“A Glance Into Goodfellas” is a look at the ever-present, charged, and meaningful Martin Scorcese film from 1990. Goodfellas defined a generation of movies and continues to have a strong influence in the realm of storytelling, character development, and movie ethics. This episode features a brief analysis of the film, and features a special guest—Oscar-winning Professor Russell Williams.
TRANSCRIPTION:
(Mafia Waltz plays).
JADA OLSEN: Hello, and welcome to Mob Movie Talk, where it’s strictly business. As always, I’m your host, Jada Olsen, and I’m here to walk you through the ins and outs of mob and mafia-focused films, ya understand?
(Mafia Waltz plays and fades out.)
JADA OLSEN: Hi all, welcome back to Mob Movie Talk! I’m so excited for you all to join me today because we are going to be covering one of the most critically acclaimed mob films of all time, Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas! This film features a rising Ray Liotta, the ever-talented Robert DeNiro, and the colorful Joe Pesci. We will also have a talented and Oscar-winning guest joining us later—Professor Russell Williams. That said, let’s dive into the film!
(Opening line from Goodfellas plays: “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster. To me, being a gangster was better than being President of the United States.” With Rags to Riches by Tony Bennett.)
JADA OLSEN: That’s Henry Hill talking, Goodfellas protagonist portrayed by Ray Liotta, and real-life New York organized crime figurehead. These are the crucial opening moments, the ones that define the remainder of the film, which remains an astounding mob movie masterpiece depicting the rise to power and monumental downfall of the Irish-Italian American icon Henry Hill. For Henry, a man from humble beginnings, being a gangster would mean money, power, respect, and control. In the film’s first moments, he isn’t much older than fourteen and is just looking for a way to make some quick cash. The film moves through the start of his life quickly, showing him as a type of gofer for a small, but growing Italian mob faction. He takes some shit, misses a lot of school, gets beat by his father for his newfound choices, but it doesn’t matter. He’s in the mob. He’s working towards his dreams. But the most important moment in this portion being when Henry gets thrown in jail for an illegal cigarette sale and doesn’t snitch on his friends.
(Line from Goodfellas plays: “You took your first pinch like a man, and you learned the two greatest things in life.” “What?” “Look at me… Never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.”)
JADA OLSEN: This is a turning point for Henry. The mob starts to really trust him, giving him a wider range of responsibilities and elevating him to a more senior-ranking member. And he loves it. Adores it. Quick cash, praise everywhere he goes, plenty of exemptions for bad behavior, and lots of fun. He works directly with two partners: Jimmy Conway, played by Robert DeNiro, and Tommy DeVito, portrayed by Joe Pesci. The trio do any and everything they want and get into tons of trouble doing it. Of all the things they do together, the most significant for Henry turns out to be a forced, shotty double with Tommy, his girlfriend, and a Ms. Karen Friedman. Though they hate each other at first, Karen becomes a central narrator, and character.
(Line from Goodfellas plays: “I couldn’t stand him. I thought he was really obnoxious. He kept fidgeting around…. You got some nerve standing me up. Who do you think you are, Frankie Valli?”)
JADA OLSEN: This is so interesting here because when they first go out, he takes her to the Copacabana, and we get to see a real exciting glimpse into his life. He walks with her through the back of the restaurant, and every employee and customer says hello to him, giving him gifts and sitting him at the best spot in the house. It’s one of the most famous shots, it’s 184 seconds of a single moving shot, and we see his world come to life. But now, what’s more, is that we get to see the world through Karen’s eyes, too. And Karen’s role is so important to the movie, because we watch her become acculturated to the Italian culture, and mob culture, and we get to see a new perspective as she was an outsider to the community, which is so captivating as a viewer.
(Line from Goodfellas plays: “I don’t want to hear a word about her anymore, Henry.” “Never.”)
JADA OLSEN: These are the last lines we see said between Karen and Henry before he gets out of prison four years later, greeted by her welcoming arms. When Henry’s out, he promises Paulie to be straight edge, but he forgets about that quickly. He starts running a complex cocaine operation and pulls several people into it. He isn’t as careful as he should be, and even starts using cocaine himself, creating a debilitating addiction, one that leads him to be reckless, and trust the wrong people. After a thrilling anxiety-ridden sequence, Henry is caught again. But instead of doing time, Henry commits the ultimate sin, and rats on all his friends for his own safety. With that, the film concludes with Henry and Karen going into Witness Protection.
(Line from Goodfellas plays: “Right after I got here, I ordered some spaghetti with marinara sauce and I got egg noodles and ketchup. I’m an average nobody. I get to live the rest of my life like a schnook.”)
JADA OLSEN: One of the most striking, exciting things about Goodfellas is to watch someone like Henry Hill be so in control so much of the movie, only to spiral so quickly.
Despite this portrayal of disorder and disarray, we also see that in order to work well, and secretly, the mob must be very focused and methodical. There needs to be an understanding of who takes care of what, who talks to who, who works for who, and who tends to different needs. This is necessary because the mob is hiding from the law, and they are also not working within our typical forms of labor here. They don’t rock with the system—they’re gangsters! And Scorsese presents this so beautifully.
With that, I am so excited to introduce you to our guest for today! American University’s very own Professor Russell Williams! Professor Williams is an Academy Award-winning producer, for his work on Dances with Wolves and Glory. He has had an illustrious and extensive career in film and is now a full-time professor of film and media arts here at AU, so welcome Professor Williams!
