving out of the studio system
- Analyzes how the philadelphia story uses expository intertitles to convey crucial information relevant to the narrative. the non-diegetic orchestra track conveys dialogue between the characters in the opening sequence.
- Analyzes how the use of costume and setting explicitly reveals tracy's and dexter’s social class, while implicitly disclosing her traits.
- Analyzes how the philadelphia story addresses sociological issues arising from the distinction between upper class tracy and dexter and the middle class macaulay and elizabeth.
- Analyzes how hollywood film raises problems only to resolve them. dexter leaving tracy sets up the audience's expectation that they must reconcile before the film ends.
- Analyzes how the background images in the credit sequence of the philadelphia story resemble a newspaper-printing block, pointing to the second plot — the creation of the tabloid story for spy magazine.
- Analyzes how the title and opening sequence present a self-conscious summary of what the film addresses. the broken romance between tracy and dexter represents the first plot line, while the moral conflict between macaulay, elizabeth and the editorial they have to produce spy magazine represent the second.
1553 wordsRead More - Goodfellas: American Gangster Filmanalytical essay‘Goodfellas’ is a film about American gangsters; we know this because of the images that are in the opening scene. The first thing we see after the opening credits is a Pontiac Grand Prix which is a popular American car (during the 70s), you cannot find one of these cars anywhere but in the U.S., and this is the first image that shows us we are watching an America gangster film. After that scene we see a black screen with the words “New York, 1970”, this time period was infamous for mobsters/gangsters. The final piece of imagery that tells us that we are watching an American gangster film is the narrator; he (Ray Liotta) has a strong, distinguished American accent. A viewers’ generic expectations of a gangster film are fulfilled by the costumes,
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how 'goodfellas' is a film about american gangsters, and how the narrator (ray liotta) has an american accent. the opening sequence conforms to the characteristics of the crime genre.
243 wordsRead More - Don T Look Now Vs High Noon Essayanalytical essayIn any film, filmmakers use the beginning to expose the audience to its style and organization along with storyline, society, and characters of the film. The ending evokes emotions from the audience and drives home the essence of the film. Within the two films High Noon and Don’t Look Now, the parallels in the beginnings and the endings of the films exhibit purposeful framing that speak to the outcomes of the films dependent on the characters’ actions. The favorable beginning and ending of High Noon contrasts with the tragic beginning and ending of Don’t Look Now, highlighting the importance of a strong set of values, and the dangers of being consumed by your own thoughts.
In this essay, the author
- Compares the favorable beginning and ending of high noon and don't look now, highlighting the importance of a strong set of values, and the dangers of being consumed by your thoughts.
- Analyzes how kane and amy are the center of attention, taking up most of the frame illustrating their isolation within the community.
- Analyzes how the visual element of the crowd and the carriage carry different meanings. kane and amy leave town on their own accord revealing their relationship with the town has completely dissolved.
- Analyzes how the framing within the beginning and the ending of don't look now have numerous parallels that foreshadow the film's "exploration of grief."
- Analyzes how the crowd at the wedding creates the illusion that the couple is a well-liked couple. the framing positions townspeople around kane and amy, making the shot feel cramped, intrusive, and inclusive.
1177 wordsRead More - Movie Review: Goodfellasanalytical essayGoodfellas is based on the life of Henry Hill, a member of an organized crime family of Italian descent that continues to have strong ties to Italy throughout the movie. As the movie begins, an old car drives down a highway as the bumper and New York license plates are shown. It seems as though the flickering streetlights are representative of the lights of a large city fading in the distance. Two men watch as a short man makes the observation that they need to finish killing a mutilated and bloody guy in the the trunk. Tommy, the short guy, stabs the man with a butcher knife mercilessly in a way that would make most viewers cringe. It becomes clear that this is a movie about street level gangsters in the ‘70s. The protagonist, Henry Hill begins by narrating his life as a teenager, stating that he “always wanted to be a gangster.”
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how henry becomes enamored with being a gangster and develops an emotional attachment to the organization.
- Analyzes how henry narrates that people are "always together" with "no outsiders" allowed. they tolerate and trust people with similar attitudes.
- Analyzes how the mob keeps people in line within the organization and on the outside through coercive power.
- Analyzes how members of the mob develop neuroticism and use hard influence tactics to persuade others outside the organization to behave the way they want.
- Analyzes how henry sells cocaine behind his boss's back, putting the whole organization at risk. the organization loses its countervailing power as henry discovers lucrative opportunities that are against the organization’s goals.
- Analyzes how the mob's location is stationed in a low-income predominantly sicilian neighborhood near the airport as henry narrates.
- Analyzes how legitimate power is an important aspect of the mob family. henry describes paulie as someone who moved slow because he did not have to move for anybody.
- Analyzes how the movie "goodfellas" shows that the mob allows its members to feel like they directly contribute to the overall success of the organization.
- Analyzes how goodfellas is based on the life of henry hill, a member of an organized crime family of italian descent.
- Analyzes how jimmy mastered both unselfishness and malevolence to gain an advantage.
3131 wordsRead More - Comparing Mamet's The Screenplay And The State Fairanalytical essayIn his essay The Screenplay and the State Fair, David Mamet criticizes the profit based production, of drama in Hollywood and pop-culture. He describes mainstream movies as systematic, planned, and inauthentic. He even goes so far as to claim, Hollywood movies are no longer drama, but instead are advertisements. Mamet sets out to defy the status quo of Hollywood dramas by creating organic plots that do not follow an obviously scripted, or charted path. Due to Mamet’s organic plots, the resolution of his story’s often feel unsatisfactory, and at times, disappointing because they are not what the reader wants or expects. His creations keep his readers on their toes, and frequently leaves them feeling surprised and confused. His technique however,
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how david mamet criticizes the profit-based production of drama in hollywood and pop-culture by creating organic plots that do not follow an obviously scripted path.
- Analyzes how house of cards is about the exchange between psychologist dr. ford and a con artist named mike.
- Analyzes how a scripted version of the story would allow dr. ford to exact revenge on mike by retrieving her money from the con man, and sending him to jail.
- Analyzes how mamet's oleanna is about the exchange between a male professor and one of his female students.
- Analyzes how mamet refuses to follow a schematic progression of plot, if he had, his conclusion would have resolved neatly, with one character being the clear victor over the other.
- Analyzes how mamet rebels against typical hollywood drama by creating organic storylines that do not follow a schematic formula. oleanna and house of cards resist the status quo of modern drama while capturing the interest of its readers.
933 wordsRead More - Goodfella's Film Analysisanalytical essayAmerican cinema seems to have always had a preoccupation with crime and the criminal underworld, Goodfella’s is no exception.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how goodfella's follows the life of henry hill, a young man growing up in the mob steadily working to advance himself through the crime family’s hierarchy.
105 wordsRead More