The critically acclaimed film, Goodfellas, is a gangster crime drama that features an incredible amount of talent. Household names such as: Robert De Niro (Jimmy Conway), Joe Pesci (Tommy DeVito), Paul Sorvino (Paul Cicero), and promising stars like Ray Liotta (Henry Hill) and Lorraine Bracco (Karen Hill), attracted numerous Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. That type of cast power, linked with the signature talent of Martin Scorsese as a director, made for cinematic gold. Unquestionably, the actors and actresses did an excellent job augmenting the verisimilitude of this film and compelling audiences to empathize with their characters. But the cinematography in this film plays just as large a role in having audiences feel what the characters …show more content…
We see various freeze frames, each marking a significant moment in Henry’s life. Whether it be a young Henry being exalted by members of the mob in the courthouse for adhering to Jimmy’s words “Never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut” or watching his postman threatened by means of violence, a valuable lesson is learned. The fact that Henry learns from these lessons proves his character has grown and developed, thus justifiably casting Henry as a round character. For the sake of the word count restriction I will only analyze the scene I believe to be most significant to the story. It actually comes in the opening scene where Tommy stabs the still alive, Billy Batts (Frank Vincent), in the trunk of the car. After Tommy and Jimmy finish putting Billy Batts out of his misery in a barbaric fashion, the camera pans in and freezes on Henry’s dismal face as his own voiceover narration says “As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster”. I feel as if the voice over is used ironically and perhaps Henry felt some type of self-reproach because his bleak facial expression hints that he is fed up with the violent gangster life. It is imperative that Scorsese introduces this as the opening scene, to foreshadow the major turning point in the film. The freeze frame is a hint to the audience that indicates …show more content…
This is where brilliant editing and cinematography adds a sense of shared experiences that Henry cannot comprehensively convey alone. The time stamps throughout the series of events not only allow audiences to gain a sense of Henry’s frantic pace, but of the time constraint he is under as well. Being equipped with this knowledge helps us feel the pressure Henry does. The fast paced rock music in the background supplements well into the hectic atmosphere Scorsese impressively creates. The series of scenes of Henry’s paranoia makes excellent use of a multitude of elements, specifically when Henry is looking for the helicopter while driving. The utilization shot/reverse shot between Henry and the helicopter efficiently place us in Henry’s head of solely being preoccupied with the helicopter at the moment. The application of jump cuts in the sequential scene, where Henry realizes he may rear end a stopped car, flawlessly captures his startlement and brings audience along for the ride as well. Multiple jump cuts of Henry slamming on the brakes and the change of music amplify the sensation of surprise and bewilderment. This type of cinematography and editing speaks volumes to Henry’s sense of intense paranoia and derangement, but more importantly, it gives audiences the means to empathize with a character through a unique
The close up of Aaron’s face made the focus all on his eyes, and it really shows how scared and worried he was while talking about it. Also no music was used during that scene which made me focused on what he was talking about, and really helped set up the image in my mind, it is very clever I think to have this kind of technique that helps the audience to concentrate on the details of the story instead of trying to layer it up with
The author explains that Spielberg had paced the film beautifully so that one is always on edge, for example scary moments that turn out to be false alarms like a black fin in the water that is eventually exposed as a bathing cap. 4. Summarize his or her evaluation of the film in one sentence. The film moves forward with the speed and directness of a harpoon until there is nothing left but the final gut-twisting confrontation, pitting man against a creature so mysterious and strangely indestructible it must be seen as a symbol of evil.
It is Scroop whose face he caresses while speaking of “capital crimes”. The camera offers a close up of Henry’s face, and then of the three lords as they realise Henry’s knowledge of their betrayal, as Scroop appears helpless rather than nervous as the other two look. It is also Scroop who Henry throws onto a table, which is, as Aebischer states, “framed as an intimate two-shot, the assault resembles a violent re-enactment and/or parody of homosexual union.” (119). The closeness of these two characters is undeniable in the framing of this shot, and as the camera lingers on Scroop’s face, it is evident that tears are lingering in his eyes, which gradually builds until the arrest, when he begins sobbing visibly as Henry condemns the now-prisoners, rarely taking his eyes off of his former
Of the films that I have seen of John Huston and Martin Scorsese it’s hard not to notice their similarities and numerous differences. Perhaps the most obvious comparison to make is how they use decor and costumes, both of their films, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) and Taxi Driver (1976), take place at the time of their release, so the costumes and settings are realistic and most importantly lived-in. How these locations are lived in are portrayed a little differently through lighting and camera work, as Travis Bickle’s apartment is dark and grungy looking throughout the film, Scorsese is a filmmaker that likes to portray these kind of locations and characters that would inhabit them. Scorsese’s film feels less like a studio film and
This combined with the film 's natural sounds of chirping birds, murmurs and street sounds and lack of music proved the film 's attention to the creation of a realistic picture. We are constantly being converted to a realist agenda by the film 's use of natural lighting as much as it can (excluding outdoor scenes), creating a naturalist piece. It is displayed that we cannot trust the image as a guarantor of truth as we are shown that it is, in fact, Georges and Anne reviewing this surveillance themselves in their living area. The verbal projection of Georges’s and Anne’s conversation over previously filmed surveillance footage in the first scene both undoes temporal consistency, overlaying present sound onto past image, and also suggests their lack of internal coherence.
