GOODFELLAS (20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION) (1990, Blu-ray released February 16, 2010 – MSRP $34.99)
Goodfellas is twenty years old? Get the f*$& outta here! There’s no denying that this is one of the finest mob movies, if not one of the finest films that has ever been made. And the new Blu-ray from Warner, celebrates the anniversary with a new silk suit and haircut but, sadly the mobster inside remains the same. Um…by that, I mean that this is the same disc they released three years ago in a new package.
You don’t need me to tell you the story of Martin Scorsese‘s Goodfellas, do you? I mean, in the twenty years since its release it’s managed to become the ultimate depiction of the mob, inspiring damn near every subsequent mafia film that’s emerged in its wake. Not to slight the Godfather films in the least, but Goodfellas seems to have eclipsed the famous Francis Ford Coppola trilogy in the minds of younger generations. And that fame and level of import are only a few of the reasons that this 20th Anniversary Blu-ray release is a bit of a let-down.
This is the same Blu-ray disc that was released in 2007. The same transfer, the same extras. Same, same, same. If you already count Goodfellas among your Blu-ray disc collection, you won’t find anything new here. And that’s a disappointment. The quality of the transfer isn’t awful. But it’s not great either. It didn’t win any awards back in 2007 and it only looks that much worse now, when our expectations for what a good transfer can be have been raised so high. But a lot of the problem here isn’t necessarily the fault of the disc. The film could really use a restoration (for instance, there’s a moment about an hour into the film when a very distracting line runs down the entire screen) despite its relative youth. I’m sure, given the cost of such a job, we won’t be seeing an improvement here anytime soon. With that in mind, you can feel confident that this version of Goodfellas is best this film will look on home video into the immediate future. But enough about the problems of the disc set, let’s talk about what’s great here.
Lots. First of all, Goodfellas comes packaged in a beautiful hardcover book. I really love these things. Warner should reissue as many films as they can in nice “digibook” editions. I think it’s the classiest way to display a Blu-ray collection. Inside the little book, you’ll find two discs – the Goodfellas BD and Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film on DVD, a feature length documentary about mob movies that, until now was an exclusive addition to the Warner Gangsters Collection Vol. 4.
While they may not be exactly new, the special features on the Goodfellas Blu-ray disc are quite nice. Anytime you can get a Scorsese commentary track you know you’re in for a treat. And his commentary here is shared with author/screenwriter Nicolas Pileggi, producers Irwin Winkler and Barbara De Fina, cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, editor Thelma Schoonmaker, and cast members Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino and Frank Vincent. As excellent and informative as this cast and crew track is, you may prefer to listen to the Cop and Crook Commentary, featuring the real Henry Hill (the man whose real-life story is told in the film) and FBI agent Edward McDonald. An awesome and truly inspired inclusion!
Rounding out the extras on the disc are a handful of fairly good featurettes – a standard, half-hour “making-of”, a 14-minute piece examining the legacy of the film, an 8-minute look at real-life mobsters and a storyboard comparison. In addition, the second disc (the gangster doc DVD) includes half an hour of gangster related Looney Tunes and Merrie Melody cartoons. All bonus features are in standard definition.
Previously on The Blu-ray Blog: Goodfellas 20th Anniversary Blu-ray coming in February
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