1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,400 Speaker 1: Hello, Next Picture Show listeners. If you're a longtime fan 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:06,080 Speaker 1: of this podcast or any of the other podcasts I've 3 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:08,160 Speaker 1: been on with the same group of people, by now, 4 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:11,879 Speaker 1: you're probably pretty familiar with my antipathy towards films based 5 00:00:11,920 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: on true stories. I don't trust them to get the 6 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:16,959 Speaker 1: story right, and I do trust them to bend the 7 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:21,400 Speaker 1: truth in support of whatever message they're trying to get across. Now, 8 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:22,960 Speaker 1: that can be a good thing or a bad thing, 9 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:25,479 Speaker 1: depending on the message in the story, but these films 10 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: are very rarely transparent about exactly how much they're reshaping reality. However, 11 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:34,519 Speaker 1: because I have such strong feelings about movies based on 12 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:37,879 Speaker 1: real stories, I also have really strong feelings about the 13 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,240 Speaker 1: stories behind movies. I love what's really in this movie 14 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:43,840 Speaker 1: type columns, and I love it when critics dig into 15 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:47,160 Speaker 1: the real story behind a film, what really happened, why 16 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 1: the film reshaped the reality the way it did, and 17 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 1: basically what the creative choices were that gave us what 18 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 1: we actually see on screen. That is why I'm authentically 19 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:57,959 Speaker 1: excited to be able to tell you about Truth versus Hollywood, 20 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 1: a new film and TV podcast from Audio Boom, hosted 21 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 1: by Film Lovers David Chen and Joanna Robinson of The 22 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: Decoding Westworld and Clash of King's podcasts. David's a longtime 23 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:10,199 Speaker 1: fan of our work. I've spent a lot of time 24 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:12,680 Speaker 1: talking film with him on the Slash Film podcasts, and 25 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 1: the projects he and Joanna have worked on together have 26 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:19,720 Speaker 1: always been informative, thorough, thoughtful, and really entertaining. So I'm 27 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:22,959 Speaker 1: really looking forward to Truth Versus Hollywood. They're planning on 28 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 1: digging into well known films and talking about how similar 29 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:28,320 Speaker 1: they are to the stories that inspired them. They're going 30 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: to interview experts, talk to witnesses, dig up old audio 31 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:35,320 Speaker 1: recordings of interviews with people at the time, look into 32 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:37,559 Speaker 1: the source materials. They're going to get to the bottom 33 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:40,480 Speaker 1: of all the things that inspired movies like Munich, American Gangster, 34 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: and The Social Network. 35 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:42,760 Speaker 2: Now. 36 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 1: The podcast premiere is on Friday, June twelfth on audio Boom. 37 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:48,280 Speaker 1: There are going to be new episodes every Friday. It 38 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: should be available on your favorite podcast app right now, 39 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: but just to make sure they have a chance to 40 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: check things out, just for Next Picture Show listeners, We're 41 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 1: going to share an exclusive first listen of Truth Versus 42 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:01,280 Speaker 1: Hollywood with you in this ten minute clip. You're going 43 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 1: to hear David and Joanna breakdown scenes from Goodfellas, one 44 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: of our all time favorite films and a big favorite 45 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:09,080 Speaker 1: in the film world in general. They talk about the cast, 46 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: they talk about the real life figures that the movie's 47 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:14,359 Speaker 1: based on, and there are interview clips with Daniel Simone, 48 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:16,639 Speaker 1: the author of The Left HANSA. Heiss, which is a 49 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,679 Speaker 1: book about the real life robbery featured in Goodfellas. We're 50 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:22,080 Speaker 1: really looking forward to seeing what Joanna and David do 51 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 1: with Truth Versus Hollywood. We're really looking forward to hearing 52 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 1: what you think of it, so give you this first sample. 