Henry Hill and the Mafia The American mafia began to thrive in the 1920’s after the prohibition of alcohol. It began with bootlegging; however, after the repeal of prohibition the American mafia participated in other illegal affairs such as prostitution, gambling rings, and narcotics. Mafia members- also known as mobsters- lived a life of luxury and fame in the city they controlled. The 1990 film Goodfellas directed by Martin Scorsese portrays the life of the mobster Henry Hill in the mafia accurately by describing his early involvement with the mafia, giving detail on the man he worked under (Paul Vario), describing the turning point of Hill’s life in the mafia-the Lufthansa Heist, and lastly by providing insight as to why Hill turned on…show more content… Hill was born in June of 1943 in New York, New York and was “one of eight children in a poor family” (“Henry Hill 1” 1); therefore, Hill experienced little luxury in his early life. Hill’s dad worked extremely hard therefore he was always angry “that he made such lousy money” (Goodfellas 12); as a result, Hill found a job that inspired him: joining the mafia. Members of the mafia lived the lifestyle that fills one with envy. Hill was determined to life the kind of life that the “guys with the Cadillacs and diamond rings and a girl on each arm” (Scott 1) lived. As a result of Hill’s yearning for that lifestyle, he began to work for the Luchese crime family under Paul Vario. Hill began as an errand boy, but was soon involved in larger crimes. The Luchese family ran a cab ring and Hill’s first major crime was putting a competing business out of function by “dousing] the taxis in petrol and setting] them on fire” (“Henry Hill 1" 2), which was shown in Goodfellas as Hill smashing the windows on the cabs. Although Goodfellas displays Hill’s first crime a little different than what the reality was, that scene still accurately displayed Hill’s first major crime because it displayed how he put the rival ring out of business. After Hill’s first major crime, he began to take part in a copious amount of illegal activities such as “ coerc[ing] business owners into giving protection money, committ[ing] armed…show more content… Vario was a powerful, “convicted gangster who was said to have been a leader in the Lucchese crime family” (Uhligh 1) for more than thirty years. He was involved in illegal activities such as burglary, tax evasion, rape, and murder. People in the city respected him and let him and his crime family engage in whatever activities without interference. In Goodfellas, Vario is displayed as a calloused, dangerous individual, and based on Varios illegal endeavors, Martin Scorsese accurately portrays real-life Vario. Paul Vario had many people who worked beneath him, and the “members of [his] organization maintained close ties with corrupt police officers” (Uhlig 1) in order to ensure the protection of the large amount of people who worked for him. In fact, having police officers who were willing to protect the mafia’s wrongdoings caused Vario to not “have to move for anybody” (Goodfellas 9), and be in control of his city. Therefore, people who work for Vario such as Hill could do almost anything they felt necessary. In Goodfellas, Hill is shown getting into any place he wants without question, which is identical to Hill’s
that is most important. He or she will guide the film in the direction of his or her vision, including what he or she believes the theme(s) should be and how the theme(s)…
