Wikipedia

Goodfellas

For other uses, seeGoodfellas (disambiguation).

Goodfellas(stylizedGoodFellas) is a 1990 Americanbiographicalcrimedrama filmdirected byMartin Scorsese,written byNicholas Pileggiand Scorsese, and produced byIrwin Winkler.It is afilm adaptationof the 1985nonfictionbookWiseguyby Pileggi. StarringRobert De Niro,Ray Liotta,Joe Pesci,Lorraine BraccoandPaul Sorvino,the film narrates the rise and fall of mob associateHenry Hilland his friends and family from 1955 to 1980.

GoodFellas
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMartin Scorsese
Screenplay by
Based onWiseguy
by Nicholas Pileggi
Produced byIrwin Winkler
Starring
CinematographyMichael Ballhaus
Edited byThelma Schoonmaker
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures[1]
Release dates
  • September 9, 1990(1990-09-09)(Venice)
  • September 18, 1990(1990-09-18)(United States)
Running time
146 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million[3]
Box office$47.1 million[4]

Scorsese initially titled the filmWise Guyand postponed making it; he and Pileggi later changed the title toGoodfellas.To prepare for their roles in the film, De Niro, Pesci and Liotta often spoke with Pileggi, who shared research material left over from writing the book. According to Pesci, improvisation andad-libbingcame out of rehearsals wherein Scorsese gave the actors freedom to do whatever they wanted. The director made transcripts of these sessions, took the lines he liked most and put them into a revised script, which the cast worked from during principal photography.

Goodfellaspremiered at the47th Venice International Film Festivalon September 9, 1990, where Scorsese was awarded withSilver Lionfor Best Director, and was released in the United States on September 19, 1990, byWarner Bros. Pictures.The film was made on a budget of $25 million and grossed $47 million.Goodfellasreceived widespread acclaim upon release: the critical consensus onRotten Tomatoescalls it "arguably the high point of Martin Scorsese's career". The film was nominated for sixAcademy Awards,includingBest PictureandBest Director,with Pesci winning forBest Supporting Actor.The film won five awards from theBritish Academy of Film and Television Arts,includingBest FilmandBest Director.Additionally,Goodfellaswas named the year's best film by various critics' groups.

Goodfellasis widely regarded asone of the greatest films ever made,particularly in thegangstergenre. In 2000, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected for preservation in theNational Film Registryby the United StatesLibrary of Congress.[5][6]Its content and style have been emulated in numerous other pieces of media.[7]

Plot

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In 1955, youngsterHenry Hillbecomes enamored of the criminal life andMafiapresence in his working class Italian-American neighborhood inBrooklyn.He begins working for localcaporegimePaulie Cicero and his associates: Jimmy "the Gent" Conway, an Irish-American truck hijacker and gangster, and Tommy DeVito, a fellow juvenile delinquent. Henry begins as afencefor Jimmy, gradually working his way up to more serious crimes. The three associates spend most of their nights in the 1960s at theCopacabana nightclubcarousing with women. Henry starts datingKaren Friedman,a Jewish woman who is initially troubled by Henry's criminal activities. Seduced by Henry's glamorous lifestyle, she marries him despite her parents' disapproval.

In 1970,Billy Batts,amade manin theGambino crime familyrecently released from prison, patronizes Tommy at a nightclub owned by Henry; Tommy and Jimmy beat, stab and fatally shoot Billy. The unsanctioned murder of a made man invites retribution; realizing this, Jimmy, Henry, and Tommy bury the body in upstate New York. Six months later, however, Jimmy learns that the burial site is slated for development, prompting them to exhume and relocate the decomposing corpse.

In 1974, Karen harasses Henry's mistress, Janice, and threatens Henry at gunpoint. Henry moves in with Janice, but Paulie insists that he should return to Karen after collecting a debt from a gambler inTampawith Jimmy. Upon returning, Jimmy and Henry are arrested after being turned in by the gambler's sister, an FBI typist, and they receive ten-year prison sentences. To support his family on the outside, Henry has Karen smuggle in drugs and sells them to a fellow inmate fromPittsburgh.

