The scene being studied is from the film ‘Goodfellas’ (1990) Directed by Martin Scorcese (b. 1942) and Cinematography by Michael Ballhaus (b. 1935 – d. 2017). The sequence can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJEEVtqXdK8
I had not watched this film prior to seeing this sequence however, it grabbed my attention and I have since watched the film and read reviews and news stories relating to the film.
The film covers a time period from 1955 to 1980 and follows the mobster life of Henry Hills. The film is an adaptation of the non-fiction book ‘Wiseguy’ (1986) by Nicholas Pileggi (b. 1933). As a result the whole film has to be careful with continuity and props to ensure they are in keeping with the period. The ‘movie mistakes’ websites have had a field day with this film as there are inconsistencies with brand logos, car models, gun makes etc. but most of them are only a couple of years out (apart from a contemporary baseball hat worn by a member of the kitchen staff). From a viewer perspective these ‘errors’ do not impact the feel of what you are watching. All of them are ‘of the period’ and would have been known by the props department and production team.
The song playing over the 3 minute sequence ‘Then He kissed Me’ (1963) by The Crystals and produced by Phil Spector. Continuity wise this is correct as the couple get married in 1965. It is a very recognisable song and instantly places the scene to an era. The lyrics also add a narrative to the scene. Interestingly the use of the song and limited dialogue makes this a self contained story. You do not have to have seen anything of the earlier scenes to be able to read what is happening and understand the characters. Having now seen the film in its entirety this scene is in the first half of the film which is a little lighter than what comes later. The song choice is the main device to emphasise this feeling in this scene.
The scene follows a couple, Henry Hill and his date Karen Friedman, walking from their car, which is parked across the street from the restaurant, to their table situated at the front of the stage. The Steadicam operator follows the actors about two paces behind as they walk swiftly, descending stairs, weaving through corridors, through the kitchen and past a crowd queuing to get a seat in the busy restaurant.
Henry is wearing a black suit and white shirt. Karen is wearing a black evening dress. Throughout the scene Henry is meeting and greeting acquaintances placing cash in to the hands of the people he knows. The camera does not emphasise these transactions. Rather than move around, the camera remains at head level and pointing in the direction they are walking. It suggests that all of this is normal activity and emphasises that this has happened many time before.
Everybody knows who he is even if they do not talk to him directly such as the kitchen staff. It is obviously not unusual for ‘guests’ to be entering through the ‘back door’. He appears to be popular, friendly and very generous, joking with people along the way. As soon as the Head Waiter sees him he arranges for the couple to be seated in the best seat in the house. In fact the waiting staff have already picked up a table and are carrying it to its place even before the Head Waiter has signalled to them. The waiters know who he is and know what needs to happen.
Karen is surprised how much money he is handing out and surprised at the excesses of paying a hotel doorman to look after his car. We, the viewers, are effectively in her position, taking this all in for the first time. Getting to know the man on her date, the places he visits and his associates. When she asks him what he does he lies and says he is in construction. She doubts this and he responds that he is a union representative. At this point the there is a comedy drum roll from the stage which acts as a full stop to that conversation and also adds some humour to what has until then been a suspicious entrance. Although there has been no violence or anger we have seen already that this is only just under the surface.
Visually it is a dark scene, black and white clothing and uniforms used throughout with vibrant colour splashes of red, red curtains in the corridor, red alarms on the wall, red fire hydrants. In this scene the red not only connotes passion but also blood and violence. The dark lighting suggest secrecy and intimidation. The pace and sharp changes in direction describe the type of life Henry leads. Fast paced, ducking and diving, meeting and greeting. He is a generous loveable rogue and if Karen can accept his white lies then so can we, the viewer.
One of the ‘movie mistakes’ I read said that Henry did not need to go through the kitchen to get to the main dining area. This would not have been a mistake. The walk through the kitchen would have been for Henry to let all the kitchen staff know he was at the venue and to be on top of their game, and to show Karen how influential he was. It had the added benefit for the viewer to tell us the same information. Karen would have been so overwhelmed with everything dashing past her she would not even have noticed, the same as us.
Martyn Rainbird 