Harold Ramis picks his favourite movie of all time: “The reality of organised crime”
It was the comedy genre that seemed to be the main avenue of expression for Harold Ramis, and his acting credits included the classic comedies Ghostbusters and Stripes. When Ramis turned director, he continued in this line of work, producing lighthearted movies such as Caddyshack and Groundhog Day. However, when discussing the films that inspired him most, Ramis turned to the darker side of cinema.
In the book You Gotta See This, several notable figures in the film industry picked out their favourite movies, and Ramis’ passage saw the actor and director express his love for Martin Scorsese, particularly his 1990 crime drama Goodfellas, starring Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro.
“I love Scorsese, and my favourite film was Goodfellas,” Ramis began. “I read the book when it was called Wise Guys. He couldn’t use that title; they made a comedy called Wise Guys. Just a fun fact.” Ramis then compared Scorsese’s movie to one of the greatest crime films of all time, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather.
“Goodfellas is like counterprogramming to The Godfather,” he said. “That’s the mythic, poetic version of organised crime. But Goodfellas is the reality of organised crime. It was about stealing cigarettes. It was about getting shot. These guys were pretty violent, and it was not glamorous at all. The Godfather was like an opera to that.”
Scorsese’s movie adapted Nicholas Pileggi’s 1985 non-fiction book Wise Guys, as Ramis mentions. It tells the story of the notorious mobster Henry Hill and his rise from a young kid living in an Italian neighbourhood of Brooklyn to becoming a high-profile criminal.
Discussing the acting quality in the film, Ramis continued, “By the way, Lorraine Bracco will never be better. There was a stridency to that character that really worked. There was desperation. I love Ray Liotta in the movie – and De Niro is brilliant. I’ve had this conversation with De Niro. We’ve said, ‘People aren’t perfect and aren’t lovable all the time. They don’t always do the right thing. That’s what makes them human.'”
Ramis then signed off with some final words of admiration for Scorsese and his way of presenting realistic narratives. “I know Scorsese’s view of New York is much more realistic,” he said. “You feel like you were really there. He was really able to depict that life. I also love Taxi Driver. Scorsese created that reality by using actors that made it hyperreal. These are great movies.”
