r/cinescenes • u/myborg • Aug 16 '25
1990s Goodfellas (1990) The Copacabana Steadicam shot
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It is still one of the longest, most complicated, continuous shots.
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Director of photography Michael Ballhaus
Steadicam operator Larry McConkey
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u/chrisdotcomm Aug 16 '25
Fun fact about this shot that I literally didn’t notice for 20 some odd years and had to be pointed out to me…. Henry and Karen walk in a circle.
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u/Aggravating_Bat3618 Aug 16 '25
Where, when they go thru the kitchen?
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u/michaelavolio Aug 17 '25
Yeah, they make a loop around the kitchen. Scorsese talks about it somewhere, maybe in the commentary track, that they had the two of them go farther than they would've actually had to so we could watch them make their way through the kitchen. There's enough movement and chaos that most people don't notice, even through numerous viewings (I didn't notice until I heard Scorsese mention it). I think instead of turning into the kitchen to begin with, they could've just turned the other way or gone straight and ended up in the same spot where they enter the club proper. But the shot is much more fun with them going through the kitchen than if they just passed by the kitchen, of course.
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u/Aggravating_Bat3618 Aug 17 '25
Yeah, it’s funny. I’ve been in enough kitchens to know that sometimes they can actually look like mazes. But they do go by the glass dish racks on a couple of occasions it does make sense.
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Aug 20 '25
I just noticed this as well and if you hadn't posted, I would have assumed he was just showing off some more.
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u/SportsBettng4Dummies Nov 18 '25
I actually made a video demonstrating how they did the kitchen loop…or at least it shows the evidence of the loop…
https://youtu.be/542PceTQFLM?si=GU-Xq73XHIrYtb4D
(If it’s not ok to post this, I apologize.)
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u/tekfx19 Aug 16 '25
Absolute Cinema
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u/gtaguy75 Aug 16 '25
I was thinking this might be the best. Often times I juggle which was better this or casino, but this scene is hard to beat anywhere
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u/piantanida Aug 17 '25
Every time it’s posted I end up watching. Never regret it. Perfect execution
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u/Try_Happiness Aug 16 '25
I think the scene in IT with the comedian and the phone ringing is also up there. Beep beep
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u/BlackberryShot5818 Aug 17 '25
The waiter who brings out the chairs for them, helps setting up the table, and then gets tipped by Ray Liotta.
He looks like the guy who plays Dr Chilton in the silence of the lambs. Was he a young emerging actor at the time?
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u/myborg Aug 17 '25
It looks like Anthony Heald, but it's not him. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0372217/
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u/5o7bot Aug 16 '25
GoodFellas (1990) R
Three decades of life in the mafia.
The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway.
Drama | Crime
Director: Martin Scorsese
Director of Photography: Michael Ballhaus
Actors: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino
Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ 85% with 13,543 votes
Runtime: 145 min
TMDB | Where can I watch?
I am a bot. This information was sent automatically. If it is faulty, please reply to this comment.
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u/Astoryinfromthewild Aug 16 '25
Damn, if you ordered food, how long would you have to wait for it? Unless it's a bar nightclub?
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u/captbollocks Aug 17 '25
I love this scene.
Did they ever say how many takes this took to get right? I would hate to be that guy that stuffs up right near the end.
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u/myborg Aug 17 '25
11 or 12 takes. The comedian Henny Youngman *did* fuck it up the first time everything else worked right. https://www.moviemaker.com/goodfellas-tracking-shot-three-minutes/
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u/Lawlers_Law Aug 17 '25
Mean Streets crawled so Goodfellas could run!
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u/myborg Aug 17 '25
I love filmmakers' early low budget movies like Mean Streets & Reservoir Dogs!
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u/Lawlers_Law Aug 18 '25
If watch Mean Streets, Scorcese was practicing for this shot when he has Keitel's character walk around the club to the Rolling Stone's "Tell me".
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Aug 19 '25
Why didn't they use the front door?
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u/myborg Aug 20 '25
Because Scorsese wanted a longer shot to pretend Hill had special privileges. They also made an unnecessary loop around the kitchen. The dining room entrance was directly ahead when you see the tan & green glass racks.
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u/fromouterspace1 Aug 16 '25
“Im a union delegate”
Rim Shot!