53 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:29,360 Speaker 1: A listen, and while you're listening, be sure to search 54 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:34,480 Speaker 1: for and subscribe to Truth Versus Hollywood in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, 55 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:40,800 Speaker 1: or your podcaster of choice. 56 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 2: Welcome to Truth Versus Hollywood. I'm David Ched and I'm 57 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 2: Joanna Robinson. Truth Versus Hollywood is a look at films 58 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 2: that are based on a true story. But we don't 59 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:53,960 Speaker 2: just talk about the film. We also talk about that 60 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 2: true story. On this podcast. We'll touch on what really happened, 61 00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:00,400 Speaker 2: how that differs from the film, and why not just 62 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,680 Speaker 2: talking heads. We'll hear about the true story through interviews 63 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 2: from experts, witnesses, and people who were involved in it. 64 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:10,600 Speaker 2: It's both the real facts and the real facts are 65 00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 2: ee l facts. What do you think of that, Joanna? 66 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 3: I loved it. Today we're talking about Martin Scorsese's classic 67 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 3: film Goodfellas. Goodfellas is based on the book Wise Guy 68 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:24,480 Speaker 3: by Nicholas Pelegi, which in turn is based on a 69 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:28,919 Speaker 3: life of mobster Henry Hill. Hill was actually alive when 70 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 3: the film came out and was very pleased with this 71 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 3: great film based on him, and as we'll talk about later, 72 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 3: it definitely had an effect on his life. Pledgie worked 73 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 3: with Scorsese to write the screenplay and the film was 74 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 3: a complete It nominated for six Academy Awards and one 75 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 3: one Joe Peshi for Supporting Actor. It's considered one of 76 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 3: the best gangster movies of all times. If I put 77 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 3: it on their list of one hundred years one hundred movies, 78 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 3: and the Library of Congress decided that it was culturally 79 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 3: important and added it to its preservation archives. 80 00:03:57,760 --> 00:03:59,600 Speaker 2: All right, well, let's get to the movie itself. It 81 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:02,800 Speaker 2: stars Ray Liotta as Henry Hill, Robert de Niro as 82 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 2: Jimmy the gent Conway, who is based on Jimmy the 83 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 2: gent Burke, Joe Pesci as Tommy DeVito based on Tommy 84 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 2: de Simone, Paul Sorvino as Paul Cicero based on Paul Vario, 85 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:17,480 Speaker 2: and Lorraine Broco as Henry's wife Karen Hill. Many real 86 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 2: life figures that this movie was based off of, and 87 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,480 Speaker 2: apparently Henry Hill ended up getting paid five hundred and 88 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:26,360 Speaker 2: eighty thousand dollars because of the use of his story 89 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 2: in this movie, which is a lot of money to 90 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:31,479 Speaker 2: pay to a mobster who has done very horrible things, 91 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:34,560 Speaker 2: you know. In watching this movie again, Jiman Robinson, one 92 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 2: of the things that I kind of realized, you know, 93 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 2: or reflected on is the fact that we've in the 94 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 2: last few decades seen so many movies about bad men 95 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:49,839 Speaker 2: doing bad things, and that this movie is kind of 96 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:52,680 Speaker 2: one of the prototypical examples of how they can be 97 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:56,039 Speaker 2: glorified and elevated, and this kind of movie makes that 98 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 2: lifestyle look really glamorous while at the same time depicting 99 00:04:59,839 --> 00:05:02,760 Speaker 2: some negative consequences that lifestyle. But at the same time 100 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:04,520 Speaker 2: it does rub me the wrong way that like the 101 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:07,480 Speaker 2: people who were involved often are rewarded. We also saw 102 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:10,120 Speaker 2: this with Martin Scorsese's Wolf of Wall Street as well, 103 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:14,400 Speaker 2: a similar dynamic there. So I'm kind of curious, like, 104 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:17,839 Speaker 2: as you're reflecting on your overall experience of watching the 105 00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 2: movie and now that we know a little bit more 106 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:22,760 Speaker 2: about what happened with the real life characters, and we're 107 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 2: going to talk about it during the course of his podcast, Like, 108 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:27,840 Speaker 2: how did it strike you that this is based off 109 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:28,679 Speaker 2: of a real person. 