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GoodFellas · 1990 — 第 1 / 28 章 · 2'18" · B1

Henry Wants to Be a Gangster, Explained：the answer to all her prayers

The film opens on Henry Hill's voiceover: "being a gangster was better than being president of the United States." On the surface it's a kid admiring the men on his block; underneath, it's the whole movie's promise — that the neighborhood's real power belongs to the ones who break the rules.

あらすじ

Henry Hill narrates his childhood in Brooklyn, remembering how he looked up to the men around the cabstand before he even had a job. They parked wherever they liked, ran card games all night, and answered to no one. Henry says he knew he belonged with them, and that it made him the luckiest kid in the world.

StorytellingExplainingConfessingB1mediumamericanClean
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注目の表現

better thandouble parkdidn't have toused to say

00:00 / 02:18
Space 再生 · ← → セリフ移動 · R リピート
いま
  1. ❝ 独白opening voice-over10 行練習ページ ↗
セリフをタップするとそこから再生

このシーンの表現

the answer to all her prayers

exactly what she had hoped for

Henry's mother is overjoyed that the Ciceros come from her part of Sicily.

The scholarship was the answer to all her prayers.

このシーンの他の表現

  • better than

    more good than

  • double park

    park illegally beside a car

  • didn't have to

    had no need to

  • used to say

    would often say

  • could go anywhere

    was free to go anywhere

このシーンのメモ一覧

35 行のセリフに 21 件のメモ

文法 · B1was better than being

comparison: Better than links two gerund phrases, weighing two identities against each other.

being a gangster was better than being president of the United States.
発音better than

Than is usually reduced to a soft thun, not a full then.

being a gangster was better than being president of the United States.
表現 · B1wander into somewhere

drift into a place

Even before I first wandered into the cabstand for an after school job...
表現 · A2be a part of something

belong to a group

I knew I wanted to be a part of them.
文法 · B2It was there that

cleft sentence: The cleft puts there in focus: it was exactly that place where he felt he belonged.

It was there that I knew I belonged.
発音full of

Link full and of so it sounds like one word.

To me, it meant being somebody in a neighborhood full of nobodies.
スラング · B2nobodies

people of no importance — Informal and dismissive; avoid it to someone's face.

To me, it meant being somebody in a neighborhood full of nobodies.
表現 · A2like anybody else

the same as others

They weren't like anybody else. They did whatever they wanted.
表現 · B1double-park somewhere

park illegally beside a car

The narration lists their privilege: they park in front of a hydrant and still get no ticket.

They double parked in front of a hydrant, nobody ever gave them a ticket.
発音gave them a

In fast speech the th of them nearly disappears after gave.

They double parked in front of a hydrant, nobody ever gave them a ticket.
スラング · B1cops

the police — Casual for police; use police in formal talk.

nobody ever called the cops.
表現 · A2the boss of something

the person in charge

and other places for his brother, Paul, who was the boss of the neighborhood.
文法 · B1might have moved

modal perfect: Might have moved softens the claim into a guess about the past before the reason lands.

Paulie might have moved slow...
表現 · A2don't have to do something

had no need to

The narration explains Paulie's slow walk: he never has to make way for anyone.

but it was only because Paulie didn't have to move for anybody.
表現 · A2across the street from something

on the other side of the street

At first my parents loved that I found a job across the street from the house.
表現 · B1get oneself something

obtain something for oneself

He liked that I got myself a job.
スラング · B1spoiled

pampered — Critical; often said of pampered children.

He always used to say that American kids were spoiled lazy.
表現 · A2watch how you do something

be careful how you do it

Henry! Watch how you cross!
表現 · B1the answer to something

the solution to something

that was the answer to all her prayers.
表現 · A2can go anywhere

was free to go anywhere

Young Henry recalls feeling on top of the world: known everywhere, free to go anywhere.

I could go anywhere, I could do anything.
表現 · B1everybody knows someone

everyone knows who I am

I knew everybody, and everybody knew me.

「Henry Wants to Be a Gangster」を読み解く

What's really going on

The opening is a sales pitch Henry is making to himself. He lists what power looks like on his block: "They double parked in front of a hydrant, nobody ever gave them a ticket," and "In the summer, when they played cards all night, nobody ever called the cops." To a boy from a working-poor family, that isn't crime; it's freedom and status. He says it plainly: "To me, it meant being somebody in a neighborhood full of nobodies." The father approves of the job because he thinks American kids are spoiled and lazy, and the mother is thrilled the Ciceros come from her part of Sicily. Both parents nudge him toward the men without seeing what they are. Henry's line "I was the luckiest kid in the world" is the voice of a child who has already decided the rules don't apply to him.

