Goodfellas Final Scene Analysis

The Studio System’s Impact on the Finale of Goodfellas and the Audience

Ever since the hollywood studio system, many popular films today use the same conventions to tell a compelling story. Not all movies follow the rules, but Goodfellas is no exception to these conventions. However, using these rules effectively plays a big part in a good film, and only in the final scene of Goodfellas do we see a certain number of these film elements added. With the use of extreme closeups, non-conventional plot order, and breaking the fourth wall, Goodfellas takes full advantage of the film grammar and narrative elements by introducing them in the final scene to emphasize the importance of it and make audiences think about the story.

The ending of Goodfellas
He gets up from his chair and begins to walk around the courtroom. The camera follows him wherever he goes through a series of pans, making sure to keep in him frame as he continues to keep his attention at the camera. Finally, the camera becomes stationary as Hill becomes front and center. He explains the thrill of the gangster life before stating “and now it’s all over” as the scene cuts from the closeup shot. This is the only scene in the film where one of the characters talks directly to the audience. However, Hill seems to be talking to the audience throughout the entire film through his voiceover narration. This may seem out of place at first until you begin pondering why there was a decision to include this convention of film. Because Hill’s confession and testification is the conclusion of the gangster story, the breaking of the fourth wall acts as symbolism for the end of the narrative. Another explanation is that Hill’s entire narration was his actual testimony. Despite the reasoning for breaking the fourth wall, the sudden use of this film technique gets audiences thinking. Audiences can come up with their own conclusions as to why the director decided to use this technique, but the importance of the final scene has been