Four years later, Henry is paroled and expands his cocaine business with Jimmy and Tommy against Paulie's orders. Jimmy organizes a crew to raid theLufthansa vaultatJohn F. Kennedy International Airport,stealing six million dollars in cash and jewelry. After some members purchase expensive items against Jimmy's orders and the getaway truck is found by police, he has all of the crew (except Tommy and Henry) murdered. In 1979, Tommy is deceived into believing he is to become a made man and is murdered after walking into the room of theceremony—partly as retribution for murdering Batts.

By 1980, Henry develops a drug habit and becomes a paranoid wreck. He sets up another drug deal with his Pittsburgh associates, but is arrested by narcotics agents and incarcerated. After bailing him out, Karen explains that she flushed $60,000 worth of cocaine down the toilet to prevent FBI agents from finding it during their raid, leaving them penniless. Feeling betrayed by Henry's drug dealing, Paulie gives him $3,200 and ends their association.

Karen goes to Jimmy for help but flees when she suspects a trap to murder her. Henry meets Jimmy at a diner and is asked to travel on a hit assignment, but the novelty of such a request makes him suspicious. Realizing that Jimmy also plans to have him killed, Henry finally decides to become aninformantand enroll, with his family, into thewitness protection program.Henry gives sufficient testimony and evidence in court to have Paulie and Jimmy convicted, and the protection program moves the Hills to a nondescript neighborhood. Henry describes his unhappiness in leaving his exciting and turbulent gangster life, now being condemned to live the rest of his life as a boring, average "schnook".

Cast

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Production

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Development

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Martin Scorsese, the director of the film, in 2010

Goodfellasis based on New York crime reporterNicholas Pileggi's bookWiseguy.[9]Martin Scorsese did not intend to make another mob film, but he saw a review of Pileggi's book, which he then read while working on the set ofThe Color of Moneyin 1986.[10][11]He had always been fascinated by themoblifestyle and was drawn to Pileggi's book because he thought it was the most honest portrayal of gangsters he had ever read.[12]After reading the book, Scorsese knew what approach he wanted to take, "To beginGoodfellaslike a gunshot and have it get faster from there, almost like a two-and-a-half-hour trailer. I think it's the only way you can really sense the exhilaration of the lifestyle, and to get a sense of why a lot of people are attracted to it. "[13]According to Pileggi, Scorsese cold-called the writer and told him, "I've been waiting for this book my entire life," to which Pileggi replied, "I've been waiting for this phone call my entire life."[14][15]

Scorsese decided to postpone making the film when funds materialized in 1988 to makeThe Last Temptation of Christ.He was drawn to the documentary aspects of Pileggi's book. "The book [Wiseguy] gives you a sense of the day-to-day life, the tedium, how they work, how they take over certain nightclubs, and for what reasons. It shows how it's done. "[14]He sawGoodfellasas the third film in an unplanned trilogy of films that examined the lives of Italian Americans "from slightly different angles."[16]He has often described the film as "a mob home movie" that is about money, because "that's what they're really in business for."[12]Two weeks in advance of the filming, the realHenry Hillwas paid $480,000.[17]

Screenplay

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Scorsese and Pileggi collaborated on the screenplay, and over the course of the 12 drafts it took to reach the ideal script, the reporter realized "the visual styling had to be completely redone... So we decided to share credit."[14][17]They chose the sections of the book they liked and put them together like building blocks.[3]Scorsese persuaded Pileggi that they did not need to follow a traditional narrative structure. Scorsese wanted to take the gangster film and deal with it episode by episode, but start in the middle and move backwards and forwards. Scorsese compacted scenes, realizing that, if they were kept short, "the impact after about an hour and a half would be terrific."[3]He wanted to do the voiceover like the opening ofJules and Jim(1962) and use "all the basic tricks of theNew Wavefrom around 1961. "[3]The names of several real-life gangsters were altered for the film:Tommy "Two Gun" DeSimonebecame the character Tommy DeVito;Paul Variobecame Paulie Cicero, andJimmy "The Gent" Burkewas portrayed as Jimmy Conway.[17]In the case of Jimmy, the name change actually had some truth to it. He was born James Conway and was only later given the surname Burke by one of the adoptive families he had on his way through the foster care system.[18]Scorsese initially titled the filmWise Guy,but later, he and Pileggi decided to change the title of their film toGoodfellasbecause two contemporary projects, the 1986Brian De PalmafilmWise Guysand the 1987–1990 TV seriesWiseguy,had used similar titles.[3]

