The Production Of Goodfellas Film Studies Essay

The Production Of Goodfellas Film Studies Essay Goodfellas is based on a book called Wiseguy written by Nicholas Pileggi. Martin Scorsese is the director to goodfellas and at the time never intended to create another gangster mafia film until he read a review of the book which in fact was the inspiration behind reading it in the first place. Scorsese was always fascinated by the mafia lifestyle and the book Wiseguy was in his opinion the most non-fictional representation of a mafia crew he had read. He knew what kind of approach he wanted to take after reading Pileggis book. He wanted to begin with an explosion of violence and have the movie get faster and more violent from then on. From his point of view, it was the only way possible to really sense the exhilaration of the fast passed lifestyle and also to portray the attraction allot of people find in that sort of lifestyle. Scorsese was drawn to the idea of the book Wiseguy being written as a documentary. It gives you a sense of the day to day activities the mafia crew used to get up to. The way they operate, how they take over businesses and for what reasons. It took twelve drafts to reach the ideal script which Scorsese and Pileggi both collaborated on. The script itself was put together like building blocks made up of sections of the book they both liked. The traditional narrative structure was not followed because Scorsese wanted to rather start in the middle of the film and move backwards and forwards. Another movie called Pulp fiction directed by Quentin Tarintino also uses this same sort of narrative structure. Scorsese wanted to deal with the gangster movie episode by episode. This is how the movie has been shot throughout. After watching the movie for about an hour, the viewer will realise why the director has done this. It is so the viewer can put the movie together in their heads. In the movie there is also a voice over to give a sense of documentary. To give a sense of one s own opinion and in this case it is Henri hill that is telling you what exactly happened. Scorsese was able to secure the money to create the movie once actor Robert De Niro agreed to play Jimmy Conway in the movie. Robert De Niro was a very well know high ranking actor in Hollywood and this was a sense of security for the financiators. Scorsese casted actor Ray Liotta to play Henri Hill in the movie but only after he saw him in Something Wild directed by Jonathan Demme and thought he had allot of explosive energy in that movie. Liotta had read Wiseguy and was really intrigued by the realism of the book. A couple of years later it was brought to his attention that Scorsese was going to turn it into a film. Iiotta auditioned for the part of Henry Hill in 1988 and campaigned aggressively for the role in the film. It is rumoured that the studio wanted a well known actor instead. To prepare for the Jimmy Conway role, De Niro researched material that had been discarded when the book was initially written. This was only done after De Niro consulted Pileggi first. De Niro also consulted the real Henri hill about the real Jimmy Burke. He wanted to know how Burke walked, talked, held his cigarette and so on. This type of research put in by De Niro let him give an exceptionally realistic portrayal of the real gangster Burke. Ray Liotta would listen to old FBI audio cassette tapes of Hill when practicing his character for the movie. He took note of the way the real Hill would speak and would listen and mimic the way he would speak to slowly condition his speech the same way Hills was. Lorraine Bracco who played Karren in the movie wanted and tried to get as close as possible to a real life mafia wife to get an idea of what that sort of character would be like. She was unfortunately unable to analyse any offer her real life subjects because they exist only in a very high tight-knit community. In her opinion it was better if the creation came from her. Paul Sorvino didn t have much of a problem when portraying his character Pauli in the movie. However it is said that he found it challenging to really show how cold hearted and ruthless the real life character could be. In his opinion this was only achievable when his own family were threatened. The real Henry Hill was paid about five hundred thousand a couple of weeks before the actual filming for the movie took place. The film was shot in New York, queens, New Jersey and Long Island over a period of three months in the summer. Scorsese had a budget of twenty five million dollars to create the masterpiece but in those days it was still a mid level budget movie. The film was broken down into many different sequences and Scorsese storyboarded everything because of the complicated style throughout. It is considered that he wanted a lot of movement and wanted the gangster action to be throughout the whole picture. In the movie the style seems to break down at the end and gets out of control when approaching Henry Hill s last days as a wiseguy. It is also considered that the style of the film comes from the first two or three minutes of 1962 French film Jules and Jim directed by Francois Truffaut. The quick edits, freeze frames, extensive narration and local multiple shots are a ll tools used in the making of goodfellas. It was this reckless attitude towards the conventional sort of filming that encapsulated how hectic and frantic the characters lives within the movie were. When watching the movie from start to finish it is evident that Scorsese vision was to overwhelm the audience with as much information as possible. Gangster life is very rich so he put a lot of detail into each and every scene. Many times in the movie it would freeze and Liotta would voice over the freeze frame. He used these to highlight a point in Henrys life. The scene where Joe Pesci kills spider for talking back to him was a hard scene to do in Pesci s opinion because he had a difficult time relating to the real person the character was based on. He had trouble justifying the action and the only way he could get around that was by not judging his character