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 mafia lifestyle, ‘They weren’t
like anybody else they did whatever they wanted, they double parked in front of
hydrant and nobody gave them a ticket”.
Gangster genre is notorious for the level of violence it brings to the screen and
the opening does not disappoint. In the preface Shocking images as Tommy
repeatedly stabs Billy Batts in the trunk of his car is matched by the violent dialogue
another genetic convention ‘He’s still alive you fucking piece of shit! Die you mother
fucker die! Look at me! Look at my fucking eyes!” The shock that the audience is
likely to experience is prolonged by Scorses’s use of freeze frame. This scene is a
pivotal screen as it marks Henry Hill’s downfall. Although Goodfellas is a gangster
film Scorsese’s auteur signature, is evident throughout. If the level of violence was
sustained in the narrative, the audience would have great difficulty empathising with
the protagonist. The use of the voiceover gives the opening an autobiographical
element, which draws the audience closer to Ray Liottas character. After the preface
the film begins in the 1950’s with Henrys childhood, a narrative situation seen in a
number of gangster films such as ‘Angels with dirty faces, Once upon a time in
America. By witnessing Henry Hills innocence and naivety during his younger
teenage years the audience are more likely to engage with his story. The use of
voiceover is more of a convention of film noir than classic gangster genre. In
‘Goodfellas’ as Hill’s life unravels he even loses control of the narrative roles as his
wife Karen takes over certain scenes.
The mise en scene in the opening sequence goes along way in explaining the
mafia mystique. It is clear to the audience gangsters are dressed in silk shirts, they
drive expensive Cadillac’s The lives of those members of Paulis mob who populate
the cab stand is juxtaposed to Henrys home which is small and crowded. The use of
low angle shots and freeze frames as his Dad beats him with his belt is in a way the
most disturbing depiction of violence in the opening scene Henrys casual acceptance
of his Fathers behaviour again suggests that this is a world that is unfamiliar to the
average person and once in a while “Ill have to take a beating but by then I didn’t
care. The way I saw it everybody takes a beating sometimes.” Costume is a key
iconographic element of gangster genre, one that Henrys Mother alludes to as he
appears at the door in lizard snake skin shoes and silk shirt, a tie and a double breasted
jacket. “My God you look like a gangster!” Unlike classic gangster genre, Scorsese
does not stress economic necessity of being a gangster, as Henry chooses the lifestyles
as he views it as an easy option. Youing Henry is obviously impressed by the
abundance of money that Jimmy the gent has “ He’d give the door man £100 just for
opening the door… I mean the bartender got £100 just for keeping the ice cubes cold”
Scorsese visually highlights riches that come with life of crime in the opening
sequence. The number of close up of iconography of the genre is shown in the fat
cigars, the shiny cars, the bespoke suits and handmade shoes. As Henry states, “ It
was a fantasy world”.
Soundtrack creates atmosphere of the 1950’s America and the lyrics also links
to the central theme of gangster narratives (rags to riches). Another generic
convention of the gangster genre is the sense of camaraderie. The opening sequence
emphasises the family nature of Pauli’s mob for example the scene set in the pizzeria
and the barbeque, “You see people like my father could never understand, I was a part
of something and I belonged” However the gangster structure always ends with the
protagonist isolating himself to reach the top. There are a number of suggestions that
the younger Henry’s views of the mafia lifestyle is both romantic and naïve, he shows
this when he states that the gangsters were untouchable however the sequences ends
with his arrest. The voice over delivered in the past tense implies that the film will
follow a rise and fall narrative “It was a glorious time and wise guys were
everywhere”. Henrys 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 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’.
