Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Humanities and Social Science

Sta. Mesa, Manila

In partial fulfillment of the midterm requirements

in Reading and Writing

A FILM ANALYSIS OF
“THE IRISHMAN”

By:

Deuna, Lorraine Jasmine

Lopez, Elton John

Lucas, Belle Frances Aisham

Perez, Karen Kyla

Tercero, Siena Ray

HUMSS 11-1

For:

Prof. Elmer P. Brabante, JD

February 2020
 I. FILM INFORMATION

DIRECTOR:

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese is

an American film director,
screenwriter, producer and
actor, whose career spans
more than 50 years.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Rodrigo Prieto is a Mexican

Rodrigo Prieto cinematographer. He has
been associated as the lead
cinematographer for Martin
Scorsese and Alejandro
González Iñárritu, among
other directors

RUNNINGTIME:
209 Minutes or 3 Hours and 29 Minutes

SCREENPLAY

A four-time nominated
Steven Zaillian Screen Writer for the Oscars
and won the Academy Award
in 1994
PRODUCERS

Berry Welsh Executive Producer

Chad A. Verdi Executive Producer
David J. Webb Co-Producer
Emma Tillinger Producer
Gaston Pavlovich Producer
George Furla Executive Producer
Gerald Chamales Producer
Irwin Winkler Producer
Israilovici Gabriele Producer
Jai Stefan Executive Producer
Jane Rosenthal Producer
Marianne Bower Co-Producer
Martin Scorsese Producer
Nicholas Pileggi Executive Producer
Niels Juul Executive Producer
Randall Emmett Producer
Richard Baratta Executive Producer
Rick York Executive Producer
Robert De Niro Producer
Troy Allen Producer
Tyler Zacharia Executive Producer
Vittorio Cecchi Gori Producer

CAST OF CHARACTERS

MAIN ACTORS

Robert De Niro as A hitman and a corrupt Teamsters official,

Frank "The also the title character of The Irishman.
Irishman" Sheeran
 Leader of the Teamsters union and a close
Al Pacino as friend of Frank Sheeran. The
Jimmy Hoffa Irishman marks the first feature film
collaboration for Al Pacino and Scorsese.

The Crime boss of Pennsylvania crime

Joe Pesci as where Sheeran works for and develops a
Russell Bufalino close bond with.

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

Ray Romano as Bill

Bufalino The attorney of the Teamsters’
and also a cousin of Russel.

Russell’s wife whose Sicilian

heritage makes her “mob
Kathrine Narducci as royalty.”
Carrie Bufalino
The wife of Russel who’s
known to be the ‘mob royalty’
because of Sicilian heritage.
Harvey Keitel as Angelo Boss of the Philadelphia crime
Bruno family.

Bobby Cannavale as
Felix "Skinny Razor" A mob associate and a
DiTullio restaurant owner.

Paul Herman as He asked Frank to bomb the

Whispers DiTullio Cadillac Linen Service in
Delaware.

He politely suggests that

DomenickLombardozzi Jimmy should calmed down,
as Anthony "Fat Tony" also an underboss for the
Salerno Genovese crime family.
Sebastian Maniscalco A public murderer and also a
as Joseph "Crazy Joe" gangster; he’s the focus of the
Gallo extended mid-movie slo-mo
sequence that ends with his
dead because of Frank.

Lucy Gallina as Young A seven-year-old girl, she

Peggy Sheeran watched Frank beating up a
man and eventually becomes
scared of Russell.

Stephanie Kurtzuba as
Irene Sheeran: Frank’s second wife, “Reenie.”

Aleksa Palladino as
Mary Sheeran Frank’s first wife.

India Ennenga as
Dolores Sheeran Frank’s daughter

Louis Cancelmi as Sally A mafia hitman.

Bugs
Stephen Graham as
Anthony "Tony Pro" A captain of the Genovese
Provenzano crime family.

Jesse Plemons as
Chuckie O’Brien Jimmy's naive foster son.

Welker White as
Josephine Hoffa Jimmy’s wife, “Jo.”

Jimmy’s Executive Vice

Gary Basaraba as Frank President; Frank worries about
Fitzsimmons his intelligence.