and putting himself in Tommy s shoes and making himself feel the same way his character felt. The scene where Lorraine Braco was about to shoot Henry Hill in the face on the bed was an emotional one. Many times in the movie her character is portrayed as an abused wife surrounded by crime and violence. Her portrayal of a gangster s wife was again a description of how seducing it can be by getting involved with a gangster like Henry Hill. It is said that if she did not make her work important then it would probably end up on the cutting room floor taking into account it was a male dominated cast. During some of the rehearsals Scorsese let the actors do and say whatever they wanted to for that particular scene. He made transcripts of various sessions and then whenever an actor came up with a good line he would use it in his revised script that the whole cast worked on. An example of this is the what so funny scene where Tommy tells a story about getting beaten up by the cops and Henry responds by calling him funny. This scene was based on an actual event that Joe Pesci was involved in. The actors worked on it during the rehearsals and Scorsese took around four to five takes, one a little bit different to the other. He then rewrote both of theirs dialogue and inserted it into the script. All of this gives a very convincing portrayal of what gangsters were really like because at the point of shooting the scene, the actors are themselves the character they are acting. The lighting used in the scene is a little dark and mysterious. A lot of red lighting is used which almost gives a sense of danger which relates to the fact that the room is full of dangerous gangsters. There was one long tracking shot that followed Liotta and Lorraine from outside the Copacabana nightclub and followed them right through the whole nightclub until their characters sat down. The shot was over three minutes long and captured many different aspects of Henry s life as a gangster. It shows how Henry has his whole life ahead of him and how much of an important figure he had already become. The scene does a great job at portraying Henry Hill as a celebrity and to highlight the respect people have for him. The scene is a metaphor on how seducing the high profile gangster life can be. Scorsese shot this scene about eight times because he wanted it to be exactly perfect. Near the end of the movie Scorsese wanted to properly show Henry Hills state of anxiety, paranoia and all the racing thoughts going through his head due to the amount of drugs in him like cocaine and amphetamines. It was a hard shoot to do because in real life Ray Liotta had never been under any of these influ ences. The scenes were shot perfectly and really encapsulate the hysteria behind his characters out of control life at the time. As if to show the characters life was spinning out of control and getting faster every step of the way until one day he hits a brick wall at full speed. The movie was ended with Henry regretting that he no longer was a gangster. Scorsese wanted the movie to end like this because he was trying to engage with the audience. He wanted the audience to get angry at the character and also at the system that allows this sort of thing. The movie showed a cold, unfeeling and horrible view of the mafia life style where all the bad guys are good. That is why the name itself is called Goodfellas, another variation of wiseguys, mobsters and gangsters but at the end of the day their all the same meaning. The violence in the movie was depicted realistically as possible with the added detail of freeze frames and voice-overs. It was a documentary type of movie based on true events which is also highlighted right at the beginning of the movie. Scorsese s directors cut had so much blood in the uncut version of the movie that he had to remove around ten very short gruesome scenes just to ensure an R rating. Goodfellas was Scorsese s most expensive film to date which cost him twenty five million to make. It was shown a couple of times in California where some of the viewers got a little agitated by the portrayal of Hills last day as a gangster in the mafia because of the way it was shot. Thelma Schoonmaker was the editor for th e movie and together she and Scorsese made the sequence faster and faster with a lot more jump cuts to convoy Henry s drug fuelled point of view. When Scorsese did a test screening, about forty people walked out in the very first ten minutes however the favourite scene for test audiences happened to be the what s so funny scene which later ended up being the most remember able scene of the movie. The soundtrack was chosen by Scorsese and he really wanted to use the right kind of music that commented the scene or the character in an oblique way. He did have a rule for this and it was basically to use music that was around at that time. For example, if a scene is in nineteen seventy three then he could use any song or type of music that was current at the time or older. A lot of the non dialogue scenes were shot with just music or a particular song and he even had a song called Layla by Derek and the Dominos playing in the background of the actual shot when shooting the scene where all the dead bodies are discovered. The premiere of Goodfellas was held at Venice Film Festival in 1990 where Scorsese deservingly was awarded the Silver Lion award for best director. It was then released all over the world starting in America and eventually grossing forty seven million which was almost double the amount of money he had put in. There was much critical acclaim to the movie where it scored top scores on review sites alike. Rotten Tomatoes is a movie review website and they gave this movie 97% also commenting on it calling it great cinema. When watching this movie you can t help but notice the outlaw energy vibrating off every second of the flick. When analysing this movie, it is considered to be one of the most picturesque portrayals of the mafia gangster life styles however in my opinion it comes second to the realism portrayal of the Godfather trilogy with the first one released in 1972.

