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How would the mafia be perceived if Goodfellas was made before The Godfather films?

posted a year ago by ksio89 (79)
10 replies | jump to latest

I mean, this movie did a great job in deconstructing the romanticised view of the mafia that first two Godfather films cemented in popular culture, showing mobsters like they really are: ruthless sociopaths that wouldn't think twice in murdering their supposed friends out of greed, fear of being ratted or petty reasons. For short, showing that there is no honor among thieves.

If Goodfellas was released before Copolla's masterpieces, do you think the latter's depiction of mobsters' life would feel out of place or outdated? At least for me I think they would, like Part III does.

[–] BKB (9975) a year ago

I feel like The GODFATHER movies were more about Family while GOODFELLAS was more about the Mob

[–] WarrenPeace (2267) 9 months ago

But these guys were not in the mafia so I don't see the connection between this and mafia movies.

[–] MaximRecoil (4631) 7 months ago

What are you talking about? Henry Hill worked for the Lucchese crime family:

The Lucchese crime family (pronounced [lukˈkeːze; -eːse]) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia.

Henry Hill wasn't a "made man" in the mafia but the guy he worked under, "Paulie," was:

Paul Vario (July 10, 1914 – May 3, 1988) was an American mobster and made man in the Lucchese crime family. Vario was a caporegime and had his own crew of mobsters in Brooklyn, New York.

He was portrayed as Paul Cicero by Paul Sorvino in the Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas.

Billy Batts was another "made man" in the mafia (Gambino crime family):

William "Billy Batts" Bentvena (January 19, 1921 – June 11, 1970), also known as William Devino,[1] was an Italian-American mobster with the Gambino crime family who was a longtime friend of John Gotti in the 1960s.

Of course "these guys" were in the mafia, and Goodfellas was very obviously a mafia movie.

[–] SamNoyoun (5863) 6 months ago

I don't see the connection between this and mafia movies.

Methinks you might want to watch it again and pay closer attention this time!

[–] UMAD (655) 9 months ago

the godfather films are based on fictional books. they arnt suppose to portray reality

[–] Zarkoff (1871) 7 months ago

Both are classics.

Godfather mythologized and maybe even ennobled them a little bit. Goodfellas took a gritty, realistic approach. It's much closer to the truth about organized crime.

Half of Goodfellas hadn't happened by the time Godfather was released, though, so it couldn't have come first, unless Godfather was made a couple decades later.

[–] sonans (1555) 6 months ago

It wouldn't change a thing. For some unknown reason, humans love to romanticize gangsters, examples: Most yakuza movies from Japan have the same view. Honk Kong made a lot of gangster movies that have the same view too.

For some unknown reason, humans love to portray leaders as stupid and evil: politicians, and CEOs.

Why do humans love to watch the people who live at the bottom of society are noble and loyal? Who lives at the top are stupid and evil? Maybe... the reason being that is not how the real world works. And the main reason people watch movies is to escape the real world.

[–] GreenGoblinsOck8 (7704) 6 months ago

I find this topic silly. Goodfellas is based off true events that happened beween the 1950s and 1980. Godfather was a novel that came out in 1969 and was made into a movie in 1972. In 1972 Henry Hill's leaving the mob perminently hadn't happened yet. So there is no way Goodfellas could come first.

[–] [deleted] a month ago

I understand the question, but it's kinda like saying what would the world be like if the 1950s happened before the 1970s...

A film doesn't have to be outdated, you could make a film now about the mob in the 1920s and if it's good, it's good.. why would it be outdated?

the Godfather and Goodfellas are very different movies, Goodfellas shows the brutality of it all, but it's the same brutality that goes on in the godfather, we just dont see it.

i'd also say that micheal corleone was a socialpath, you have to be, to justify what he did.

[–] Redsfan001 (6151) a month ago

I read somewhere/sometime that real members of the mob were very impressed by Mean Streets (73) than with the Godfather.

The gritty realism of the low level street crime in NYC was in their view, accurate.