Goodfellas Opening Sequence Analysis

From the opening sequence I was able to make the following assumptions of the film: (Click here to watch the opening sequence)

Genre: It appeared to be a Gangster film which I guessed from:

• The characters' stereotypical representation of gangsters; well dressed Italian Americans.
• Sound; the voice over indicated the character's ambition to be a gangster.
• A nice car- gangster films usually have signs of wealth and power (shown in the picture below).
• The characters have guns and accents.
• There is graphic violence.

Main Character/s: The character Henry Hill, which I found out from:

• The voice over which indicated to us the main character and the basis of the narrative.
• The camera focused on the main character in the first shot (as shown in the picture below)
  
• The character's role was indicated through his actions- he appeared to be in control.

Setting: It is set in New York 1970, which was shown by:

• The screen text
• The era is suggested by the car, their suits, and the music played.

To keep us watching: We are left with several reasons to keep watching, such as:

• Why was the person in the car?
• We want to find out his life story and why he wanted to be a gangster.
• The fact that it is based on a true story is intriguing.
• How did the character get to where he is?
• We want to find out what happens to the main characer.
• Intrigue is also created through the unusually happy music after the grim scene.