Explore how Friel uses language Essay

Explore how Friel has used language in order to create humour and other emotional responses in the audience? Focus particularly on the exchange between Yolland and Marie in Act 2 scene 2. In this essay I intend to explore the relationship between Marie and Yolland. I want to examine how the overall structure of the language presents a comical piece for the audience to watch and discover how the couple overcome the language barrier to connect on a much deeper level. I would also like to look at how they convey their emotions without verbal understanding. Then finally I would like to look at the way in which Friel provokes emotional responses in the audience. In a short play like Translations, the focus of the drama is on ever changing relationships demonstrated through language and conversation. If we study the relationship between Yolland and Marie and focus on their characters we find how different and individual they each are. The couple, prove to be direct opposites of one another. Yolland is an English soldier who has a romantic outlook on the world, whereas Maire is an Irish milkmaid who has a pragmatic view of the world. Yet both are similar in many ways, they both have hopes, dreams and fears. If we refer to the previous meeting between the couple (End of Act 2 Scene 1 from p58) we find the section where Maire and Yolland first ‘talk’ to each other. This demonstrates the difficulties faced when attempting to talk to someone from another culture. We know they are speaking in different languages and are confused by what the other is saying, whilst Owen is tries to act as an go-between and translator for them. After Act 2 Scene 1, the couple are next seen together, after the dance, trying to talk to each other. This scene is a intensely emotional love scene between the couple and is also a exquisite examination of the barriers between language and communication. The scene opens with the couple, running hand in hand and Marie exclaiming ‘O my God, that leap across the ditch nearly killed me’ and Yolland replies with ‘I could scarcely keep up with you. ‘ So that when the couple first speak, the dialogue is so highly skilled and the syntax is so well structured that it appears to the audience that they understand one another. The opposite is in fact true yet they seem to be making perfect sense. This creates a sense of confusion for the audience as we know, verbally they have little understanding of each other’s language. As the scene progresses Marie and Yolland realise their embarrassment. Before each speaks again their hands disengage and they study one another. Then follows a pause. This displays the hesitancy and the discomfort that the couple are feeling. Each is unsure of what the other is saying yet the following lines say exactly the same things in two completely different languages. Their lines intertwine and the responses are infact an illusion created by the lyrical poise and exact parallel balance. The couples’ observations are also based on very different realities, an example being Marie saying ‘The grass must be wet. My feet are soaking’ and Yolland retorting with ‘Your feet must be wet. The grass is soaking. ‘ Here if we look at the grammar, we know these lines mirror one another and we see how the playwright has developed this by just simply rearranging the subject and predicate to create this syntactic parallel equivalence. This humour is present throughout and this romantic exchange lightens what is quite a serious, political play. However the two characters are both symbols for two different cultures and apart from the language barrier they are divided by underlying conflict. In my opinion this also draws them together. What follows from here between them bears a striking resemblance to the discourse between Manus and Sarah in the opening act. They start with their names ‘George’ (Yolland) ‘Lieutant George. ‘ (Marie) They use basic and simple language and I feel this is done as the playwright is trying to provoke a sympathetic response from the audience. As with Manus and Sarah, the dialogue is drawn out, slow, yet humouress. Yet is also a display of tenderness and affection and is a way of making themselves known. This relates to the overall theme of identity within the play. If we look at the grammar we find again it is makes use of broken grammar, fragmented sentences and short turn taking roles. Together this creates tension in the audience. Friel makes use of this simple language again later on in the scene with the use of ‘water’, ‘earth’ and ‘fire’ after Maire tries to communicate in Latin. It is after both Yolland and Maire both confess – ‘Say anything at all. I love the sound of your speech’ and when they both end their unsuccessful attempting at communicating with an exasperated ‘Oh my god’, it becomes clear just how close a bond the two have begun to form. It is from here that the notion of non-verbal communication is effective. The splendour of this scene lies in the fact that, however meaningless words many be, body language and emotions are universal and can bridge the language barrier. Each becomes increasingly frustrated with their inability to communicate. As they do attempt to ‘talk’ there is plenty of confusion and misinterpretation within the conversation. An example being the plentiful use of what-what? Sorry-sorry? Just as in the previous scene. These two uncomplicated lines also bring about comic and compassion within the audience. Although the difference in this scene is that they have dispensed with Owen.