The stand-up comedian who

appears after the Joey Gallo
Jim Norton as Don sequence. Jim Norton is a
Rickles stand-up comedian who
portrayed Father Callahan
in Power.
 He meets Frank in Villa Di
Larry Romano as Philip Roma restaurant after the
Testa Whispers murder.

Jake Hoffman as Allen An insurance man who helps

Dorfman Jimmy with loans.

An associate of Tony
Patrick Gallo as Provenzano who's present
Anthony Giacalone when Jimmy reluctantly asks
for an endorsement.

The iconic American politician

(JFK's brother) who questions
Jack Huston as Robert Jimmy about loans at a
Kennedy hearing. Jack Huston
portrayed Richard Harrow
in Boardwalk Empire.

Kevin O'Rourke as John The Roofers Union President

McCullough who hypes up Frank during an
honorary banquet.
 The District Attorney who's
Stephen Mailer as F. present at Frank's honorary
Emmett Fitzpatrick banquet.

The Philadelphia mayor who's

Gino Cafarelli as Frank present at Frank's honorary
Rizzo banquet.

Al Linea as Sam A Chicago mob boss who had

Giancana the same girlfriend as JFK.

Joseph Riccobene as The "weasel" who sets up

Jimmy Fratianno Jimmy.

Action Bronson as He’s the one who sells a coffin

Coffin Salesman to Frank.
 II. PLOT

Frank Sheeran, seated on his wheelchair in nursing home, was an elderly WW II veteran,
reminisced his time spent being a hitman crime syndicate. Sheeran worked as a delivery truck driver
and was accused of theft after he sold some of his truck's contents to Felix DiTullio, a local gangster
known as "Skinny Razor". Bill Buffalino, the Union lawyer got him off after Frank refused to name his
client to the judge. Bill was also the one who introduced Frank to Russell Buffalino, his cousin.
Russell was the head of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Crime Family. Frank started to paint houses
and soon became euphemism for murder for Russell and other members of the Local South
Philadelphia Underworld. Russell also referred Frank to the head of the International Brotherhood of
Teamsters, and tied financially with the Buffalino Crime Family, named Jimmy Hoffa. Jimmy Hoffa
was struggling to deal with Tony Provenzano, also known as "Tony Pro" who was a fellow rising
Teamster Anthony. Frank became Hoffa's bodyguard while on the road and their families became
close especially Jimmy and Frank's daughter, Peggy.

John F. kennedy won the 1960 election and Sheeran helped to overthrow the Cuban Government by
delivering weapons for the CIA, but they failed. The attorney general named Robert F. kennedy,
who's a brother of John Kennedy, formed a "Get Hoffa" squad to bring down Jimmy Hoffa.
Eventually, Hoffa was arrested in 1964. Frank Fitzsommons replaced Jimmy Hoffa as the President
of the Teamsters and began overspending the labor union's fund. Tony Pro was eventually arrested
for extortion because of the connection with Hoffa. In 1971, the sentence of Hoffa was commuted by
President Richard Nixon, although he was forbidden from partaking in any Teamsters Activities until
1980. After Hoffa's released in prison by Nixon, he wanted to be the president of the union
Teamster, again. Russell was worried about Hoffa's attitude towards the other leader of Teamsters
and people who had a connection with him. Jimmy Hoffa never listened to it and suddenly became
disrespectful.

One night, Frank Sheeran invited Jimmy to attend an event to honor Frank. During the
dinner, Russell told Frank to talk with Hoffa and warned him about the leaders of the family crime
that was so upset with his manners, but Jimmy said that he knew things and if anyone did something
wrong to him they would end up in prison. While they're on their way to the wedding, Frank called
Hoffa and said that he would arrive there early, and Hoffa expected that he would be. Inside the car,
Russell discussed that old people, which were the other administrators of Teamster were tired of
Jimmy Hoffa's behavior and formally decided to murder him using Frank as a hitman. They went to
the airport where Frank would fly to Detroit. Hoffa waited minutes for a meeting with Tony Pro,
Giacalone, and for Frank. Hoffa was surprised when Frank arrived together with his not biological
son, Chuckie, and gangster Sal "Sally Bugs" Brigugilio. They went to the meeting that was moved
into the house where Tony Pro and Giacalone were waiting. In the middle of the road, Frank
Sheeran comforted Jimmy and explained why he was late saying that he waited for Russell from
Port Clinton.

