When an argument of a mafia movie is raised, the movies The Godfather and Goodfellas come to a person’s mind. But what is the purpose of mafia movies in a society? This question must be the hardest to explore. Otherwise, mafia movies must be very significant in the lives of people going by the rate of their increase in recent years. Subsequently, The Godfather was one of these movies that were released in 1972, while Goodfellas was released in 1990 in France. Paramount Studios released Godfather under director Francis Ford and starred Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, and Diane Keaton in the film. On the other hand, Warner Bros studio released Goodfellas that was directed by Martin Scorcece and starred Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, and Paul Sorvino. Although the two films, Godfather and Goodfellas , were produced in different periods, the themes presented illustrate the horrific and underlying problems of present-day societies.
Godfather and Goodfellas present the theme of crime. Still, Godfather is a weaker crime film that Goodfellas because of its unrealistic presentation of crime. The two films show the subject of crime differently. In particular, Godfather’s performance is more dramatic and feels unnatural, while Goodfellas ’ presentation is very natural. Don Vito Corleone dramatizes most parts of his character in Godfather that does not seem like a person that wants vengeance against his daughter’s enemies. There is also a dialogue between Corleone and another man, which is dramatized and gives the audience the glance of his intentions and what to expect in the subsequent parts of the movie. Additionally, the theme of crime is presented in the romantic scenes through dramatization in The Godfather .
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Goodfellas , on the other hand, feels realistic and natural in the presentation of its themes. For instance, the narration by Henry Hill on his gangster fascination and his desires to be one are all naturally presented. Subsequently, all other characters in the film have conversations that are natural in their flow, and a person would think that they are realities. These presentations are accompanied by intense violence that appears to be naturally occurring. Also, there are parts in the film that explore real-life crime. For instance, the criminals in Goodfellas are very careful, and they avoid phone conversations throughout the film. They would rather have direct face to face communication. Moreover, the narrations in the film help present the theme of crime well to viewers. In particular, the camera in a restaurant points at criminals one at a time, where the narrator names all of them.
In respect to plot, Godfather begins with a wedding where Don Vito is enlightened about the roles of the bride in New York crime. The subsequent turnover of event from the wedding setting, therefore, dictates the continuation of the movie. Subsequently, the patterns of disturbance that emerge are when Woltz wakes up with a severed head of his stallion, which is also the triggering event in the film. The story before this film began is the involvement of Don’s son in World War II as a marine. Else, the obstacle occurs when Don Vito tries to block the wedding, which leads to a climax crisis in the film where Connie beats Don's daughter. The sides resolve the differences by forming gangs that fight for them.
On the other hand, Goodfellas begins with Henry Hill’s narration of how he fancies gangster life. This narration reflects on his life before the movie starts. Patterns of equilibrium emerge in the beginning character stabbings and shootings. Elsewhere, the triggering event in the film is the multiple stabbing of a stranger leading to the shooting scene, which is also an obstacle of the movie. This part is also the climax of the film because the parties come to solve their differences with unending wars .
Cultural and Historical Analysis
Godfather and Goodfellas expound on the American criminal past. With the presentation of mafia groups and gangsters, the movies try to explain how the traditional American societies quickly began a war. Therefore, there is a historical myth that is being perpetrated by the film. In particular, by both films presenting America as a country that is always ready for war means that America was responsible for multiple global conflicts in the past. Otherwise, modern films have plots that portray America as a powerful nation and protector of world peace through its sophisticated mercenaries. Subsequently, the difference in the contemporary and old films presentation of America is in how the movies make their viewers perceive America. Old movies present America as a weak nation, while modern films tell of America as a villain.
Godfather and Goodfellas present cultural and social ruthlessness of American societies. The movies look at American cultures as those that romanticize gangsters and a culture that glorifies people who kill for honors. The stories in the two films do not highlight any mistreatment on people based on their racial, ethnic, or religious groups. However, Godfather has instances where there is violence against women. Subsequently, the storylines and the film have been affected by the American culture through the violent and murderous nature of Americans that was prevalent in the past. Also, the movies depict our history as extreme, which is the same depiction for the current societies. From the film, one can tell that we are heading towards more violent societies.
Close Film Analysis
The Godfather
In the hospital scene in this film, the director uses camera placement to position a viewer in a way that can help them understand the relationship between characters. For instance, the camera is shot on “2” in a corner and held for close to 16 seconds, which shows how important it is. Subsequently, the angle of the camera in this scene begins to be made full so that everyone in the room can be visible. Otherwise, the editing in this film uses techniques that show some dramatic effect. However, there is so much lighting, with little darkness throughout the film, which makes it suitable for viewing in any amount of light.
Goodfellas
There are extreme close-ups in camera shots in this film in scenes of money. For instance, the particular scene where Henry awaits payment for the task he has done. Otherwise, the camera’s movements are systematic, and viewers can have close-looks of characters’ like the movement of the camera towards Henry’s awaiting pocket during money exchange. Otherwise, the lens is zoomed for a better shot of henry’s pocket during the same pay, which puts the camera’s angle on a focused position for capturing only the pocket. The lighting of this movie is not suitable for locations where there is more natural light since the editing does not have a lot of dramatic effects.