Casting

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OnceRobert De Niroagreed to play Jimmy Conway, Scorsese was able to secure the money needed to make the film.[11]Ray Liotta,who played Henry Hill, had read Pileggi's book when it came out and was fascinated by it. A couple of years afterward, his agent told him Scorsese was going to direct a film adaptation. In 1988, Liotta met Scorsese over a period of a couple of months and auditioned for the film.[12]He campaigned aggressively for a role, thoughWarner Bros. Pictureswanted a well-known actor; he later said, "I think they would've rather hadEddie Murphythan me. "[19]Scorsese cast Liotta after De Niro saw him inJonathan Demme'sSomething Wild(1986); Scorsese was surprised by "his explosive energy" in that film.[16]Al Pacino[20]andJohn Malkovichwere considered for the role of Conway, andSean Penn,Alec Baldwin,Val Kilmer,andTom Cruisewere considered for the role of Hill.[21][22][23]

To prepare for the role, De Niro consulted with Pileggi, who had research material that had been discarded while writing the book.[24]De Niro often called Hill several times a day to ask how Burke walked, held his cigarette, and so on.[25][26]Driving to and from the set, Liotta listened to FBI audio cassette tapes of Hill, so he could practice speaking like his real-life counterpart.[26]Madonnawas considered for the role of Karen Hill.[21]To research her role,Lorraine Braccotried to get close to a mob wife but was unable to, because they exist in a very tight-knit community. She decided not to meet the real Karen, saying she "thought it would be better if the creation came from me. I used her life with her parents as an emotional guideline for the role."[27]Paul Sorvinohad no problem finding the voice and walk of his character, but found it challenging to find what he called "that kernel of coldness and absolute hardness that is antithetical to my nature except when my family is threatened."[28]

FormerEDNYprosecutorEdward A. McDonaldappeared in the film as himself, re-creating the conversation he had with Henry and Karen Hill about joining the Witness Protection Program. McDonald, who was friends with Pileggi, was cast on a whim; while a location scout was taking pictures of his office, McDonald casually remarked that he would be happy to play himself if needed. Pileggi called him an hour later asking if he was serious, and he was cast. The scene was unscripted, with McDonald improvising the line referring to Karen as a "babe-in-the-woods."[29]

Photography

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The film was shot on location inQueens,New York state,New Jersey,and parts ofLong Islandduring the spring and summer of 1989, with a budget of $25 million.[17]Scorsese broke the film down into sequences andstoryboardedeverything because of the complicated style throughout. The filmmaker stated, "[I] wanted lots of movement and I wanted it to be throughout the whole picture, and I wanted the style to kind of break down by the end, so that by [Henry's] last day as a wise guy, it's as if the whole picture would be out of control, give the impression he's just going to spin off the edge and fly out."[10]He added that the film's style comes from the first two or three minutes ofJules and Jim(1962): extensive narration, quick edits,freeze frames,and multiple locale switches.[13]It was this reckless attitude towards convention that mirrored the attitude of many of the gangsters in the film. Scorsese remarked, "So if you do the movie, you say, 'I don't care if there's too much narration. Too many quick cuts?—That's too bad.' It's that kind of really punk attitude we're trying to show."[13]He adopted a frenetic style to almost overwhelm the audience with images and information.[3]He also put plenty of detail in every frame because he believed the gangster life is so rich. Freeze-frames were used for certain scenes because Scorsese wanted to highlight that "a point was being reached" in Henry's life.[3]

Joe Pescidid not judge his character but found the scene where he kills Spider for talking back to his character hard to do, because he had trouble justifying the action until he forced himself to feel the way Tommy did.[12]Bracco found the shoot to be an emotionally difficult one because it was such a male-dominated cast, and she realized if she did not make her "work important, it would probably end up on the cutting room floor."[12]When it came to the relationship between Henry and Karen, Bracco saw no difference between an abused wife and her character.[12]