When they entered the house, Hoffa realized that it was a setup and immediately went to the
door, but Frank shot him twice and laid the gun he used on the top of Hoffa’s body and left like
nothing happened. After that, the two young gangsters inside the house cremated Hoffa's body.
Sheeran, Buffalino, and Provenzano were found guilty on several chargers irrelevant to Hoffa's case.
One by one, these people began to die inside the prison but Frank, was the last one left, he was
discharged and placed in a nursing room. He went to his four daughters to ask for forgiveness, but
Peggy didn't want to talk to him for she was suspecting her father that he was related to the case of
disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. Frank confessed his sins that he committed when he was at his
earlier stage of life to a Catholic priest. Before the priest went out, Frank requested to leave the door
slightly open.

III. FILM ANALYSIS

A. GENRE AND THEME

The Irishman is an American epic crime film. The movie is a violent and autumnal film.

B. ANALYSIS

The film is about the biography of Frank Sheeran. It is time-travelling cinematography and a
three-and-a-half-hour movie and closely based on Charles Brandt's "I Heard You Paint Houses". It
consists of flashback within flashbacks, stories about stories. We analyzed the movie directed by
Martin Scorsese "The Irishman" by applying the formalist approach where we interpreted or
evaluated the features and the structure of the movie.

The scenes were filmed with a custom three-camera rig to help facilitate the extensive de-ageing
digital effects that made De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci appear younger. The 209-minute film contains
1750 visual effect shots, and as the film was for Netflix. The highlight of the film is when Frank killed
Jimmy at the end without any hesitations, despite of being friends with Hoffa.
 At the end of the movie, it leads to repentance and asking for forgiveness for what Frank has
done. The relationship between the beginning and the ending of the film started from an interview
with Frank where he narrated what happened in the past and the story ended where Frank finished
his narration. It means the whole story is just the narration of the main character.

PSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACH OF “THE IRISHMAN”

In psychoanalysis, the human has three levels of consciousness; conscious, subconscious

and unconscious. According to Sigmund Freud, the id (pleasure principle) lies within the
unconsciousness of a human. In the film of The Irishman directed by Martin Scorsese, forces such
as power and money motivate the main characters' behaviour who include Frank Sheeran, Russell
Buffalino and Jimmy Hoffa. The characters tend to do crimes to fulfill their desires. Russell Buffalino,
being the head of Northeastern Pennsylvania Crime family, and Frank Sheeran being a hitman crime
syndicate, tend to kill people and do crimes because of money. Jimmy Hoffa, on the other hand,
being the head of International Brotherhood of teamsters, was reigned by greed of power and money
through the overexploitation of the pension of the citizens.
Freud defined subconscious as the mediator between consciousness and unconsciousness.
It controls the damage caused by unconsciousness through defense mechanisms. In the case of
Frank Sheeran, one of the defense mechanisms he used in the story is identification which is
defined as defense mechanism by which a person patterns himself after some other person.
Correspondingly, Frank started to do the hobby of Jimmy Hoffa in which leaving the door
slightly open. As for Jimmy, leaving the door open means self-defense because he knows himself
that he has enemies and the slightly open door gives him the hope he is not trapped by his enemies.
Another defense mechanism revealed in the story is displacement which is defined as a
defense mechanism wherein a person displaces his anger and frustration on other people and
objects. In the case of Jimmy Hoffa, during the time when he is nearly being placed out of his
position as the head of the Teamsters, he shouted at his guards and put the blame on them.
Frank Sheeran, as his chief bodyguard, viewed this situation as a possible thing that might
happen between Hoffa and him and he doesn't want this to encounter, eventually, he tried to untie
himself to Jimmy Hoffa. Through this avoidance, the defense mechanism of a person that refuses to
deal with or encounter unpleasant objects or situation, was seen. Peggy also used avoidance as
defense mechanism when she found out that his father, Frank, is related to the murder case of
Jimmy Hoffa.
Furthermore, projection, a defense mechanism in which the person takes his own flaws
wherein the ego cannot recognize and casts them to other people, was also revealed in the story.
When Frank Fitzsimmons replaced Hoffa as the president of the Teamsters, he visited Hoffa in the
prison. As they talked, he gave Hoffa an insult similar to his flaws.
Consciousness, on the other hand, functions as the awareness of the human. Frank consciously
engaged himself in a mob wherein he illegally sold stocks to the gangsters. As a World War II
veteran, he used to kill a lot of people making his aggression socially learned. Because of the
influence of the society he had dealt with, he had the chance to embrace his behaviour of killing
people without sympathy. Frank Sheeran's action towards the murder of Jimmy Hoffa is also a
conscious act for he was aware of the intention of his behaviour.