110 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 3: I think Scorsese couldn't have picked a better realistic subject 111 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:35,800 Speaker 3: to glom onto here than Henry Hill, because though he 112 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:38,239 Speaker 3: is a gangster and he's fully involved in this gangster life, 113 00:05:38,279 --> 00:05:42,840 Speaker 3: he is the likability of this character, which is really 114 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:46,599 Speaker 3: what Scorsese was going for. I've seen interviews where he 115 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 3: talked about the nineteen thirty two Scarface, which was the 116 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:53,359 Speaker 3: first time he ever saw gangsters depicted as really likable. 117 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 3: And you have Henry Hill and he does terrible things, 118 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 3: but he's a gangster who is a little squeamish. We 119 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:03,279 Speaker 3: see this throughout the film, and it's corroborated by you know, 120 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 3: true story of his life. He was violent, he did crimes, 121 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:10,560 Speaker 3: but he wasn't a mass murderer, and you know, the 122 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:13,600 Speaker 3: charisma of him I think is really important. 123 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:15,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, he wasn't one of the most vicious people in 124 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:18,240 Speaker 2: this story. Yeah, and so I think you're making a 125 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:20,279 Speaker 2: good point that, like, if you're going to choose an 126 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:23,600 Speaker 2: entryway into this world, Henry Hill is probably the ideal 127 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:27,560 Speaker 2: candidate in this case. So well, the film opens with 128 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:30,720 Speaker 2: three men driving in a car having a seemingly normal evening. 129 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:33,800 Speaker 2: It's then revealed that there is a captive in the trunk, 130 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:37,240 Speaker 2: and then they shortly after execute him. We immediately get 131 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:40,400 Speaker 2: Henry's voice over with the iconic line as far back 132 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:43,040 Speaker 2: as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster. 133 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 2: It's one of the most memorable openings in all of 134 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 2: Sinham history. Joanna Robinson, after nearly three decades. How effective 135 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:51,160 Speaker 2: did you find this opening? 136 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 3: Well, it's funny, you know, I did not see I 137 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 3: was eight years old when Goodfellows came out, or maybe nine, 138 00:06:58,040 --> 00:06:59,440 Speaker 3: so I did not see it in theaters and I 139 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:02,400 Speaker 3: didn't see it to leader in life, and but by 140 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:04,200 Speaker 3: then it already seeped into the culture because it was 141 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:07,919 Speaker 3: so iconic. You know, there's like the animaniacs, Good Feathers 142 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:10,400 Speaker 3: pigeon parody and like all sorts of stuff. So I 143 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:13,160 Speaker 3: was aware of the beats of it, even though I. 144 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:15,680 Speaker 2: Had the first exposure to Goodfellas was animaniacs, is what 145 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 2: you're saying. 146 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 3: A thousand percent absolutely, But you know, so by the 147 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:22,240 Speaker 3: time I had seen it, I had also seen so 148 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:24,680 Speaker 3: many things that had imitated it. And this is true 149 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:27,240 Speaker 3: of like so many of our great films, Like by 150 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:28,960 Speaker 3: the time you get around to watching it, maybe you've 151 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:31,040 Speaker 3: seen a bunch of people knock it off, and so 152 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:35,320 Speaker 3: you're like, well, how groundbreaking is this really? And this 153 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:39,680 Speaker 3: movie is incredibly groundbreaking. And what's funny is this this 154 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 3: opening is so famous to the point of almost parody, 155 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 3: Like you get this moment where he goes as far 156 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:46,840 Speaker 3: back as I can remember, I always wanted to be 157 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:50,720 Speaker 3: a gangster, and it reminds me of that like record scratch, 158 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:54,440 Speaker 3: Yeah it's me. I bet you're wondering how I got here, 159 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:58,080 Speaker 3: you know, sort of thing that we talk about, you know, 160 00:07:58,120 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 3: and we've seen it, you know, in a more serious 161 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:02,200 Speaker 3: fat we've seen this sort of thing replicated. I'm thinking 162 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:06,320 