Opening Sequence analysis

1. Opening Sequence analysis Goodfellas & City of God

2. Goodfellas - Genre • From the opening sequence I can tell that Goodfellas is a gangster/thriller movie, this is shown in the opening sequence when Ray Liotta’s character Henry Hill says “From as long as I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster” • I can tell it also has elements of a thriller as the film doesn’t seem to be just mindless thuggery throughout, it seems to be violent; but also have a good plot, suspenseful periods and fast paced periods for the duration of the film.

3. Goodfellas – Main Characters • Judging from the opening sequence the clear main character is Ray Liotta’s character as he has the most speech in the opening sequence and whilst in the car, he takes up most of the shot whilst the others are in the background. • However, there are also clear supporting roles to the main character provided by Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci’s characters who are also part of Ray’s crew and probably his partners in crime. I can tell they are his partners in crime as they all looked at each other when approaching the boot of their car and all knew immediately what to do without even saying anything to each other, only using hand movements and expressions. This shows that they have a strong understanding of each other.

4. Goodfellas - Setting • During the opening sequence the setting of the movie is told by a black background with the words saying New York with the year the film is set in. The film is set in New York, therefore being a gangster movie, many of the gangsters are probably Italian-Americans as many of them are situation in the New York State. • It also may be situated in New York as during the time period the film is set in there were many gangs in the area and run the town, so Martin Scorsese perhaps purposely used New York to emphasise the gang culture.

5. Goodfellas – How is the storyline set up? • The storyline is set up in quite a gruesome way, it starts off with Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro & Joe Pesci in the car when they hear banging from the boot of the car, this is when the first bit of dialogue from main character Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) says “What the f*ck was that?” And then tells the others to check it out with him. The diagetic sound from the boot of the car creates suspense and tension for the characters and us. Then they all get out and open the boot to find a man tied up with blood all over him, they all look at each other, Joe Pesci brings out a machete and repeatedly stabs the man whilst De Niro shoots him after just to make sure of a certain death. The storyline is then mainly set up when Henry says “For as long as I can remember I’ve always wanted to be a gangster”, this sets up for the rest of the movie as it can be explained how he got into the gangster lifestyle and the things that happen.

6. Goodfellas – What else needs to be found out from the rest of the film • As it is only the opening sequence, many questions go unanswered as they are later explained in the movie. So there are many questions that we are left asking and subsequently need to watch on to find out, such as • Who are they? • Who is the man in the car? • Why was he killed? • Why did Henry always want to be a gangster?

7. City of God - Genre • City of God is a gangster/drama. I think it is different to Goodfellas as it has less of a thriller element to it, it is more simplistic and not as suspenseful or disturbing as Goodfellas. I think that it focuses more on the lives of the various characters making it more of a gangster drama rather than a thriller. • It is placed in the gangster category as there are many guns shown in the opening sequence with the gang and the police squaring off at the end of the scene. Also, the main gangster Lil Ze, seems to be commanding the others and seems to control the place showing a sense of a gang and a gang leader.

8. City of God – Main Characters • I think the main character in City of God is the Rocket( boy that is narrating) as the person narrating the movie is nearly always the one who is also the main character. Also another reason why I believe he is the main character is in the end of the scene he is caught right in the middle of the square off between the police and the gang. This shows that he’s taking a centre role in the movie, the shot is also then paused and there is a 360 degree pan around Rocket indicating the story is revolved around him. He’s also explaining his life and how he got caught up in the gang culture and what the gangs do. • Another main supporting lead character is the main gang leader, this is because he is the first to speak, and also first to bring out a gun, this shows his authority and power over the others. Also when his eyes fixate on Rocket, there is a slow motion shot showing there’s a connection between the two.

9. City of God - Setting • I can clearly tell that this is set in South America because of the set out of the various slums and the beginning where South American music is played. Also, the people look South American, they are speaking Portuguese and the one county in South America that springs to mind that speaks Portuguese and has numerous is slums is Brazil; specifically the favelas in Rio De Janeiro.

10. City of God – How is the storyline set up? • The storyline is set up when Rocket is caught in the crossfire between the main gang leader Lil Z and his gang against the police. The storyline is set up as there is a 360 degree pan around Rocket and then he starts to explain how he never meant to get into these sorts of situations. This sets up the rest of the storyline as it can then go on to explain the various things that led to Rocket getting into sticky situations and getting caught up in places he shouldn’t be.

11. City of God – What will Cause Us to Keep Watching? • Many questions are left unanswered in the opening sequence for City of God, such as: • Why is there tension between Rocket and Lil Z? • What will end up happening to Rocket between the crossfire? • Why does the gang chase the chicken in the beginning? • Why is Lil Ze the way he is? • Why are the police squaring off to Lil Ze and the others?