Monthly Archives: March 2012

“See the hardest thing for me was leaving the life. I still loved the life. And we were treated like movie stars with muscle. We had it all, just for the asking.” What is “whiteness”? What qualifies as whiteness? Is … Continue reading →

Goodfellas. I watched it for the first time this week (surprisingly,) and it was brutal. All the blood, cursing, and general meanness was a drastic change from the mostly dramatic, non-violent films we have watched during this semester. Using several … Continue reading →

According to Richard Dyer, movies tend to use whiteness to represent order, rigidity, and rationality compared to blackness. Using Dyer’s idea of whiteness, Henry can not be considered white because there is no sense of order or rationality in his … Continue reading →

If we regard white color as the goodness and black color as the evilness like many discourses present it, as Richard Dyer points out in his article White, I don’t think Henry (Ray Liotta) possesses the properties of whiteness because … Continue reading →

In White, Richard Dyer says, “Brief Encounter is not about white people, it is about English-middle class people; The Godfather is not about white people, it is about Italian American people; but The Color Purple is about black people, before … Continue reading →

Hola, mis amigos! I would like to start off by saying that the film Goodfellas (1990) really did not appeal to me at all. I say this because usually movies with a lot of gruesome violence and heinous deeds, like … Continue reading →

Okay, I’ll admit it, I have a soft spot for the Goodfellas (1990). But who couldn’t? It’s the story of a devoted man who worked his way up the corporate ladder and became something close to a boss. Maybe I’m … Continue reading →

Happy Pi Day Everybody! This week we entered the world of the Mafia and the world of Scorsese. I was first introduced to Scorsese’s world last semester with Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. I was expecting to see … Continue reading →

Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) is not white. At least, he isn’t by the standards Richard Dyer sketches out in his essay on the topic of whiteness. Because, according to Dyer, whiteness is defined as the “norm,” the standard, and the … Continue reading →

Certainly, when I think of Goodfellas (1990), I don’t think of white people. Sure, Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) is visibly white, yet at first thought, his identity does not strike me as “white.” According to Richard Dyer, whiteness is defined … Continue reading →