In one of the most memorable gun fights in cinema history, Client Eastwood first utters those iconic words to a wounded bank robber. It was an unforgettable moment that introduced audiences to a new hero, one that is whiling to do what is necessary for the greater good. Dirty Harry was one of the first true action films that help set the foundation for the genre, a violent and gritty film with a hero who shoots firsts then asks questions if they 're any survivors. The film was a byproduct of the social climate of the era and was panned as a work of "fascist propaganda" upon its release. Yet the film made Eastwood a pop-culture icon while becoming the blue print for other unconventional heroes.
Burton's amazing directing techniques can be seen in this film as it sets the entire mood of the film and allows him to focus the viewer in as well as keep the viewer entertained. Burton's use of emotion, sound, lighting, and other techniques contribute to the film's overall quality.
American Hustle: The True Story David O’ Russell’s 2013 crime film, American Hustle was based on a historical event that took place in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The main cast includes: a intelligent con man, Irving Rosenfeld, who is played by Christian Bale. Alongside Rosenfeld is his sly and seductive partner, Sydney Prosser, played by Amy Adams. Rosenfeld and Prosser are forced to work with an FBI agent, Richie DiMaso, who is played by Bradley Cooper.
In addition, there is the use of slow motion dramatises the scenes such as when the man’s head hits the floor after being shot. Tom Tykwer makes use of multiple crane shot. The camera becomes like a floating eye, detaching itself and circling the protagonists repeatedly. Sentences exchanged between the two characters are very short and blunt which exhibits the fiery attitude between the pair. Tykwer bases his stories from personal experiences.
The clip belongs to the movie The Hustler (Robert Rossen, 1961) an adult story about life and love, greed, and self-destruction of isolated characters but also a story about conscience and redemption. The clip reproduces the first meeting about Eddie (Paul Newman) and Sarah (Piper Laurie), anticipating the romantic relationship of the film. The director uses both widescreen and black and white to produce a realistic atmosphere and highlight the isolation of the characters in their relationship. This essay analyzes the use of those devises in three different moments of the clip and how they guess the dénouement of the plot through the depiction of the characters.
This scene occurs when Osama Bin Laden crashed two planes into the twin towers, the scene starts as the news reporters and George W. Bush are preparing to present the news of the crash. Moore has used this to represent how they all felt having to present this terrible news to the world, then switching to the sound of what happened I feel shows thats the reporters telling the world, the way Moore uses cutaways from each reporter and bush shows the tension building within them, how they are all being made picture ‘perfect’ tells us that these people are important and have something big to say, I also feel the way Moore used the cut aways going from the reporters to Bush shows how insignificant he was/felt, he is just in the same boat as one of them, being told what to do and say by someone else and not really knowing what the think about the situation. As this is going on Moore also uses music in the background of the cutaways. I feel the music gives an affectif being uncomfortable and knowing that something is about to happen but not knowing what it is, it puts the audience on each giving a ‘hold your breath’ moment. The use of music then leads up to the next part of the scene where the actual plane crash happens.
Joe Johnston showcases these difficult moments with the mood or theme of music, lighting, camera angles and speeches. Joe Johnston successfully uses all of those techniques to also, describe the current situation of the scene, and to introduce the
In the opening scene of the movie, Henry lies in a court about Mr. Matthews, in order to gain money from a case that he has been working on. This comes from the id part of his personality. Henry also gets aggravated easily; when he finds out that his daughter Rachel spilled juice on his piano, he gets upset and makes her sad without feeling bad about it. The id side of him shows up when he wants the cashier to hurry up and get him some cigarettes at the store. He is then shot for his rudeness.
The sound effect at this moment is dark, eerie, and long making the situation very surreal and intense leading up to the bomb going off. Another technique seen is stock footage, which is featured throughout the whole film. However, a unique moment that truly displays stock footage is when a solider decides to take off his headset to disarm a bomb in a car and doesn’t listen when other soldiers in his team tells him to put it back on. This shows the pressure and risk this particular solider is taken by taking off his headset and not listening to his team. This eventually brings in the audience to experience the struggle that these soldiers are dealing with, which is seen by several camera angles and shot distance.