Directed by the American film producer and director Martin Scorsese, The Irishman is a 2019 film that tells the story of the typical operations and life of members of gang families and groups in the mid-20th century. The film is based on Charles Brandt’s 2004 novel I Hear You Paint Houses. Specifically, the film is based on the memories of Frank Sheeran, an elderly Irish-American man who served in the Second World War before becoming a hitman for the Mafia groups in America. Sheeran, when in a nursing home, recounts the events during his time as a hitman in the 1950s and thereafter. From his recounts, the film shows the events that surrounded the operations, relationships, and lives of the gang families during the period. Throughout the film, the director uses various cinematic approaches to tell the story and create meaning. Signs are intensively used in the film to create meaning in various scenes and scenarios. In the same way, the film portrays the application of the cinematic approach, with composition, camera, costumes, effects, hair and makeup, set design, and color used to tell the story from Sheeran’s recounts.
Signs are important means of conveying meaning in various aspects of human life and relationships. As the theory of semiotics states, films use signs to signify or covey meanings through the various things that humans typically employ. Words, body language, gestures, pictures, letters, and visual illustrations are some of the various methods that humans use to convey messages. Combinations of these signs help the filmmakers effectively convey meanings and messages.
Like most modern films, The Irishman demonstrates the use of these signs in addition to codes and conventions to convey meaning in the same way that words and languages are used to construct meaning in communication. At the petrol station scene where Sheeran first meets Russel Bufalino, there are some signs that he is not meeting a common businessman but a shrewd, cunning, and dangerous individual. Bufalino’s body language, when explaining the mechanical problem involving Sheeran’s car, is suggestive of a member of the Mafia, but Sheeran cannot notice at this time. Here, Bufalino tells Sheeran, “you are back in business, kid” (The Irishman), yet Sheeran is around 56 years and almost the same age as Bufalino. These words, when analyzed from an in-depth perspective, are a sign that Bufalino is a boss somewhere and leads an influential group. In addition, the quick way in which Bufalino finds an answer to the mechanical problem in Sheeran’s truck is a sign suggesting his shrewdness and ability to lead, which are seen later in the film.
Similarly, in the Friendly Lounge scenario when Sheeran meets Skinny Razor Dutillio, some signs signify the other type of business that the group operates. Sheeran is delivering meat to the hotel that is owned by Dutillio. During their meeting, Skinny Razor’s body language signifies that he is a tough guy not just in business but probably in other aspects of life. For instance, he changes his face and looks straight into Sheeran’s eyes when a delivery man tells him, “I supply steak… the best steak” (The Irishman). As if to mean something different, Skinny Razor looks directly into Sheeran’s eyes and says, “you do?” (The Irishman) and then looks at the others and laughs a little as if he is not interested in the business. Rather than discussing the business, Skinny Razor tells Sheeran that they will talk later. All these words and body language suggest that he is not interested in the meat business, but probably another different form of venture. Furthermore, there is a background piece of music that is playing during the meeting. When Sheeran is leaving the Friendly Lounge, some background music plays with the words, “you better go back to your used-to-be place” (The Irishman). These words signify the possibility that the meeting will take Sheeran to another kind of life that is not good.
In addition, in the same scene, a flashback shows Dutillio back in 1945. Here, the audience is introduced to the kind of violence that will probably follow and dominate the story. A sign of a razor blade used to mercilessly cut the neck of a chicken is quite frightening. Dutillio uses a straight razor to cut the chicken’s neck and immediately blood splashes into his face. The sadist Dutillio gives a satisfied look on his blood-spattered face, showing signs of ruthlessness. The blood also spatters into the walls and the workers continue their work as usual. These aspects are used as signs to signify the kind of people that Sheeran will be dealing with and their characters. Dutillio is a sadist and violent individual who is ready to kill humans as a hitman on hire. The splattered blood on the wall signifies the meaning of the euphemism “painting houses”, which is used in the film to mean the work of hitmen killing people on hire.
During the second meeting, again in the Friendly Lounge, the film director uses additional signs to show that the two men have met before and have even conducted some business together. Unlike the first meeting, the second meeting is relatively relaxed and both Sheeran and Dutillio demonstrate body languages that signify their friendship. Both men are seated at the table eating steaks, which signifies that they have even done some business together. It is a sign that Sheeran has joined the group and is part of the dealings common with the Mafia in the black market. The audience comes to learn later that Sheeran was stealing meat from his employer to supply it to Dutillio and other members of the gang at a lower price, allowing them to increase their profitability.