According to Pesci, improvisation and ad-libbing came out of rehearsals wherein Scorsese let the actors do whatever they wanted. He made transcripts of these sessions, took the lines the actors came up with that he liked best, and put them into a revised script that the cast worked from during principal photography.[24]For example, the scene where Tommy tells a story and Henry is responding to him—the "Funny how? Do I amuse you?" scene—is based on an actual event that Pesci experienced. Pesci was working as a waiter when he thought he was making a compliment to a mobster by saying he was "funny"; however, the comment was not taken well.[30][31]It was worked on in rehearsals where he and Liotta improvised, and Scorsese recorded four to five takes, rewrote their dialogue, and inserted it into the script.[32]The dinner scene with Tommy's mother (portrayed by Scorsese's mother, Catherine) was also improvised, with the only scripted line being, "Did Tommy tell you about my painting?" Tommy's mother's painting of the bearded man with the dogs was painted by Nicholas Pileggi's mother and based on a photograph from the November 1978 edition ofNational Geographicmagazine.[33]The cast did not meetHenry Hilluntil a few weeks before the film's premiere. Liotta met him in an undisclosed city; Hill had seen the film and told the actor that he loved it.[12]

The long tracking shot through the Copacabana nightclub came about because of a practical problem: the filmmakers could not get permission to go in the short way, and this forced them to go round the back.[3]Scorsese decided to film the sequence in one unbroken shot in order to symbolize that Henry's entire life was ahead of him, commenting, "It's his seduction of her [Karen] and it's also the lifestyle seducing him."[3]This sequence was shot eight times.[32]

Henry's last day as a wise guy was the hardest part of the film for Scorsese to shoot because he wanted to properly show Henry's state of anxiety, paranoia, and racing thoughts caused bycocaineandamphetaminesintoxication.[3]In an interview with movie criticMark Cousins,Scorsese explained the reason for Pesci shooting at the camera at the end of the film, "well that's a reference right to the end ofThe Great Train Robbery,that's the way that ends, that film, and basically the plot of this picture is very similar toThe Great Train Robbery.It hasn't changed, 90 years later, it's the same story, the gun shots will always be there, he's always going to look behind his back, he's gotta have eyes behind his back, because they're gonna get him someday. "The director ended the film with Henry regretting that he is no longer a wise guy, about which Scorsese said," I think the audience should get angry at him and I would hope they do—and maybe with the system which allows this. "[3]

Post-production

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Scorsese wanted to depict the film's violence realistically, "cold, unfeeling and horrible. Almost incidental."[11]However, he had to remove 10 frames of blood to ensure anR ratingfrom theMPAA.[16]With a budget of $25 million,Goodfellaswas Scorsese's most expensive film to that point but still only a medium-sized budget by Hollywood standards. It was also the first time he was obliged by Warner to preview the film. It was shown twice in California, and a lot of audiences were "agitated" by Henry's last day as a wise guy sequence. Scorsese argued that was the point of the scene.[3]Scorsese and the film's editor,Thelma Schoonmaker,made this sequence faster with more jump cuts to convey Henry's drug-addled point of view. In the first test screening there were 40 walkouts in the first ten minutes.[32]One of the favorite scenes for test audiences was the "Funny like a clown? Do I amuse you?" scene.[3]

Soundtrack

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Main article:Goodfellas (soundtrack)

While there is no incidental score as such in the film, Scorsese chose songs for the soundtrack that he felt obliquely commented on the scene or the characters.[16]In a given scene, he used only music contemporary to or older than the scene's setting. According to Scorsese, a lot of non-dialogue scenes were shot to playback. For example, he had "Layla"byDerek and the Dominosplaying on the set while shooting the scene where the dead bodies are discovered in the car, dumpster, and meat truck. Sometimes, the lyrics of songs were put between lines of dialogue to comment on the action.[3]Some of the music Scorsese had written into the script, while other songs he discovered during the editing phase.[32]

Release

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Theatrical

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Goodfellaspremiered at the47th Venice International Film Festival,where Scorsese received theSilver Lionaward forbest director.[34]It was given a wide release in North America on September 21, 1990.

