Movies

Goodfellas is a movie that defies the typical production of films, especially the part where scripts are already complete and final once they are given to the actors prior to actual filming. The most interesting part of the films production is the part where the three main actors were given the freedom to improvise on several parts of the script. During the rehearsals, director Martin Scorsese gave Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci the privilege of shaping the flow of the dialogues. Eventually, the results of the rehearsals were infused into the length of the actual script during filming. This is perhaps the most significant focus of an artistic criticism that can be done on Goodfellas.

    It is prudent to begin with the creation process of the film. In other words, the rehearsals provide a revealing view of the films final output. Giving the actors a freehand in injecting their own lines into the script is not only unconventional but also a risky decision. It is akin to an artist putting too much trust on the paint that he will use on his canvass without having to let the masters hand do the entire work, so to speak. Yet Scorsese did so. Apparently, a large chunk of his trust on the actors relies on their credentials as respected artists in the film industry. It could have givenas indeed it might truly have givenScorsese the confidence to allow the actors to exercise their free spirited minds to shape a crucial aspect of the film.

    More importantly, giving these actors the freedom to rehearse and infuse their own ideas and words into the script gives the film a very distinct characteristic. Here we see not only the mind of the director manipulating the flow of the story. Here we see three minds adding more insights into the script. It is not difficult to see that each of the actors will essentially give his own unique approach to the dialogues. As a necessary consequence, the film will show a storyline that departs from what was originally intended. Like a canvass of colors painted by four painters or perhaps even more, Goodfellas is a tapestry of talent.

    A close viewing of the film will indicate how the different talents converge to form the storyline of the movie. The subtle nuances and the departures of the characters from the general flow of the story give the viewers a closer look into the lives of the people whom the actors try to portraygangster members during the middle to later parts of the 20th century. In effect, the personal understanding of the actors about the life of gangsters gives rise to the overall impression that the viewers will get from watching the movie. This should be given prior consideration since the artistic quality of the film will have to depend, to a certain extent, to the faithfulness or the authenticity of the acting insofar as replicating the gangster life is concerned. Since an artwork is basically an imitation of somethingbe it a physical and sensory object or an idea in the mindit has to be as close as it can be to what it is imitating. But that is not to say that it should suppress the freedom of the artist to create the artwork. What it does is simply to achieve one of the purposes of the film, which is to recreate the lives of gangsters at a time when they thrived.

    One can evaluate the film from the standpoint of how it achieves to replicate gangster life during the 20th century. The ordinary viewer who has limited background information on the theme of Goodfellas will find it difficult to assess whether the film truly shows the defining characteristics of gangsters. This is also perhaps true to those who sought to watch the film in order to know exactly how gangsters live. How does one arrive at an artistic criticism of the film if one has very little knowledge of gangsters in the first place Indeed, how is one supposed to have an artistic criticism of the film if one is yet to juxtapose the film with what is written in the annals of history The least that can be done is to take cues from the characters in the film. That is, the most that can be done is to have a careful viewing of the performance of the actors. In a way, their acts provide viewers a rough sketch of gangsters. This we see in the film where Robert De Niro plays the character of a gangster associate, where Ray Liotta plays the role of a person obsessed with the gangster life, and where Joe Pesci plays the role of an aggressive psychopath with a very short temperament. In general, the roles portrayed can provide a glimpse of gangster life insofar as they make sense. The violence in the film is essentially justified by the need to protect the inner circle of gangsters from external intrusions. The attitudes of the gangsters fit the plot of perpetuating themselves in power and in control of the mob scene.

    Lest we forget, an artwork does not necessarily have to imitate an object or an idea completely. Otherwise, there will be no room left for the artist to use his creativity and freedom to interpret as he sees fit. This is perhaps why the actors were given the freedom to interpret the dialogues in their own personal ways, making the script a very dynamic basis for the film. It is where true artistry in the movie can be seen. De Niro, Liotta and Pesci could have decided to simply follow what is already written in the script, but they did not. Instead, they preferred to take the story to a different level and to give it a new perspective. The only difficulty that can be encountered is whether the film gives its viewers a just illustration of gangster life at the end of the efforts in making the movie. It is difficult to say if the movie does, but what is more important is that it enjoins its viewers to appreciate the efforts of the artists. While it can be said that the artist and his artwork are two separate entities bridged only by the thrust of and for art, the film itself remains a veritable evidence of how the two seamlessly merged together in order to portray the films theme. Goodfellas is on its own an artistic material where critics will find ample room to share their insights and criticisms, all for the benefit of uncovering the artistic mark that the film is sure to leave behind.