DOMA Ruling

Last week was a huge week for our supreme court. There were a couple really important rulings. There was the University of Texas Vs. Fisher, which argued race when accepting students into their school. There was also a voting rights act ruling as well. The one that stuck out most to me was the court’s decision on DOMA. DOMA stands for â€Å"defense of marriage act. † It was signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996 to prevent same-sex couples whose marriages were recognized by their home state from receiving benefits available to other married couples under federal law. DOMA caused the federal government to not recognize gay marriages. This meant gay and lesbian partners of federal employees did not receive federal health insurance, social security or any of the other benefits given to the spouses of heterosexual employees. DOMA was voted unconstitutional last week by a 5-4 vote. If you are married legally in a state that recognizes same-sex marriage you can now receive federal benefits. President Barack Obama released a statement celebrating the decision. This was discrimination enshrined in law. It treated loving, committed gay and lesbian couples as a separate and lesser class of people. The Supreme Court has righted that wrong, and our country is better off for it,† (DOMA Unconstitutional) I think that this ruling will affect our country in the future. I personally agree with this ruling and think that couples in same sex marriages should have the same benefits as couples that are not. This ruling is only in effect for states that have sam e sex marriages. I think that soon however more states will allow gay marriages than before. I believe that it is a small stepping stone in the gay rights movement and our country is definitely on its way to making even more changes. I believe that everyone should be treated equally no matter who they love. Same sex couples (In legal states of course) are now eligible for many of the health, pension, and other spousal benefits that used to be only guaranteed to the spouses of heterosexual federal workers.