Theme

AmbitionYoung Henry measures status by who breaks the rules without consequences, and wants that life for himself.
ClassThe neighborhood is full of 'nobodies,' and the gangsters are the only people who seem to matter.

このチャプターで学べること

  • The opening line sells a whole value system in one comparison.
  • Privilege is shown through small things like parking and card games.
  • Henry wants belonging more than money at this point.
  • The voice-over sounds nostalgic even about petty crime.

発音のポイント

  • better than — Than is usually reduced to a soft thun, not a full then.
  • full of — Link full and of so it sounds like one word.
  • gave them a — In fast speech the th of them nearly disappears after gave.
being a gangster was better than being president of the United States.

Henry's opening boast: in his world, the local gangsters outrank even the US president, and he means it as praise.

To me, it meant being somebody in a neighborhood full of nobodies.

He explains why the life appealed: it turned a nobody into somebody, status bought with fear and power.

but it was only because Paulie didn't have to move for anybody.

Paulie's slow walk isn't weakness. It shows no one can make him hurry, the clearest sign of his authority.

I was the luckiest kid in the world.

Henry's summary of his childhood: he felt chosen, not endangered, by the world he was drifting into.

このシーンについての質問

Why does Henry idolize the gangsters on his block?

They have money, respect and total freedom: they park where they like, run card games, and nobody calls the cops. To Henry, that looks like being somebody in a neighborhood full of nobodies.

What does 'being somebody in a neighborhood full of nobodies' mean?

It means standing out and having status in a place where most people have none. Henry wants to be noticed and feared rather than ordinary.

Why do Henry's parents approve of his job at the cabstand?

His father thinks American kids are spoiled and lazy and likes that Henry is working; his mother is happy the Ciceros come from her part of Sicily. Neither sees what the men really do.

Who is Paulie Cicero?

Paulie is the boss of the neighborhood and Tuddy's brother. He runs the local rackets, moves slowly, and never has to hurry for anyone, a sign of how much power he holds.

Why does Henry say it was better to be a gangster than president?

It is the film's ironic opening. In Henry's neighborhood, the gangsters have more visible power and freedom than any elected leader, and that is what he grew up admiring.

グッドフェローズ · 全 28 章

すべて見る →
次のチャプター · 第 2 章take a beatingYoung Henry Gets Beaten and Recruited
再生中 · 第 1 章the answer to all her prayersHenry Wants to Be a Gangster第 2 章take a beatingYoung Henry Gets Beaten and Recruited第 3 章rip someone offPaulie's Protection Racket第 4 章keep your mouth shutHenry's First Pinch and the Two Rules第 5 章in charge ofThe Idlewild Airport Crew第 6 章like a clownTommy Asks Henry If He's Funny第 7 章put a silk hat on a pigMorrie Asks Paulie for Help第 8 章a big scorePaulie's Restaurant Racket第 9 章got some nerveKaren Blasts Henry for Standing Her Up第 10 章drop a dimeJimmy Shakes Down Morrie Over a Loan第 11 章give me a breakKaren Meets the Mob Wives第 12 章cut cornersKaren Says Crime Felt Normal第 13 章out of orderBilly Taunts Tommy at the Welcome Party第 14 章cornuto contentoSupper at Ma's第 15 章a big dealTommy Makes Spider Dance and Shoots Him第 16 章bring myself toKaren Confronts the Mistress第 17 章keep up appearancesPaulie Tells Henry to Go Home第 18 章the jointHenry Does Easy Time in Prison第 19 章put food on the tableKaren Visits Henry in Prison第 20 章a real scoreHenry Builds the Lufthansa Heist Crew第 21 章bullsJimmy Rages Over the New Car第 22 章of a lifetimeJimmy Scolds the Crew After the Heist第 23 章whackJimmy Decides to Whack Morrie第 24 章license to stealTommy Gets Made in the Mafia第 25 章the end of the worldA Helicopter Follows Henry All Day第 26 章a pain in the assLois Insists on Her Lucky Hat第 27 章rat someone outHenry Interrogated, Karen Flushes Stash第 28 章save one's neckJimmy Tests Henry at the Diner
第 1 / 28 章 · 残り約 91 分