CMS 330 - movie analysis

1. GOODFELLAS
ANALYSIS OF THE FILM’S PORTRAYAL
OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
WILL EMERSON
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MAINE
PROFESSOR EBBEN
CMS 330
8 DECEMBER 2014

2. ACT ONE: SCENE ONE:
INTRODUCTION
Relevant characters used in this analysis of specific relationships
and communication dynamics :
James Conway Henry Hill (main) Tommy DeVito

3. ACT ONE: SCENE TWO:
INTRODUCTION
Major plot/premise of the
movie:
- True-life account of organized crime
filmed by director Martin Scorsese
- Film begins in an impoverished
neighborhood in east New York,
Brooklyn
- Portrays the rise and fall of Henry Hill,
a mobster turned FBI informant
- He is a father of two and eventually
becomes divorced
- Hill ends up experiencing prison and
living life in the witness protection
program

4. ACT ONE: SCENE THREE:
INTRODUCTION
Primary concepts that
will be discussed:
1. Self-Perception
2. The Effects of Self-Perception
on Communication
3. Improving Sociolinguistic Understanding
4. How Relationships Change:Beginning
Relationships
5.Characteristics of Conversation
6. Supportive Message Skills
7. Interpersonal Influence
8. Persuading Automatic Processors
9. Creating a Collaborative Conflict Conversation
10. Forgiveness: Repairing Relationships Damaged
by Conflict

5. ACT 2: SCENE 1:
ANALYSIS OF
CONCEPTS
Self-perception is “the overall view
people have of themselves. It
includes your self-concept and
self-esteem” (p.50). Self-perception
is usually a function of a person’s
culture. Henry did not want to be
treated as an average Brooklyn
worker during the 1960’s and
1970’s; his self-perception and way
he thought about himself shaped
the way he interacted. He chased
an American Dream that was far
different than the dream his lower-class
parents worked for.
Henry at age 30.

6. ACT 2: SCENE 1:
ANALYSIS OF
CONCEPTS
Henry returned home one day
wearing the suit in this picture and
stunned his mother at the door – and
she had some idea about where he
got this suit and how he paid for it
since she noticed where and who he
started hanging out with. After
Henry’s first pay day doing errands
for the local mob, he purchased this
suit because he saw himself as a
legitimate player in east New York’s
mob culture and this scene shows
Henry interact with his parents,
seeking their respect, showing that
he also wants to be a respected
family man. He wanted them to
perceive/view him in this way.
Henry as a teenager.
Self-Perception

7. The Effects of Self-Perception
on Communication
ACT 2: SCENE 2:
ANALYSIS OF CONCEPTS
Henry began forming his self-perception early in life which is common (as we saw in his
suit as a teenager). The effects of self-perception on communication are fascinating to
analyze here. Henry demanded respect but he also respected everyone else. He saw
himself as a mobster that tried to be fair. One scene shows his childhood friend Tommy
DeVito (also in the mob) shoot an innocent drink server in the foot. Henry would never do
something like this, and his self-perception shaped the way he communicated. “Research
demonstrates that we communicate our self-concept and self-esteem when we interact
with others” (page 60). Henry had a rich self-perception and was more likely to share his
ideas regarding different scams and ways of earning because he felt competent in these
areas as a business-mobster. He was the lead communicator and strategic planner of the
infamous Lufthansa heist at J.F.K. airport, successfully stealing $6 million. He engaged in
all types of behavior that would lead to successful endeavors (legal or illegal) because it
was his self-perception to do so. This influence helped him rise to the top as a gangster.