Home media

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Goodfellaswas released onDVDin March 1997, in a single-disc, double-sided, single-layer format that requires the disc to be flipped during viewing; in 2004,Warner Home Videoreleased a two-disc, dual-layer version, withremasteredpicture and sound, and bonus materials such ascommentary tracks.[35]In early 2007, the film became available on singleBlu-raywith all the features from the 2004 release; an expanded Blu-ray version was released on February 16, 2010, for its 20th anniversary,[36]bundled with a disc with features that include the 2008 documentaryPublic Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film.[35]On May 5, 2015, a 25th anniversary edition was released.[37]The film was released on 4KUltra HD Blu-rayon December 6, 2016.[38]The 25th anniversary release and subsequent releases include a Merrie Melodies & Looney Tunes collection with the shortsI Like Mountain Music(1933),She Was an Acrobat's Daughter(1937),Racketeer Rabbit(1946), andBugs and Thugs(1957).

Reception

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Box office

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Goodfellasgrossed $6.3 million from 1,070 theaters in opening weekend, topping the box office.[39]In its second weekend the film made $5.9 million from 1,291 theaters, falling just 8% and finishing second behind newcomerPacific Heights.[40]It went on to make $46.8 million domestically.[41][4]

Critical response

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According toreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes,95% of 164 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 9.00/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Hard-hitting and stylish,GoodFellasis a gangster classic—and arguably the high point of Martin Scorsese's career. "[42]Metacritichas assigned the film aweighted averagescore of 92 out of 100 based on reviews from 21 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[43]Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[44]

In his review for theChicago Sun-Times,Roger Ebertgave the film a full four stars and wrote, "No finer film has ever been made about organized crime – not evenThe Godfather."[45]In his review for theChicago Tribune,Gene Siskelwrote, "All of the performances are first-rate; Pesci stands out, though, with his seemingly unscripted manner.GoodFellasis easily one of the year's best films. "[46]Both named it as the best film of 1990. In his review forThe New York Times,Vincent Canbywrote, "More than any earlier Scorsese film,Goodfellasis memorable for the ensemble nature of the performances... The movie has been beautifully cast from the leading roles to the bits. There is flash also in some of Mr. Scorsese's directorial choices, including freeze frames,fast cuttingand the occasional long tracking shot. None of it is superfluous. "[47]USA Todaygave the film four out of four stars and called it, "great cinema—and also a whopping good time."[13]David Ansen,in his review forNewsweekmagazine, wrote "Every crisp minute of this long, teeming movie vibrates with outlaw energy."[48]Rex Reedsaid, "Big, rich, powerful and explosive. One of Scorsese's best films!Goodfellasis great entertainment. "[49]In his review forTime,Richard Corlisswrote, "So it is Scorsese's triumph thatGoodFellasoffers the fastest, sharpest 2½-hr. ride in recent film history. "[50]

Lists

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The film was ranked the best of 1990 by Roger Ebert,[51]Gene Siskel,[51]and Peter Travers.[52]In a poll of 80 film critics, "Goodfellas" was named the best film of the year by 34 critics. Director Martin Scorsese was chosen as the year's best director in 45 of the 80 ballots.[53]

Goodfellasis ranked No. 92 on theAFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)list, published in 2007. In 2012, theMotion Picture Editors GuildlistedGoodfellasas the fifteenth best-edited film of all time based on a survey of its membership.[54]In the2012 Sight & Sound polls,it was ranked the 48th-greatest film ever made in the directors' poll.[55]In the subsequent 2022 polls, it was ranked 28th in the directors' poll and tied for 63rd (withCasablancaandThe Third Man) in the critics' poll.[56]Goodfellasis 39th onJames Berardinelli's 2014-made list of the top 100 films of all time.[57]In 2015,Goodfellasranked 20th onBBC's "100 Greatest American Films" list, voted on by film critics from around the world.[58]

Accolades

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It became one of the eight films to win Best Picture from three out of four major U.S. film critics' groups (LA,NBR,NY,NSFC) along withNashville,All the President's Men,Terms of Endearment,Pulp Fiction,The Hurt Locker,Drive My CarandTár.