Apart from the use of signs, the film director also uses cinematic approaches to make meaning. Costumes, when used in films, are important ways of creating meanings and themes. In The Irishman, different costumes are used for different scenarios to create various meanings. In the introduction part of the film, Sheeran is wearing a leather jacket, jeans, and a loose hat. He appears casual, less presentable, and more of a low-class individual. It also appears that he wears the same kind of clothes during the different appearances- first at the petrol station and later at the Friends Lounge. The director uses this approach to portray Sheeran as an old and poor person who is striving to meet his daily needs. It also suggests that he is ready to take additional jobs as long as he increases his income. He appears in white aprons only when he is transferring steaks of meat from his van to the customer’s premises.
On the contrary, the members of the Mafia are well dressed, clean, and well-kept. Their leaders like Dutillio, Bufallio, Jimmy Hoffa, and Angelo Bruno are all in black, blue, or dark suits, with colored ties. In most scenarios, they are in these costumes even when participating in parties in bars and lounges. This suggests that they are members of an organized group that has codes of conduct or specific behaviors that each must follow and which define the culture of the setting.
It is also imperative to understand how the filmmakers used the costumes approach to portray the changing times in the story. As the film continues, the audience realizes that there are multiple scenarios spanning over decades, given that the story is told in a flashback. In this case, characters change with time, beginning in the late 1940s and ending in the late 20th century. In the 1940s and 1950s scenarios, the characters are wearing clothes that reflect their times. For example, most of the characters living in the 1940s and 1950s, as well as early 1960s, are depicted with hats and coats. However, as time moves, the costumes change significantly to reflect the popular designs of their times. In the 1960s and 1970s, the characters wearing less formal clothing and hats are not common, as an example. Women are portrayed in long dresses during these periods but as time goes on, most women’s clothes change to shorter skirts that are tight to portray the dynamism in the clothing culture of the time.
The use and manipulation of the camera is another important cinematic approach that filmmakers use to achieve meaning and convey themes. In this film, camera-specific aspects were applied in different scenarios to achieve the objective. Specifically, camera movement makes a large part of the film aesthetic. In many scenarios, the cameras remain fixed to ensure that they focus on the object, person, or point of interest. The cameraman composes each shot for the most visual impact. It is worth noting that the entire story is told in flashbacks based on Sheeran’s memories. The stories revolve around the unknown, underworld figures that occurred in history, including pervasive crime, the union movement, and assassinations of people, including the president. Achieving this objective required the camera to be changed each time to ensure that the shot is finessed for maximum impact. In addition, the camera soars over the scenes, taking everything, before it sweeps down into a single shot of the person or aspect of interest. It appears that such technologies or utilities and techno cranes and cranes were used to achieve this objective and add interest in some long scenes. The idea is to convey the message being explained while also taking in the lit period and luxuriously dressed locations.
The film also makes use of set design as a cinematic approach to create meaning and convey important messages. In this case, the filmmaker creates specific physical spaces for certain actions to reflect the scene of interest. Sceneries, furniture, the overall look of the stage, props, and appearance are well designed to reflect the specific time in history. For example, during the initial meeting between Sheeran and Russel Bufalino, the film shows the typical petrol station scenes of the 1950s. The gas pumps are manual and do not have automatic meters. In addition, the vehicles are the old models of the time. Sheeran’s truck is a small manual lorry that can be ignited by simply connecting wires on the plugs near the engine rather than using an ignition key. In the background, one can see old model saloon cars packed or passing, some bearing the manufacturer’s old logos such as that of Chevrolet. In the same way, the steak shop scenario is designed to reflect the common views of the time. For example, there is no electronic money and all transactions are in cash. In addition, papers are signed with seals as the official stamp, which reflects the common methods of conducting business in the 1940s.
Based on this analysis, it is evident that the filmmakers in The Irishman used multiple cinematic approaches to develop a story that spans decades. The filmmaker’s use of signs is evident throughout the story, given that some themes and meanings are hidden but clues are given through signs. In addition, the film makes use of cinematographic approaches to reflect the different times the story depicts. Scenes are designed to reflect the common things one would expect to find in a real-life scenario during a specific period. Achieving this objective required the film developers to design costumes common during each period. In addition, the scenes are designed in such a way that they make the viewer feel connected with the specific time in history. As time changes, the filmmaker changes the design for the scenes and costumes to reflect the common culture of each specific historical period.
Work Cited
The Irishman. Directed by Martin Scorsese, TriBeCa Productions, 2019.