The movie, which we have selected for this assignment, is Goodfellas. It is considered one of the finest movies produced by Hollywood. It is based on the novel (Wise Guy) of Nicholas Pileggi, who was an American producer, author, and screenwriter of Italian origin. The subject, of the movie that was directed by Martin Scorsese and released in the year 1990, was the gangster culture of New York City and its various crime syndicates.
The movie not only provides a very rich insight into Italian culture, but also it sheds light on New York Mafia or Organized Crime in New York (during that period), which was an intriguing and popular subject of that time (in the late 80s and Early 90s). Naturally, production of the movie faced various challenges (mild), as many Italian-American groups (political-social) that opposed the production of Goodfellas asserted that the movie imperceptibly malign entire Italian American community. However, Production team, of the movie Goodfellas, ignored the issue (in a very unorthodox manner) and focused on the project.
As the director of the movie (Martin Scorsese) had a vast Hollywood experience; therefore, he was very sensitive regarding the authenticity; an accurate representation of culture, attitudes, language, scenarios, etc. Therefore, Martin Scorsese selected those actors, who could play Italian-American characters with utmost accuracy. Also, he invested considerable time to understand how Italian culture had evolved in American social-political-economic environment, which increased the authenticity of narrative and plot (realism).
Cultural Examples from the Selected Movie
In our selected movie, numerous examples pertain to culture. The director and writer of the movie knew that to bring authenticity to the screenplay, characters, and events, they must represent the gangster and Italian-American cultures with great precision. In fact, culture/language used as an instrument to not only to validate the screenplay but also to narrate the story. Also, many Underworld Slangs are used. For instance, in some scenes, terms such as a wise guy, whacked, the joint, etc. is used, which is a cinematic technique known as realism. Similarly, in other scenes too Italian culture has been depicted meticulously (Gunning, 2007).
Language
Language is a subcomponent of culture; therefore, a language represents the culture. In the movie, Goodfellas, there are scenes, in which characters use mob slang. For instance, in the basement, where mob members meet and play cards, various mob slangs are used. Similarly, a special language is used when serious matters are discussed. We also learn that characters do not come overuse slang language, which keeps the script original and interesting. Realism is a cinematic tool, which is used in various manners to keep character and real events. Dialogues, between the characters, also add authenticity to character and event (Ciccarelli, 1996).
Food
Like language, food is also a major constituent of culture. For instance, Pizza represents the Italian culture in various manners. Similarly, Roti is a representative of the South Asian culture. Therefore, food has cultural relevance, and in the movie, food is used to depict Italian Culture.
In the movie, in various scenes Italian culture is represented or depicted through food. In the jail, for instance, Paul Cicero (Paul Sorvino), Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), Tony Stacks (Tony Sirico) and others spent the enormous time to prepare food, which not only represents the Italian culture through food but also depicts the importance of food in Italian/Italian-American cultures.
Another example of a representation of culture through food is the restaurant scene; Henry Hill enters the restaurant with his girlfriend, Karen Hill. It again shows how much emphasis is on food in Italian culture and society.
Scenes of Tom DeVito’s home also provide rich information regarding style and significance of food in Italian-American culture.
Body Language
Italians are known for their hand gestures and facial expressions. During the conversation, they boldly use hand gestures and facial expressions to convey meaning. In movie too, characters, such as Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) and Tommy DeVito, have used hand gestures very badly during the delivery of dialogues, which gives more meaning and substance to a dialogue. In addition to hand gestures, facial expressions are also used in a peculiar manner, which again makes characters more credible as Italian-American individuals. It is essential for a filmmaker or director that characters and events remain as authentic as they could.
Rituals (religious/others)
Most of the Italians are Catholics and therefore, Catholicism influences Italian culture. It is also quite evident in the movie. In fact, traits of Italian culture, such as friendship, loyalty, and respect, flow from religious beliefs that prevail in Italian society.
For instance, when some are made in the mafia, a special ritual is performed, which is associated with the Catholic religion.
Ceremonies
In the movie, not many ceremonies are shown; however, some of the ceremonies that are shown, such as being made in the mafia, are very peculiar and they only remotely associate with Italian or Italian-American culture. However, they have a strong association with mob culture, which is based on secrecy and loyalty.
Lifestyle/Attitude/Aspirations
We learn that most of the mafia world is very cruel and unforgiving, which has a strong influence on that culture, which members are in the majority. For instance, Henry Hill, who is Irish-American, observes many rituals that belong to Italian culture. They have left their ancestral country (of Italy) for better opportunities. Their lifestyle is simple and distinguished and in their culture 1) family, 2) food and 3) wine have a special place.
References
Ciccarelli, A. (1996). Teaching culture through language: Suggestions for the Italian language class. Itálica, 73(4), 563-576.
Gunning, T. (2007). Moving away from the index: Cinema and the impression of reality. differences, 18(1), 29-52.
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