Speaker 3: of like the premiere of Breaking Bad. You meet this 163 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:07,840 Speaker 3: person in the middle of a crime and then you 164 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:11,360 Speaker 3: find out how they got there, you know, so knowing 165 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 3: that it's not as fresh and innovative as it might 166 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:15,320 Speaker 3: have been if I had seen it in the theaters 167 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:17,840 Speaker 3: in nineteen ninety, but it's still you can sense the 168 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:21,320 Speaker 3: iconic status of it. What do you think of it? 169 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:24,080 Speaker 2: It's kind of hard to put yourself into the position 170 00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:26,600 Speaker 2: of the first time you saw the movie, because I, like, 171 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:30,640 Speaker 2: I saw this movie, you know, decades ago, and I 172 00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:33,960 Speaker 2: do think back then it wasn't clear to me, like 173 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:36,199 Speaker 2: what was actually going on in the car right from 174 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:38,800 Speaker 2: the opening shot, you know what I mean. Like it 175 00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:42,640 Speaker 2: starts like so seemingly normal, these dudes just hanging out, 176 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:46,080 Speaker 2: and then all of a sudden you realize, like something 177 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:50,480 Speaker 2: horrifying is happening, And I like that contrast, like now, 178 00:08:50,679 --> 00:08:53,640 Speaker 2: like because the scene is so iconic and everyone knows 179 00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:55,839 Speaker 2: what happens, it's tough to remember that, like there was 180 00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:59,400 Speaker 2: a time in history when, like many people didn't know 181 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:01,920 Speaker 2: that was about to happen. But I can kind of 182 00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:04,480 Speaker 2: imagine if I could rewind my life, you know, several 183 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:07,360 Speaker 2: decades and rewatch this again, like that would be super 184 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:10,200 Speaker 2: effective and quite a shock. When they open up the 185 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:14,959 Speaker 2: trunk on Billy Bats. So anyway, love the opening, it 186 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:18,120 Speaker 2: still is great. And yeah, the freeze frame, You're right, 187 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:21,480 Speaker 2: many things have parodied it, many things have been derived 188 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:26,280 Speaker 2: from it, but it is still a legendary moment in 189 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:28,920 Speaker 2: this movie and in all of the cinema, and I 190 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:32,120 Speaker 2: quite loved it. So after this scene, we cut to 191 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:35,120 Speaker 2: Henry Hill's life as a child. It's a very modest upbringing. 192 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:38,360 Speaker 2: And one of the things I like about this movie is, 193 00:09:38,559 --> 00:09:41,920 Speaker 2: you know, we often see mob movies and the mob 194 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:46,480 Speaker 2: characters are already fully formed, right, but Goodfellas invites you 195 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:49,240 Speaker 2: into the world of a child who is viewing the 196 00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 2: mob from the outside and why they might find the 197 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:54,640 Speaker 2: mafia to be so intoxicating. What did you think of 198 00:09:54,679 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 2: these early scenes with Henry Hill in childhood? 199 00:09:57,080 --> 00:09:59,040 Speaker 3: I love this opening. You know, we cut to the 200 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:02,400 Speaker 3: eyeball right directly on his eyeball, and then we see 201 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:06,520 Speaker 3: what he's seeing out the window. And I didn't take 202 00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:09,360 Speaker 3: many film studies classes, but I did take one where 203 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:12,240 Speaker 3: we learned about Martin Scorsese's upbringing, and I know that 204 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:16,439 Speaker 3: he had really serious asthma, and that meant that he 205 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:18,360 Speaker 3: was like he couldn't go out and play. It's why 206 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:20,040 Speaker 3: he went to go see movies a lot. He couldn't 207 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:21,800 Speaker 3: like go play in the streets a friends. And he 208 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:23,840 Speaker 3: was also stuck at home a lot. And he's he's 209 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:26,520 Speaker 3: written and talked a lot about how he was sort 210 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:28,000 Speaker 3: of like a shut in as a kid, and he 211 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:31,960 Speaker 3: used to watch the cinema of the streets like from 212 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:34,959 Speaker 3: his window. And so he's put himself like his own 213 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:38,439 Speaker 3: childhood basically in this Henry Hill opening. And I think 214 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:41,880 Speaker 3: that's that's fascinating and telling that he like he wants 215 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:45,800 Speaker 3: us there with Henry, but then he like because he's 216 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:48,000 Speaker 3: also put himself there, you know what I mean. And 217 00:10:48,040 --> 00:10:50,959 Speaker 3: I just think that's yea, a really interesting choice. 