8. ACT 2: SCENE 3:
ANALYSIS OF CONCEPTS
Guidelines for Improving Sociolinguistic
Understanding:
1. Develop intercultural competence –
Henry was born and raised in New
York and was joining a group of
people with heavy Italian influence.
The more Henry learned about Italian
culture, the more he was able to
understand the sociolinguistic
meaning of the other mobsters’
messages.
The Italian mafia has been a prominent
theme in the media for decades, and the
scene where Henry is eating dinner with
the boss requires him to have a knowledge
of Italian culture. Henry is able to learn a
lot about Italian cuisine and interaction
manners because he grew up in the
mobsters pizza place. In this dinner scene,
Henry makes several references about
Italian culture that make the boss grow
fond of him. Developing this intercultural
competence helped Henry gain
acceptance.
Improving
Sociolinguistic
Understanding

9. Improving Sociolinguistic
Understanding
ACT 2: SCENE 3:
ANALYSIS OF CONCEPTS
Guidelines for Improving Sociolinguistic Understanding:
2. Practice mindfullness – which is “the process of drawing novel
distinctions. If we are mindful when interacting with others, we are
focused on the present moment and noticing how we are similar to and
different from our conversational partners…We pay close attention to
what is happening in the conversation at that moment and work hard to
understand both our partners and ourselves” (page 123).

10. Improving Sociolinguistic
Understanding
ACT 2: SCENE 3:
ANALYSIS OF CONCEPTS
Guidelines for Improving
Sociolinguistic Understanding:
3. Recognize, respect, and adapt to
the sociolinguistic practices of others.
Multiple times in this film the audience
gets to witness Henry’s sensitivity to
the indirect meaning of verbal
messages. The other mobsters often
use the Italian dialect in conversation.
Tommy DeVito grew up with Henry Hill
and is always using major Italian
references when he talks business
with Henry. The influences the
communication with everyone in a
crime family, especially the New York
family.

11. ACT 2: SCENE 4:
ANALYSIS OF
CONCEPTS
How relationships change:
Beginning relationships
Henry has many relationships in the film, some of them help flourish his career
and others fizzle out. The predicted outcome value theory helps explain why
some of these relationships are sustained and some are not. This theory is the
“premise that in our early conversations with potential relationship partners,
we gather information to predict whether the benefits of future interactions will
outweigh the costs. Mafia culture welcomes the idea that mobsters have a
“gumar”, or female companion, even if they are married. Henry had several
other sexual relationships during his marriage with Karen Hill, and it was
interesting to see how these formed. The two main “gumares” in the film both
served beneficial purposes in Henry’s business eyes, especially his affair with
Janice Rossi, who Henry buys a condo for and uses to hideout and traffic
drugs. Once Henry realizes that a woman has similar views and morals, he will
transition and advance the relationship so he can put the advantages to use.

12. ACT 2: SCENE 5:
ANALYSIS OF CONCEPTS
Characteristics of Conversation
1. Conversations are interactive, involve turn-taking, and
alternating between speaking and listening.
2. Conversations are extemporaneous with messages uttered
in the spur of the moment without lengthy preparing.
3. Conversations are locally managed, which is the way that
conversational partners produce and monitor every aspect
of the conversational give-and-take. This includes topic
changes.
4. Conversations are sequentially organized. They have
identifiable beginnings, middles, and ends, similar to other
forms of communication. This sequence unfolds naturally
from locally managed talk.

13. ACT 2: SCENE 5:
ANALYSIS OF CONCEPTS
Characteristics of conversation are important to relate to this film
because the art of conversation carries huge importance to the way
these crime families interact. It is about respect each other’s family.
When Henry and his boss meet with the New Jersey crime family, they
always speak by taking proper turns and manage the conversation so it
runs smoothly.

14. ACT 2: SCENE 6:
ANALYSIS OF CONCEPTS
Supportive Message Skills
Clarifying supportive intentions are
important to establish when
providing constructive emotional
support. The mobsters surprisingly
experience emotional turmoil quite
often, considering the killing nature
of their industry. Mob “hits” are
always resulting in the deaths of
crime family members. Clarifying
supportive intentions means
“openly stating one’s goal in
supportive interaction is to help the
person in need of support” (page
268). Letting people know that your
motive is to help can be very
reassuring in times like these. When
Henry’s friend Tommy DeVito gets
“whacked”, we see James “Jimmy”
Conway offer support to Henry by
making it clear that he is there to
help while giving Henry space to
deal with at as he feels is necessary.

