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Basing the theory around Goodfellas, the timeless mob movie of 1990.
If the was ever a reason to dig into the auteur theory, the would be no better place to look other than Martin Scorsese’s 1990 gangster film, Goodfellas based on the 1985 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese. The movie recounts the rise and fall of mob henchman Henry Hill and his friends and family from 1955 up until 1980.
Martin Scorsese is one of the greatest directors in modern day film history. The genre of movies he’s most associated with is organized crime films. Scorsese films like Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York and Mean Streets all include organized crime and the people involved. While there are multiple definitions of what makes a gangster film the most classic definition has been enlarged by evolving theoretical and method issues of film genre. The evolution of which had a lot to do with Martin Scorsese himself and the way the entire industry produced these films.
As an auteur, Scorsese has a very distinct approach when directing and it shows through his film work. No matter which one of his movies you watch, or how vast the difference in dynamic or energy between his movies are, there will always be certain elements that one may pinpoint and assuredly attribute to a Scorsese film. In the context of cinematography, a simple example of this contrast would be Silence, Taxi Driver and Goodfellas. Taxi Driver includes a heap of slow, lingering shots paired with the utilization of intense zooms to heighten the sense of anxiety. In Silence, the use of frames within frames is used to show how the protagonist is cornered and trapped. Fast camera work is completely absent to achieve a more subtle approach. He practises restraint with the help of less fancy camerawork to reduce distraction and set a more serious tone. In a movie like Goodfellas, lots of quick camera movements are used to establish a sense of exhilaration and intensity. The use of loud colours is also used to establish the lavish nature of the of the story, characters as well as setting. The use of loud colours can also be seen in other films of his such as Casino and The Aviator. He uses each distinct skill to set the tone for the various genres of movies he has directed and in turn has created his own signature style.
Through his unique brand of cinematography, sound design and storytelling, Martin Scorsese is able to produce films that while different in nature, are all very uniquely "Scorsese".
Scorsese also utilizes of the aspect of audio in a film to take advantage of the deliberate and powerful effect of silence. Most of the time when he uses this technique, it occurs when the characters are in the midst of making important choices that will have consequences. An example of this in Goodfellas would be the eerie silence when Karen chose to not trust Jimmy when he asked her to pick out some dresses in an alley. It is also widely used in other films of his such as Raging Bull when Jake LaMotta lost to Sugar Ray Robinson and the silence during that scene served as a period of thought between the time he was on the ropes to the time when he decided to not fight back. In these cases, the silence is used to heighten the subjectivity of a moment. In other instances, it is used to plot the central dramatic beat of the scene. A prime example of this would be in Goodfellas during the “Funny Guy” scene where the pause of silence leaves us as confused and scared as Henry is and keeps the tension in the air up until the silence is broken and we realise that Tommy was joking all along. This same concept can be seen in The Last Temptation of Christ during the scene where Jesus dies and the loudest moment of the movie leading up to the death of Jesus is followed by total silence as the skies open when he dies.
Another noticeable aspect of Scorsese’s films is his incorporation of voice overs to narrate the story from the point of view of the main character. To add a more personal flare to the movie, some of the supporting characters also have voice overs here and there throughout the movie. Most other directors consider voice overs lazy but that’s only because no other director can pull off the technique quite like he can. He uses voice-over to determine our relationship with the protagonist. He additionally uses the technique to grant fast background data and explains it with a clever approach. In Goodfellas, Henry Hill describes the ins and outs of the mob in New York and his rise and fall inside their ranks. Scorsese’s use of voice-over additionally takes narrative storytelling to future level. He uses voice-over for the component of surprise in each Goodfellas and Casino. The death of Joe Pesci’s characters in each of those films are sensible examples. Both films use a narrator with an omniscient character from the moment the film starts. In Goodfellas, during the scenes leading up to Tommy’s death, the characters believe he's going to be “made” by the mob. Henry’s narration explains at length that this suggests him finally becoming a high-ranking member of the mafia. He goes on about how excited all of them are about this. In different words, his narration leads the viewer to believe that Tommy’s induction is certainly going to happen. Henry’s voice-over feels extremely nostalgic over the course of the entire film. This makes the audience subconsciously assume that they are invariably receiving all the information required to piece together the story. This is used to subvert expectations as if something out of the ordinary is to return, the audience will tend to believe that a narration of it will come first. So, when Tommy gets shot in the head as payback for the murder of Billy Bats, it comes as a shock to the audience because they depended on the narration to lead them to believe the storyline and where it was headed. An example of this narration method used in other movies include Casino and Taxi Driver. In Casino, for the majority of the film, Sam narrates to you what goes on in Vegas from his point of view. In Taxi Driver, you see the morale and attitude of people through the eyes of Travis who narrates to you what he thinks of society. The narration in both these movies give you an almost autobiographical point of view.
A technique Scorsese utilizes that adds a certain flare to his movies is the use of the freeze frame. It helps to sends a powerful message when the narration is done over a still shot that gives the viewer time for the narration to sink in. An example of this from Goodfellas would be when Henry’s dad was beating him for skipping school. The positioning of the camera shows his dad towering over him asserting a position of power. This is where he learns that violence is power and is considered a turning point for him. Another example would be when he first met Jimmy Conway. The freeze frame represents how important Jimmy would be in the future and what he lacks for in a father figure, he finds in Jimmy and Paulie. These are only a few of the many freeze frames in Goodfellas. Freeze frames are also used widely throughout his other films to add the same element of impact through imagery such as right in the beginning of Wolf of Wall Street where he starts off with a narration of the protagonist and introduces himself right in the middle of an action-packed scene that just stops in-frame. Another example would be the freeze frame in Casino when Sam Rothstein first sees Ginger across the room with the freeze frame signifying “love at first sight” as he narrates how he falls in love with her. During the scene where Remo asks Vinny if Ginger is cheating on Sam with Nicky, a freeze frame is used to allow Vinny to narrate why he could not lie about the situation followed up by the freeze frame ending with him lying to Remo.
Henry Hill: An Introduction
Growing up in a rough Italian-American neighbourhood called Little Italy in Manhattan, a constant theme that occurred throughout most of his movies are the Italian-American, Roman Catholic men who have a constant need to prove their masculinity. In Goodfellas, it is shown that the mob are a men-only group, just like the groups displayed in his other movies such as Casino. They constantly exhibited physical violence when amongst peers and always had to have girlfriends on the side although they were already married. A recurring theme throughout his movies were also domestic abuse against women because they were considered as less and weak compared to men. This overtly explicit view on masculinity is purposefully put in place intentionally by Scorsese to portray the scenes that he saw and experienced himself, growing up in an Italian-American neighbourhood. Although considered distasteful in reality, the aspect of including it in the movies adds a sense of authenticity to the film through the use of the Italian-American stereotype.
Through his unique brand of cinematography, sound design and storytelling, Martin Scorsese is able to produce films that while different in nature, are all very uniquely "Scorsese". With his signature style made apparent through comparing Goodfellas' elements against his other film works, Scorsese has earned his recognition as an auteur.
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