Award Category Nominee Result
Academy Award Best Picture[59] Irwin Winkler Nominated
Best Director[59] Martin Scorsese Nominated
Best Supporting Actor[59] Joe Pesci Won
Best Supporting Actress[59] Lorraine Bracco Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay[59] Martin Scorsese andNicholas Pileggi Nominated
Best Film Editing[59] Thelma Schoonmaker Nominated
Golden Globe Award Best Motion Picture – Drama[60] Martin Scorsese and Irwin Winkler Nominated
Best Director[60] Martin Scorsese Nominated
Best Supporting Actor[60] Joe Pesci Nominated
Best Supporting Actress[60] Lorraine Bracco Nominated
Best Screenplay[60] Martin Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi Nominated
British Academy Film Award Best Film Martin Scorsese and Irwin Winkler Won
Best Director Martin Scorsese Won
Best Adapted Screenplay Martin Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi Won
Best Actor Robert De Niro Nominated
Best Editing Thelma Schoonmaker Won
Best Cinematography Michael Ballhaus Nominated
Best Costume Design Richard Bruno Won
Directors Guild of America Award Outstanding Directing – Feature Martin Scorsese Nominated
Writers Guild of America Award Best Adapted Screenplay Martin Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi Nominated
César Award Best Non-French Film Martin Scorsese and Irwin Winkler Nominated
Venice Film Festival Silver Lionfor Best Director[61] Martin Scorsese Won
Audience Award Martin Scorsese Won
Filmcritica "Bastone Bianco" Award Martin Scorsese Won
New York Film Critics Circle Award Best Film Martin Scorsese and Irwin Winkler Won
Best Director Martin Scorsese Won
Best Actor Robert De Niro Won
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award Best Film Martin Scorsese and Irwin Winkler Won
Best Director Martin Scorsese Won
Best Supporting Actor Joe Pesci Won
Best Supporting Actress Lorraine Bracco Won
Best Cinematography Michael Ballhaus Won
National Board of Review Award Best Supporting Actor Joe Pesci Won
Boston Society of Film Critics Award Best Film Martin Scorsese and Irwin Winkler Won
Best Director Martin Scorsese Won
Best Supporting Actor Joe Pesci Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Award Best Film Martin Scorsese and Irwin Winkler Won
Best Director Martin Scorsese Won
Best Supporting Actor Joe Pesci Won
Best Supporting Actress Lorraine Bracco Won
Best Screenplay Martin Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi Won
National Society of Film Critics Award Best Film Martin Scorsese and Irwin Winkler Won
Best Director Martin Scorsese Won
Bodil Award Best American Film Martin Scorsese and Irwin Winkler Won

Legacy

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Goodfellasis No. 94 on theAmerican Film Institute's "100 Years, 100 Movies"list and moved up to No. 92 on itsAFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)from 2007. In June 2008, the AFI putGoodfellasat No. 2 on theirAFI's 10 Top 10—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the movie-related community.[62]Goodfellaswas regarded as the second-best in the gangster film genre (afterThe Godfather).[63]In 2000, the United StatesLibrary of Congressdeemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in theNational Film Registry.

Roger EbertnamedGoodfellasthe "best mob movie ever" and placed it among the ten best films of the 1990s.[64]In December 2002, a UK film critics poll inSight & Soundranked the film No. 4 on their list of the 10 Best Films of the Last 25 Years.[65]TimeincludedGoodfellasin their list ofTime's All-Time 100 Movies.[66]Channel 4placedGoodfellasat No. 10 in their 2002 pollThe 100 Greatest Films,EmpirelistedGoodfellasat No. 6 on their "500 Greatest Movies Of All Time,"[67]andTotal FilmvotedGoodfellasNo. 1 as thegreatest film of all time.[68]

Premierelisted Joe Pesci's Tommy DeVito as No. 96 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time," calling him "perhaps the single most irredeemable character ever put on film."[69]Empireranked Tommy DeVito No. 59 in their "The 100 Greatest Movie Characters" poll.[70]