218 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:53,719 Speaker 2: We should also say that the actor who plays young 219 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:58,400 Speaker 2: Henry Hill, Christopher Sarone, bears an uncanny resemblance to Ray Liotta. 220 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:01,400 Speaker 2: That thought that did a great job casting young Henry Hill. 221 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:04,400 Speaker 3: So you know, like sometimes you don't understand what's unique 222 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 3: about someone's face until you've seen them try to cast 223 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:10,320 Speaker 3: a younger version of them, and you're like, oh, there's 224 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:13,000 Speaker 3: something with the eyes. It's really amazing the kid they 225 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:14,080 Speaker 3: found there. Yeah, it's great. 226 00:11:14,520 --> 00:11:18,240 Speaker 2: Indeed, Well, Daniel Simone, who wrote the book Luftanza Heist, 227 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:21,360 Speaker 2: which is about Henry Hill's most lucrative robbery, gives us 228 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:24,320 Speaker 2: some more insight into Henry's background and upbringing. 229 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:33,440 Speaker 4: His father was an electrician who worked for wages. The 230 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:39,680 Speaker 4: family was rather large, Their apartment was cramped. It was 231 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:42,880 Speaker 4: not this type of situation where every sibling had his 232 00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:46,000 Speaker 4: or her own room. For example, they shared beds, they 233 00:11:46,040 --> 00:11:50,360 Speaker 4: shared everything. He happened to have been reared in a 234 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:54,520 Speaker 4: neighborhood infested with mafia gangsters. In fact, right across the 235 00:11:54,559 --> 00:11:58,479 Speaker 4: street from his home was a taxi cab stand owned 236 00:11:58,520 --> 00:12:01,840 Speaker 4: and operated by Pool Vario and his brothers. 237 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:05,680 Speaker 2: So Henry literally walks into the taxi san and he 238 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:08,400 Speaker 2: starts working for Vario or in the film, Cicero, who's 239 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 2: played by Paul Servino. Early on we meet Robert de 240 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:13,920 Speaker 2: Niro's character Jimmy Conway. He's made out to be an 241 00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:16,679 Speaker 2: extremely appealing and charismatic figure in the film. I mean 242 00:12:16,760 --> 00:12:19,080 Speaker 2: it is a young Robert de Niro. After all, he 243 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:24,079 Speaker 2: looks awesome. He looks like magnetic, luminous, and young Henry 244 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:25,640 Speaker 2: really takes a shine to him and asparas to be 245 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:29,120 Speaker 2: that exact type of gangster living the high life, having connections, 246 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:32,440 Speaker 2: and Daniel Simone says, the real life Jimmy was the 247 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 2: same way. 248 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:42,720 Speaker 4: He was prosperous. He was respected by the family bosses, 249 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:47,800 Speaker 4: particularly Pool Vario. In fact, many of the mafia families 250 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:52,720 Speaker 4: at times would compete for his association because he was 251 00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:58,880 Speaker 4: such a reliable earner of you know, true schemes and manipulations. 252 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:03,520 Speaker 4: And Henry loved all those characteristics about Jimmy Burke. He 253 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:06,240 Speaker 4: loved the fact that Jimmy Burke will be respected. Wherever 254 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:09,160 Speaker 4: he went into a restaurant, into a nightclub, ch has 255 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:12,080 Speaker 4: would pull out of immediately. Jimmy Burke had done need 256 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:17,920 Speaker 4: reservations to book the best table in a restaurant. And 257 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:22,800 Speaker 4: these were all the fascinating, intoxicating traits that Jimmy Burke 258 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:26,320 Speaker 4: wielded and more all attractive to Henry Hill. 259 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:29,120 Speaker 3: Something I really love about what the song does is 260 00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:33,000 Speaker 3: it it takes the American dream, the you know, the 261 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:36,040 Speaker 3: idea we have of wealth and success. It puts it 262 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:41,240 Speaker 3: in this world of the mafia. And I just like 263 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 3: what that says about the American dream to begin with. 264 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:49,120 Speaker 3: It really exposes sort of some of the violence and 265 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:52,280 Speaker 3: the brutality that we sometimes like to gloss over when 266 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:54,680 Speaker 3: we think of the sort of the most picturesque version 267 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:56,000 Speaker 3: of the American dream.