15. ACT 2: SCENE 7:
ANALYSIS OF CONCEPTS
Interpersonal Influence
The act of changing the attitudes or
behaviors of others is known as
interpersonal influence. This
concept relates to this crime family
because of how effective the boss’
interpersonal influence be. Henry’s
boss knows that interpersonal
influence is at the foundation of him
and Henry’s relationship, which is
portrayed when he communicates
with Henry about the family decision
to stop muling drugs down to
Pittsburgh. Whenever we
communicate we intentionally or
unintentionally influence each other.
When the boss tells Henry
something, he is influencing Henry
to act a certain way or make a
certain decision. Sharing advice and
giving permission is a result of
these types of influence.

16. ACT 2: SCENE 8:
ANALYSIS OF CONCEPTS
Persuading Automatic Processors
Chapter 11 tells us that most of us have been
“programmed” to be helpful. “Research has
shown that people are more likely to comply
with your request if you use the phrase ‘I
need a favor” (page 331). Henry’s boss is
always stating that he “needs a favor” and
his soldiers are always influenced to say yes,
because you are supposed to do anything
that your boss asks of you at the solider
level. Henry’s boss (Conway) asks a soldier
to dig a hole and dump a body in it (a job no
one likes doing) and the soldier automatically
says yes because he knows it is his job to be
helpful. It is still interesting to see the boss to
still use the phrase that he “needs a favor”.

17. ACT 2: SCENE 9:
ANALYSIS OF CONCEPTS
Creating a Collaborative Conflict Conversation
This is an excellent way to resolve interpersonal conflict, making
it easier to mediate any conflict. Guidelines include:
1. Mentally rehearse what you will safe before confronting the
other person. Whenever Henry and his boss meet with the
other families, they hold a meeting to discuss their place to
resolve the conflict.
2. Recognize and state ownership of the conflict. It is important
to acknowledge the factual information surrounding any
conflict by communicating with the other parties.
3. Describe the conflict in terms of behavior, consequences, and
feelings. Any conflicts between the families are resolved by
communicating who was hurt and how it will be fixed.

18. ACT 2: SCENE 9:
ANALYSIS OF CONCEPTS
Creating a Collaborative Conflict
Conversation (continued)
4. Do not blame or ascribe motives.
The goal is to resolve the issue
without escalating it.
5. Keep it short. Effect turn-taking will
help make this possible. Whenever
Henry and his boss meet with the
other families, they keep it short so
they can get on with their busy days. It
helps them get to the point.
6. Be sure the other person
understands your position.
7. Phrase your preferred solution to
focus on common ground. The ideal
resolution to any conflict will require
compromise.

19. ACT 2: SCENE 10:
ANALYSIS OF CONCEPTS
Forgiveness: Repairing Relationships
Damaged by Conflict
In order for the mafia to operate like
they always have, the families must
always forgive each other and repair
relationships so that things will run
smooth. “Forgiveness is a
communication process that allows you
and your partner to overcome the
damage done to your relationship
because of transgression” (page 379).
Seven steps:
1. Confession
2. Venting
3. Understanding
4. Apologize
5. Forgive
6. Set Conditions
7. Monitor

20. ACT 3: SCENE 1:
EVALUATION
This film (mostly Henry) related to some of my
communicative styles in a variety of ways. I
perceive myself to be knowledgeable about
baseball and the car business because it is
where I have the most experience. Henry is
quick to offer up advice when it comes to
illegal business opportunities similar to the
way I do when discussing baseball or the
automobile industry. It provides a type of
confidence that motives me.

21. ACT 3: SCENE 2:
EVALUATION
I think I would struggle in the relationships depicted in this film; the
mob life just doesn’t suit me. I think I would enjoy the lavish lifestyle,
but the illegal means of gaining that lifestyle would hugely conflict
with my idea of earning a living. I think this film offers some strong,
realistic portrayals of interpersonal communication. The mafia
operates as a family so it is true that their communication is
respectful and authentic, for the most part, like a family’s.