Free Essays on Legalize Marijuanna

Alcohol and tobacco kills thousands of people every year. I have never heard of one death being caused by marijuana. Marijuana is a relatively harmless drug that governments around the world have made illegal. Why? This very controversial issue has been going on for awhile, but lately it seems to be making some progress. Just last month, Nevada voted to severely cut its laws when it comes to punishment for possession. This shows that this issue will not go away anytime soon, and there might be some validity to the idea that marijuana could be beneficial to our society. I think that for many reasons marijuana should be legalized. The main advantage of legalizing this drug would be to help terminally ill people. This drug has been shown to help patients that are suffering from diseases like AIDS, cancer, and other terminal illnesses. When people like this know they are going to die, and are in pain, what is the problem with them smoking something that will ease their pain? If this drug is helping them to not suffer, then I don’t see any problems with it. Marijuana is proven to ease their pain, and not cause any side effects. Other drugs that are used today to help relieve pain cause many bad side effects, marijuana has none. For this reason, it should be legalized to help the ill. Another benefactor of legalizing marijuana is the government. The government could make a large amount of revenue through taxing it. Each year, our government makes billions of dollars from taxing tobacco. If marijuana became a manufactured product, the government could set the same taxes and make billions more. Once legalized and regulated by the government, the money raised through taxes could be used to help improve the country. Drug-fighting resources could be better used as well. Instead of wasting time with petty marijuana dealers and smokers, they could go after the drug trade of cocaine, heroin, and other dangerous substanc... Free Essays on Legalize Marijuanna Free Essays on Legalize Marijuanna Alcohol and tobacco kills thousands of people every year. I have never heard of one death being caused by marijuana. Marijuana is a relatively harmless drug that governments around the world have made illegal. Why? This very controversial issue has been going on for awhile, but lately it seems to be making some progress. Just last month, Nevada voted to severely cut its laws when it comes to punishment for possession. This shows that this issue will not go away anytime soon, and there might be some validity to the idea that marijuana could be beneficial to our society. I think that for many reasons marijuana should be legalized. The main advantage of legalizing this drug would be to help terminally ill people. This drug has been shown to help patients that are suffering from diseases like AIDS, cancer, and other terminal illnesses. When people like this know they are going to die, and are in pain, what is the problem with them smoking something that will ease their pain? If this drug is helping them to not suffer, then I don’t see any problems with it. Marijuana is proven to ease their pain, and not cause any side effects. Other drugs that are used today to help relieve pain cause many bad side effects, marijuana has none. For this reason, it should be legalized to help the ill. Another benefactor of legalizing marijuana is the government. The government could make a large amount of revenue through taxing it. Each year, our government makes billions of dollars from taxing tobacco. If marijuana became a manufactured product, the government could set the same taxes and make billions more. Once legalized and regulated by the government, the money raised through taxes could be used to help improve the country. Drug-fighting resources could be better used as well. Instead of wasting time with petty marijuana dealers and smokers, they could go after the drug trade of cocaine, heroin, and other dangerous substanc...

How to Overcome Insecurity in the Workplace

How to Overcome Insecurity in the Workplace Workplace insecurity is a thing- even for people who wouldn’t normally consider themselves â€Å"insecure.† Particularly for women, feeling less than on the job is a constant struggle- and usually, the feelings aren’t even warranted. Help yourself diagnose the most common workplace insecurities and figure out how you can overcome them. You’ll be much more productive and fulfilled if you do.1. Lack of TalentOkay, so right away you can probably write this off. You got hired for this job, didn’t you? So you can’t possibly be as underqualified or untalented as you think. Take a step back and stop comparing yourself and your work to that of your peers. Remember that your skill set and experience is unique and might bring something slightly different to the table than those of your coworkers- even if those might seem more impressive from where you’re sitting. And if you’re still feeling like you could know and do more†¦ learn a n ew skill or get a new qualification in an online course.2. Lack of AdvancementYou’re watching people get promoted all around you and you’re worried that you’re not advancing as fast as others. Don’t let the envy or resentment pull you down. Focus on your work. Sit down with your boss and have a chat about what you need to do to grow and start moving forward. Get clear on your expectations and then figure out how to exceed them!3. Lack of MoneyYou’re not supposed to talk about money in the office environment, but chances are you’ve been observant enough to know (ballpark) what the people around you are making. If this makes you feel inadequate, remember to make the focus on you: what could you be doing to qualify for a raise? Talk to your boss. Look around for other jobs, especially if you feel you’re not being rewarded for your skillset and work level.4. Lack of PopularityIf you feel your social skills aren’t quite up to par, s tart stepping up. Ask how you can be of help to coworkers. Go the extra mile. They will remember when the tables are turned and you need help. Plus, you can use their gratitude to build rapport and a better, warmer relationship.If you’re really stuck, there are lots of resources out there for improving your public speaking and social skills. Make use of them! And if you feel invisible on the job, start looking for ways to make yourself stand out a bit more. Take on high profile projects, come early, stay late, etc. A few calculated risks can put you in a much better position to be noticed and then valued.Remember that everyone makes mistakes and everyone is afraid of getting fired- at least at some point. Show up on time, do your job well, present yourself personably and professionally, and you should be in good stead. When in doubt, it’s always a good idea to solicit constructive feedback. Ask questions. Find allies. Trust your gut instincts.But more than anything: do your job and do it well. Go above and beyond. Rise above. There’s no better way to combat your insecurity than to achieve beyond even your own expectations. Just remember to take a proper moment to celebrate those achievements every time they occur.

