Filed under: Columns, Cinematical
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- Welcome to Framed, a column at Cinematical that celebrates the artistry of cinema – one frame at a time.*
Even though this is a column that focuses on things like cinematography, and the depth or meaning of composition, I held off writing about the works of Martin Scorsese for as long as I could. The director is perhaps the greatest American filmmaker of our time and I didn’t want to make it too easy on myself to sing his praises. Scorsese is an artist deeply revered by fellow auteurs and audiences alike. His monumental filmography has been a huge influence on filmmakers the world over - winning us over with his stunning visual style and raw emotionality. While I could easily highlight any number of films by the director, I’ve chosen to celebrate one of his most memorable movies - a film that has been dubbed one the greatest gangster films in cinematic history - ‘Goodfellas.’](GoodFellas (1990) - Movie | Moviefone)
September 19th marked the 20th anniversary of the film, which Scorsese found inspiration for in the pages of Nicholas Pileggi’s book ‘Wiseguy.’](Wiseguy: Pileggi, Nicholas: 9781439184219: Amazon.com: Books) He was fascinated by the author’s account of the mobster lifestyle, applauding its brutally honest portrayal of Italian-American criminals looking to turn a fast buck. The two set out to work on a script for the feature, which Pileggi dubbed a “mob home movie” and the rest, as they say, is history.
[spoilery stuff ahead … ]