Seminar Discussion Leaders’ Plan Template
Tutor: Joy McEntee Class day and time: Tuesday 12pm Roster week: Week 10 Film: Goodfellas Discussion leaders’ full names: Lewis Brideson Kate Corcoran
Individual discussion leader’s name: Lewis Brideson Question or cue: ‘I wish I could create music, but I can’t. What I can do is put images and music together.’ - Martin Scorsese
How does Scorsese’s diegetic and non-diegetic sound techniques, in particular his use of popular music, support the underlying themes in Goodfellas (1990) and alter audience’s perspective. Supporting material: Quotes: list of Scorsese and film critic quotes to trigger foundation ideas and have for students to refer to in discussion (eg see chapter opening quotes in Howell, 2015).
Clip 1: Mean Streets (1973) ‘Pool Hall Fight’ scene (‘Please Mr. Postman’ by the Marvelettes) as an example analysis to begin.
Clip 2: Goodfellas ‘Layla Scene’ (‘Layla’ by Derek & The Dominos) for group analysis.
Clip 3: Goodfellas ‘Final Scene’ (‘My Way’ by Sid Vicious) for group analysis and comparison to opening scene.
Soundtrack listing for further discussion if time persists. Other good talking points include the ‘Copacabana’ scene, use of Rolling Stones for points of no return, Frank Sinatra for nostalgia, Donovan for contrast and Harry Nilsson for paranoia. Activity: Watch the clips and debate in relation to the discussion question and supporting quotes.
Consider musical and historical aspects of the soundtrack, how they relate to film techniques and relate to themes of masculinity and violence, the American Dream, nostalgia and reality. Also interesting to consider song selection in terms of race, gender and dancing vs. fighting as related rituals.
On the other hand, consider the lack of relation between the music and film in order to create a striking audio-visual piece, shock, humour, or force the audience to see things in a new way. Citation: Goodfellas. Dir. Martin Scorsese, 1990.
Mean Streets. Dir. Martin Scorsese, 1973.
Howell, A. 2015, Popular Film Music and Masculinity in Action – A Different Tune, Routledge, New York, pp 55-69.
Powrie, P. et al, 2006, Changing Tunes: The Use of Pre-existing Music in Film, Ashgate, USA, pp 28-31.
Cosby, J. ‘Martin Scorsese’s Best Marriage of Film and Music is Showcased in “Goodfellas”, Pop Matters,
Fear, D. ‘Martin Scorsese’s Music: An A to Z Guide to the Director’s Soundtracks, Rolling Stone,
Individual discussion leader’s name: Kate Corcoran Question or cue: What effect does Scorsese’s use of stylistic features in Goodfellas have on the audience? In particular discuss the impact of the voiceovers, freeze frames and the breaking of the fourth wall in the final scene. Supporting material: Clip 1: The freeze frames during the scene at the diner when Henry realizes that Jimmy would have had him killed if he went to Florida.
Clip 2: Henry’s voiceover and breaking of the fourth wall at the conclusion of the film as we see the events that lead to him being put in witness protection.
Quotes: “Often exploited as a device to patch little cracks in the screenplay, the voiceover assumes a new and fundamental role in Scorsese’s Goodfellas. In some senses, voiceover had become something of a cliché in cinematic storytelling until Scorsese reinvented it with a series of small but significant adjustments. On the one hand, he used it as a fil rouge to give narrative coherence to a series of events seen through the eyes of Henry Hill. On the other, Scorsese used the voiceover to establish a particular sense of intimacy between narrator and audience. […] Scorsese uses the voiceover as a tool to help us explore ‘a forbidden world with conventional blinders removed’; a world narrated subjectively, with detachment – yet a world we feel we can belong to.” – Fulvio Orsitto
“The sight and sounds of Tommy’s thrust shock and repel us; it’s almost too much. But we are shocked into a fundamental understanding: we are dealing with brutal men on every level of life. To unsettle us on another level, Henry declares matter-of-factly in a voiceover that he always wanted to be a gangster. His life’s dream is connected to the brutal murder and is not repelled in the least by Tommy’s action.” – Robert Castle
Activity: Participants will watch clips, read quotes and discuss them in relation to initial question. Citation: Castellito, George P. “Imagism and Martin Scorsese: Images suspended and extended.” Literature Film Quarterly 26.1 (1998): 23- 29. Web. 6 April 2016.
Castle, Robert. “Average Nobodies: The Dark Knights of Goodfellas.” Bright Lights Film Journal (2001). Web. 6 April 2016