Memo and Flowchart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Memo and Flowchart - Essay Example Mchane and Travaglione explain that good communication enure individual know what i expected of them and it galvanie coordination within the organiation. The root of a large number of organiational problem i poor communication. Thi eay will give an indication of what tyle of communication were involved in my previou line of employment with Woolworth Limited. How everyday communication uch a word, voice, tone, geture phyical action and the like took place with fellow employee baed on the model preented by Gamble and Gamble. To be a effective a I could, verbal communication wa one of, if not, the mot important apect when communicating with employee. A a manager it wa imperative to overcome communication barrier before approaching an employee. Thee barrier may have been diadvantage of verbally communicating, uch a noie, hearay, choice of word, aumption and tereotyping, which could all contribute to miundertanding. I felt it to be my duty to recognie any of thee barrier and enure that they were not included in the communication proce. For example, if it required me to talk to an employee about hi/her performance, it wa imperative that they had my 100% attention and the chance of ditraction wa zero. In an environment where there maybe five employee at one tore, it wa crucial to be aware of what wa aid about employee around other employee or co-worker, which could have had repercuion at later tage. I learnt from early on, an employee will not hear what you have to ay, poitive or contructive, if they have heard that you have been talking to other about them. They would have already began to get defenive and think of what they need to ay to get their point acro while I wa trying to make mine. Another apect of verbal communication i written tatement. In my workplace, thi included memorandum, bulletin, flyer, report, letter, faxe and e-mail. Mchane and Travaglione decribe written, verbal, or electronic method a, at time, imperonal, but fat and effective. Written communication i very often the mot uitable and clearet mean of communication. A a manager at BW, written communication may be the mot uitable when trying to communicate organiational goal, objective, target, value and o on. In an indutry where the encouragement of policie, procedure and practice are central to improvement, written communication i often the bet way to demontrate thi. That i not to ay interperonal connection within BW wa are non-exitent, becaue that i by no mean the cae. Developing a trut relationhip between manager and employee make it eaier to reach the goal of ucceful communication. Effective communication i built and utained on the trut between manager and employee. 'Doing what i right' and having employee follow thi principle alo require initiating and utaining mutually truting relationhip . Gamble define litening a a deliberate proce through which we eek to undertand and retain aural timuli. It depend on a complex et of kill

Accounting Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Accounting - Research Paper Example This chapter outlines the essence of harmony, and healthy working relations. It is crucial to note that, Dunlap has caused more harm than salubrious. Many companies remained ruined during and after Dunlap’s rein as executive officer (Hooper, 2003). For instance, the application of traditional and crooked ways of bookkeeping, workforce evisceration and executive butt- worship, which characterized Chainsaw’s career in the business world wallowed majority of the firms, which included Sunbeam. They were rendered bankruptcy and crippled (Byrne, 2001). Dunlap’s arrogance can be illustrated in a case where were he fires quarter of the salaried employees of Lilly Tulip. It is imperative to note that, Dunlap’s egomaniacal style and obsession with short-term performance ultimately led to his firing and charged with fraud. Later Dunlap pays millions of dollars to the shareholders and remains banned from heading any public company (Lasdun, 2001). This situation reveals how, work places have risen to become one of the unsafe places as not perceived (Hodas, 2006). It is evidenced by journalistic investigation of incidents that, marginalization, harassment and bullying by administrators are a norm to employees (Beresntain, 1995). In conclusion, Dunlap represented an era characterized by anger, betrayal, self-interest, lies and arrogance for instance, the case where Dunlap rewards the lawyer such that, the intended loyalty and commitment might remain