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>But does replay value make something a better movie?
Not necessarily, IMO. There are many films that i would say are "great" films, the scope of these films is superior to the majority of whats out ther in many ways, that I still have little to no desire to watch repeatedly.
For instance, I think AMerican Beauty and Being John Malkovich are both fantastic films. Superior, even. Yet I have watched AB about 2-1/2 times and BJM I think 1-1/2 times. I have watched Anchroman about 15. I think the former is a better film than the latter in almost all ways aside from replay value.
>Not just in this case but over all
Well, in this case I think Goodfellas has far better replay value as well as being the superior film.
HOWEVER...
the reason I stated above that Goodfellas is an anomaly is that a person could state more than a few reasons why Goodfellas is NOT A GOOD film. I know it reads like blasphemy, and dammit it is, but I think part of what make sit so great is that you don't even care abou tthe glaring inconsistencies that would mar pretty much any other film.
I've never done a scene-by-scene breakdown of Scarface vs. Goodfellas but I'd be 100% positive in saying that Scarface is technically better than Goodfells in: editing, continuity, dubbing (I'm reaching huh?), and the "traditional" movie narrative devices. I mean Martin Scorcese could have failed miserably doing the maverick shit he did with GF, and I think you get a glimpse of those things done poorly, or at least not as well, with Casino.
Wall to wall voice over? BIG no-no. Multiple voice-overs? sheeiit... There is no 3-act "Christopher Moltisanti arc" in the film. It can be seen as: Character is doing great with the mob, character is doing horrible with the mob. The continuity...fuck, "continuity" doesn't exist in Goodfellas. In almost every single scene, from cut to cut, people magically switch places, move positions, have completely different expressions, go through the same expression 3-4 times over, etc. Glasses empty themselves and then fill back up. I mean watch, just watch an pay attention to, the scene when Henry is introducing his pals at the club and bar and the camera tracks through as you hear him call out names: "Frankie The Wop, Freddie No Nose, Pete The Killer who was Sally Balls' brother...". If you pat attention you can hear Ray Liotta's voice spliced, all mished-mashedly, together from different takes. Especially when he says, "aaanndd...ya haaaadd...NICKEY EYES..." almost exictedly.
Anyway...the movie would be called "sloppy" or "amateur" if it were any other movie. No...its Goodfellas. It's the best film of the past 50 years and I think part of its charm, of what makes it have such replay, is that it is so sloppy. That it has such personality.
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