“Goodfellas” aka “Wise Guy” (1986) by Nicholas Pileggi

Nick went with a GoodFellas theme - v much a compare and contrast deal, so much so that we took the unprecedented decision to discuss the lot together....

BOOK: “Goodfellas” aka “Wise Guy” (1986) by Nicholas Pileggi
MUSIC: “Goodfellas” Soundtrack (1990) by Various Artists
FILM: “Goodfellas” (1990) directed by Martin Scorsese

We loved the film, though some misguided types made unflattering comparisons with the Godfather despite both being works of art

Scorsese must have been jumping around with excitement as he read “Wise Guy” (1986) by Nicholas Pileggi - imagining how to film some of the key scenes

We were very struck by how much in the film is lifted from the book including whole chunks of dialogue

Also how incidental lines of dialogue are made into brilliant scene. Nick had a host of examples of this...

e.g. the date with Karen at the Copacabana / or coked up Helicopter scenes soundtracked by The Stones / or Layla soundtracking the bodies piling up after the Lufthansa heist

The last two illustrating the brilliant, chronologically arranged musical selections

So, was the book worth reading?

Absolutely however more for interest than because it stands up on its own merits. Without the film it would be a good insight into mob life. With the film it is interesting at the source material, that said there is more info on Lufthansa and more info on the Federal Witness Protection programme

We were interested to discover the legendary “Am I some kind of clown, do I amuse you…” scene is not in the book and, apparently, was improvised by Joe Pesci who had seen a real mobster do something similar.

GoodFellas' is an amazing tale, and a wonderful evocation of a bygone era but is one of those rare occasions where the film is all you really need.

All that said, Henry and his pals are amoral scumbags, and Hill is a sociopath whose justification for his crimes is that his needs outweigh everyone else's, and he dismisses anyone who is hardworking, honest or trusting as weak and just asking to be ripped off. 

Still, his outlaw mentality made for a a good book, and a classic film.

Songs on the soundtrack CD:

• "Rags to Riches" – Tony Bennett

• "Sincerely" – The Moonglows

• "Speedo" – The Cadillacs

• "Stardust" – Billy Ward and His Dominoes

• "Look in My Eyes" – The Chantels

• "Life Is but a Dream" – The Harptones

• "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" – The Shangri-Las

• "Baby, I Love You" – Aretha Franklin

• "Beyond the Sea" – Bobby Darin

• "Sunshine of Your Love" – Cream

• "Mannish Boy" – Muddy Waters

• "Layla (Piano Exit)" – Derek and the Dominos

ENDORSE IT

Currently we are endorsing…

BOOK: Watling Street by John Higgs

TV: Fargo - Season Three (C4)

TV: Gypsy (Netflix)

Music: London Grammar - Truth is a beautiful thing (2017)

Music: Turin Breaks (Live)

Film: Get Out dir by Jordan Peele (2017)

Book: Anthony Beevor - The Second World War

Film: Baby Driver dir by Edgar Wright (2017)
Music: Slowdive - Slowdive (2017)