PROFESSOR RUSSELL WILLIAMS: Thanks for the invite Jada, always happy to talk about great cinema!
JADA OLSEN: I’m so glad! So, I wanted to begin by asking you a crucial question. Why do you think Henry Hill always wanted to be a gangster?
PROFESSOR RUSSELL WILLIAMS: Well, that thing that he does with the score is what he does so well as a filmmaker. And I would say he was certainly at the top of his game when this film came out in 1990, and this is what we call character development. So right at the very beginning, you know, you see these three guys riding in Pontiac Grand Prix, it’s in the middle of the night, they’re going somewhere, and it’s probably something nefarious, and then you know, there’s something, or someone, in the trunk, so they have to deal with that. And where everybody else is horrified, like oh my goodness, I mean what are they gonna do now, Henry Hill says that line you know, as long as he can remember, he always wanted to be a gangster. And then his character in the narration goes on to explain that, you know, the gangsters seem to be having all the fun, they seem to have all the power. People gave them respect. No one got in their way, you know, and the police didn’t hassle them. And so, he was just tired of, kind of being a kid that was semi-anonymous, you know, he was abused at home, and wasn’t an A student. So, this was kind of one way that he felt if he could at least get a nod, or, you know, an acknowledgment from the so-called hard guys, then maybe some of that would rub off on him here. You know, which of course it did.
JADA OLSEN: Right? Yeah. He’s a top dog, and he’s killing it out there! DO you think him being both Irish and Italian had something to do with him wanting to be a gangster and wanting that power? Because of the context and time frame?
PROFESSOR RUSSELL WILLIAMS: I think that’s a very perceptive question. And so, the thing about America that certainly wasn’t talked about when I was taking history, is that essentially each immigrant group came from where they originated, you know, from whatever continent they came from, everyone had to fight for position. Right? Okay. So, there was already a hierarchy. I mean, we’re not even going to deal with those that the genocide displaced or those who didn’t come here voluntarily. And so, if there’s already a hierarchy, and you’re not part of that hierarchy, you know, the Irish Americans had to figure out, okay, so the jobs they could get right off of the boat, or how could they merge and put their feet down and start a new life. So as Henry Hill explains in his narration, you know, the hard guys in the mob, or for the wise guys essentially, kind of were like a protection agency for free. You know, for the people who couldn’t take their grievances to the police, who you know, we’re like, it’s not really a crime, crime, but we’d be interested in helping and you people are just lucky to be here sort of attitude. So, in fighting for that position, it was really important that you had some type of family connection. And if that was pure in the Italian sense then, you know, theoretically that’s what would have happened to Pesci’s character, if he hadn’t already broken a very serious rule, he would’ve moved up in that hierarchy. Historically, Scorsese has worked to portray, historically, what it was like for you to fight over the crumbs and slums to try to move into a closer version of what the American dream was or how it was marketed.
JADA OLSEN: Thank you for that. So insightful and rings true, still. I think we only have time for one more question. So where do you think this film fits into Scorsese’s directorial canon and what he continues to do?
PROFESSOR RUSSELL WILLIAMS: The one thing that I will say about me as a fan of his movie, you know, his movies still get under my skin every time. But his craft as a filmmaker, I think, is unquestioned. And I think what a lot of filmmakers do, which is important when you’re first starting, is that he started making films about the neighborhood in the community he grew up in, he knew these people, so you know, when you meet people in Goodfellas, you’re going through the clubs and scenes and this is “Johnny Two Times” and “Johnny Roast Beef” or whoever else. But this is all part of the character development. Even though these people may not have lines or play a major role, you feel like you know something about them, right. So, he takes the familiar and puts it in. This film fits in because this is one of his earlier gangster films, and only later does he transition into other ideas and concepts, like with The Temptation of Christ and others.
JADA OLSEN: Thank you so much, Professor, that was amazing and so helpful. I appreciate your being here.
And with that, everyone we come to the close of our show. As always, thank you for being here, and make sure to tune in next week for our next mob movie.
(Mafia Waltz plays and fades out)
SHOW NOTES:
In this podcast, host Jada Olsen analyzes some of the most crucial aspects of director Martin Scorsese’s 1990 film Goodfellas. Goodfellas stood to be a highly influential film and is considered one of the best films ever made, particularly in the realm of mob, mafia, and gangster movies. Following real-life mobster Henry Hill, the film takes viewers on a journey of control, passion, pain, romance, fear, murder, and mischief. Host Jada Olsen looks at why this film was so important to film history and then has the opportunity to interview Professor Russell Williams, an Academy Award-winning sound engineer and long-time friend.
Who is Professor Russell Williams?
“Russell Williams is a full-time professor of Film and Media Arts. He joined SOC after an illustrious career in Hollywood, where he won two Academy Awards for his sound work on Glory and Dances with Wolves. He is an experienced producer, and his work has brought him honors and recognition from the mayors of both Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, from the American Film Institute, and from Cal State Northridge, Howard University, and American University. He has taught at UCLA, USC, and Cal. State Northridge.”
Thank you to American University’s very own Professor Jill Olmsted for sponsoring and teaching this class. I owe the podcast and its progress to her.
Thank you all for listening! If you enjoyed, or have something you’d like to share, please leave a comment below and stay tuned for more Mob Movie Talk.
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