GOODFELLAS

Goodfellas

Goodfellas

Henry Hill grew up in the midst of New York City's criminal underworld, finally achieving the coveted status of "wiseguy." But in 1980, he made the decision to exchange his knowledge for a new identity. GoodFellas, Hill's own account of crude hierarchies, casual murders, and collaboration with the Feds (as a member of the Witness Protection Program) was adapted for the screen by Martin Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi--and is now seen as a contemporary classic. The film drew rave reviews everywhere upon its theatrical release in 1990, and was nominated for Oscars in both the Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay categories(Pileggi & Scorsese, 1990: 105).

Its themes, in book form, involve philosophical discussions around identity, asylum and homelessness as well as the central endeavour for independent survival. The epic journey of the father and son could also embody - for modern audiences - the struggles for single parent fathers.

The movie "Goodfellas" is a dramatization of life in the New York Mafia. It is based on the accounts of real life ex-gangster turned state evidence. He tells his story from when he was hired by a wiseguy as a teenager in the fifties to the time he is put in the witness protection program in the seventies. (Scorsese, 2003: 132-135)

The movie portrays the spirit of the Mafia subculture and demonstrates their distinctive values, customs, norms, and deviant lifestyle.

The Mafia is a subculture of localized groups of criminals that developed for the purpose of protecting those who can not go to the police for protection. Its roots can be traced back to Sicily, where the Mafia was based on the premise that any member suffering an alleged injustice was obliged to take personal vengeance while avoiding all contact with legal authorities. Even in the modern day American Mafia, each family ruled it's own territory and when others from outside the territory interfered they were dealt with through violent methods.

The wiseguys (or local gangsters) paid for their protection by paying the head of their local family. This payoff was also known as paying tribute to the boss.

Many of the Mafia's folkways and mores' were identified throughout the movie. Some of the informal rules held by the Mafia were the codes of trust and silence. In other words, never rat on a friend and keep your mouth shut. These rules were highlighted when the narrator, Henry Hill, had his first arrest. He was brought to court; defended by a Mafia paid lawyer and after his release he received praise and money from the family for honoring the code. This was considered his Mafia graduation and as important as losing his virginity. (Pileggi, 1990: 46)

It was also sanctioned behavior to buy your way in and out of the mainstream culture with bribes to local authorities and officials. Because of fear and respect of family members in the community, it was very easy to persuade the authorities to look the other way when crimes were committed.

An important Mafia folkway was to conduct business transactions were ...