Time In The Movie Henry example essay topic

There is a thin line between "good" and "bad". A narrow space between the two that I believe relates indirectly with the thin line separating art from life. What is art? Is it not, in a sense, a way of life? If "good" and "bad" and art and life relate to each other in some odd, but interesting way, then how can we define "good" art and "bad" art? In a picture, when there is someone bleeding, we understand that there is some kind of pain involved.

Pain not necessarily felt, but pain that is understood. To me, it seems that some of America's society is similarly as blood thirsty as the historical Rome. When we think of this Rome we think of arenas filled with citizens gawking at gladiator games where men fought lions or each other to the death. Today's audience may have replaced the arena with a theater, a living room or even present day arenas for modern day games. Is it safe to say that parents teaching their children to not steal, that killing is wrong or that any money not earned legitimately is "dirty money", are the parents enjoying the bloody boxing matches or gangster movies? Is it ok to say that America's interest's lye not only in a bulky economy, but that we " ll take whatever means necessary to maintain that?

More importantly, are we willing to risk contaminating a young wo / man's mind or a child's mind in order to stabilize economy? I am not trying to say that gangster movies or sports keep the stock market thriving. The point I would like to make is that many movies or sports that make millions or even billions of dollars are detrimental to society. The example I'd like to use is the movie Goodfellas. In the movie that Roger Ebert (from Sisk el and Ebert) called "the best mob movie ever", Art and life run concurrent do to the fact that it is based on a true story. Goodfellas, explores the life of a character (Henry Hill, played by Ray Liotta) before, during and after the turbulence of a mobster lifestyle.

Based on the true-life best seller Wiseguys by Nicholas Pi leggi, the movie acts out the horrifying reality of how life imitates art and vice versa. The "gangster flick" brings together an outstanding cast including, Robert Di Niro, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Brac co, and Paul Sorvino. It is directed by Martin Scorsese and it indulges into the atmosphere of a "mafia" environment in New York in the 1970's. Take into consideration the way the movie begins. There is three characters in a car, apparently just cruising, Tommy Devito (played by Joe Pesci) in the passenger, Henry driving, and Jimmy (De Niro) in the backseat. There is a sound similar to when a tire has an air bubble and the car is operating.

"Is that a flat?" asks Tommy. Tommy asks Henry to pullover to see. Nothing is wrong with the tires, but there is a muffled kicking and / or talking sound coming from the trunk of the car. Come to find out, there is no flat, only the kicking and pushing of a half dead man moving around in the trunk of the car! Tommy quickly stabs him repeatedly with a butcher knife and as if that didn't turn out the lights Jimmy (also called "the gent" throughout the movie) shoots the trunk inhabitant four times. At this time in the movie Henry recalls "As far back as I could remember I always wanted to be a gangster".

Just to prove that not only gangster movies but the actual lifestyle is detrimental to children, at the age of thirteen Henry Hill states that to him being a gangster was better than being the President of The United States. Now think about another child hearing that at such an important time of his life. Henry Hill admired the gangsters because of the respect they got and the money they earned. He skipped school to do jobs for the mob. When his parents received a letter from his school saying that he had not attended for months, the mob roughed up the mail man. No more letters.

At thirteen he was making more money than most grown ups in his neighborhood. Now after the way the movie begins whether your glass of blood is half empty or half full, the next scene I would like to describe might make it over flow. Working at one of the mob member's money laundering pizzeria, Henry helps out a wounded man who had been shot in the hand. Wandering aimlessly, the wounded man is comforted by Henry with blood soaking aprons. The only problem the pizzeria owner witnessed had nothing to do with the wounded man, but with why Henry had wasted eight aprons on him. He told the others that Henry needed to be "toughened up".

Later on in Henry's gang related life he finds "Murder was the only way that everybody stayed in line, you got out of line you got walked everybody knew the rules". In conclusion I'd like to say that I am no advocate of holiness. Having had recently attended one of those bloody boxing matches as well as a movie about a pop icon who promoted "thug life" (which many adolescences attended), I can only say that I am amused. I am entertained by Goodfellas.

Now, whether I let my seeds be entertained by these types of movies / events is completely up to me. How I deal with it's consequences is also up to me. Though it is obvious that they can be hazardous to humanity, I must say that I want more. The same way that nature springs up a blade of grass through broken concrete blocks and rubbish, children are entertained by these media sources and in certain instances live and play around exactly what it depicts. That is life. Goodfellas proves this in a scene where a group of curious kids, playing stick ball with a poor kid's equipment and playground, gawk at a double homicide that took place in a car the night before.