Goodfellasinspired directorDavid Chaseto make theHBOtelevision seriesThe Sopranos.He toldPeter Bogdanovich,"Goodfellasis a very important movie to me andGoodfellasreally plowed that... I found that movie very funny and brutal and it felt very real. And yet that was the first mob movie that Scorsese ever dealt with a mob crew.... as opposed to sayThe Godfather... which there's something operatic about it, classical, even the clothing and the cars. You know I mean I always think aboutGoodfellaswhen they go to their mother's house that night when they're eating, you know when she brings out her painting, that stuff is great. I meanThe Sopranoslearned a lot from that. "[71]Indeed, the film shares a total of 27 actors withThe Sopranos,[72]including Bracco, Sirico, Imperioli, Pellegrino, Lip, and Vincent, who all had major roles in Chase's HBO series.[73]

July 24, 2010, marked the 20th anniversary of the film's release. This milestone was celebrated with Henry Hill hosting a private screening for a select group of invitees at theMuseum of the American Gangster,in New York City.[74]

In January 2012, it was announced that theAMC Networkhad put atelevision seriesversion of the movie in development. Pileggi was on board to co-write the adaptation with television writer-producerJorge Zamacona.The two were set to executive produce with the film's producerIrwin Winklerand his son, David.[75]

Luc Besson's 2013crime comedy filmThe Familyfeatures a sequence where Giovanni Manzoni (Goodfellasstar De Niro), a gangster who is underwitness protectionfor testifying against a member of his family, watchesGoodfellas.[76]

In 2014, theESPN-produced30 for 30series debutedPlaying for the Mob,[77]the story about how Hill and his Pittsburgh associates, and severalBoston College basketballplayers, committed thepoint shaving scandalduring the 1978–79 season, an episode briefly mentioned in the movie. The documentary, narrated by Liotta, was set up so that the viewer needed to watch the film beforehand in order to understand many of the references in the story.

In 2015,Goodfellasclosed theTribeca Film Festivalwith a screening of its 25th-anniversary remaster.[78]

In 2020,AMCbegan including a content warning when airingGoodfellas:“This film includes language and/or cultural stereotypes that are inconsistent with today’s standards of inclusion and tolerance and may offend some viewers.”[79]By comparison,The Godfathergets a standard "viewer discretion" warning.

American Film InstituteLists

Notes

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Of note are the differences between the movie and what happened in real life. Although the movie is mostly true, there are still a few slight differences. For instance,Thomas DeSimone,who Tommy DeVito is based on, was much taller, younger, and muscular.[80][clarification needed]Also, although the realBilly Battsprobably did insult Tommy and make remarks about shining his shoes, the real reason Tommy attacked him was thatJimmy Burkewanted to take over his loan-shark business inQueens.[81]As well, Burke was not the big brother figure the movie portrayed him, but was rather a merciless, borderline racist (to Irish, Italian andNuyorican) mass murderer who did not care who he used to get ahead.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^abc"Goodfellas (1990)".American Film Institute.Archivedfrom the original on January 24, 2020.RetrievedMay 23,2023.
  2. ^"Goodfellas(18) ".British Board of Film Classification.September 17, 1990.Archivedfrom the original on March 3, 2016.RetrievedOctober 22,2015.
  3. ^abcdefghijklmnThompson, David;Christie, Ian(1996). "Scorsese on Scorsese".Faber and Faber.pp. 150–161.ISBN9780571178278.
  4. ^ab"Goodfellas (1990) - Financial Information".The Numbers.Archivedfrom the original on January 28, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 22,2021.
  5. ^"Librarian of Congress Names 25 More Films to National Film Registry".Library of Congress.Archivedfrom the original on April 3, 2019.RetrievedOctober 8,2020.
  6. ^"Complete National Film Registry Listing".Library of Congress.Archivedfrom the original on October 31, 2016.RetrievedOctober 8,2020.
  7. ^Merrie, Stephanie (April 29, 2015)."'Goodfellas' is 25. Here's an incomplete list of all the movies that have ripped it off ".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on July 28, 2015.RetrievedMarch 12,2017.
  8. ^ab"Goodfellas review – a brash, menacing hightail through the death of the mob".The Guardian.January 19, 2017.Archivedfrom the original on June 18, 2020.RetrievedJune 25,2020.
  9. ^Vlastelica, Ryan (September 18, 2015)."Goodfellas turned Wiseguy's simple prose into cinematic gold".The A.V. Club.Archivedfrom the original on September 18, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 18,2015.
  10. ^abMalcolm, Derek (September–October 1990). "Made Men".Film Comment.
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