Goodfellas Essay

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Goodfellas Course Code: HUMA 038 Intructor: Naveen Joshi From: Brian Lee Student Number: 810-228-882 In the 1990 Martin Scorsese motion picture Goodfellas uses series of film techniques that are important such as colour, montage, mise-en-scene and sound to depict the main theme of Goodfellas. The main colour that was used in the film and was highly noticeable from the beginning of the film to the end was red. The colour red that is used in the film really shows that it’s associated with violence, blood, misery and passion, which show throughout the entire film. In almost every violent scene in the film it’s highlighted onscreen by a display of a bright vibrant red colour during the scene. For example the most distinct use of the crimson colour red is when Henry, Jimmy and Tommy go to the trunk of the car to dispose the body the car’s brake lights project a strong red beam at the characters which has an underlying significance, it makes you feel as though the main trio is digging a hole to dispose the body directly to hell. Also after the sequence of disposing the body it ends with a unique fade to red that resembles to blood. The red lighting in that particular scene gives the idea of death. Furthermore when Henry, Jimmy and Tommy go back to dig up the body the whole frame of the scene is red to depict blood and violence. When Martin Scorsese shoots a scene during the daytime in the film, he fills the frame with really bright red objects that are noticeable for the viewer. For example when Henry goes to teach the guy a lesson that lives across from Karen to not to touch Karen again, the director fills the frame with bright red objects such as the car, toolbox and flowers to once again represent violence. Another scene where Martin Scorsese uses the colour red is when the trio beats Billy Batts almost to death the room is filled with a vibrant red colour to
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