C. COMPARISON

Films "The Irishman" and "Goodfellas" were both directed by Martin Scorsese and the two films
also based on books 'I heard you paint houses' and 'Wiseguys' respectively. They are all about being
gangsters and killing people. The film 'The Irishman' was started narrating by an old man named,
Frank Sheeran who was also the protagonist of the film, it's like storytelling but the film 'Goodfellas'
started with a crime that they killed people and the three of them was unknown and proceed to the
early stage of Henry Hill's life when he told what, why and how he becomes a gangster at the age of
13, guided by 'Paulie' Cicero, the two films both include some flashbacks.

The 'Irishman' has 209 minutes’ duration, that discussed the whole story of unsolved cases in
the United States, including the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, president of the Teamster Unions,
and the different people that were murdered, while the 'Goodfellas' stated what happens to Henry
Hill since he was a teen that associates with wise guys with a minutes of 145. The crimes committed
by the protagonists in both films are all covered up, first is when Henry didn’t mentioned any names
when He was arrested for selling cigarettes and second is when an adult Henry, Jimmy and Tommy
tried to hide the body of Billy Bratt that they brutally murdered. While in the film “The Irishman”,
Frank didn’t mentioned names when He was accused of theft and when Frank killed Jimmy Hoffa,
they cremated his body immediately.

Goodfellas was inadequate compared to Irishman, because of after they were enrolled in the
protected witness program and in the last scenes of the Irishman, it seems also inadequate at first,
but when you think about it was all connected to the whole film and symbolizes something that
nobody will know until they've watched the movie.

The story of the films was also similar especially to the story of the family of the two protagonists.
In “Goodfellas”, Henry cheated on Karen with Janice Rossi. At the last part, Henry and Karen got
divorced and their family had been broken, while in the film “The Irishman”, Frank also cheated on
his wife with the new waitress and at the end of the story, Peggy, the daughter of Frank didn’t talk to
him anymore because of the crimes Frank committed.

The cinematography of both films was different, The Irishman was more advanced and in
detailed compared to Goodfellas, which was published in 1990, while the Irishman in 2019. Irishman
was illustrated beautifully that expresses the real genre and lesson from the film. Both Irishman and
Goodfellas talked about the relationship between Family, Friends, Lovers, Money, and Power that is
literally happening in people's life.

D. VALUE JUDGEMENT

The whole film is all about killing, betrayal, power, loyalty, money, family, friends, etc. Frank
Sheeran has 4 daughters that's why he had to earn more money than ever, he must work so hard
just to fulfill the needs of his family and decided to work for Russell Buffalino, Jimmy Hoffa or other
guys that want someone or something to be gone, but is that a good reason just to hurt someone?
Killing at its finest, it is because of the power that they want to obtain. The loyalty for his friend
Russell continued while he betrayed Jimmy at the end, and it is disappointing because Jimmy
trusted Frank. And that's the reality, you will end up regretting the things that you knew were not
right. Is killing people really a job? for Frank, we guess it wasn't a job anymore, but he considered it
as a habit. Since Peggy was a child, she was never close to her father Frank, because she knew
that Frank was killing other people, that’s why Peggy didn't accept her father's forgiveness.

The film 'The Irishman' is somehow a bad movie. Even though it is a horrible film, there's a lot of
lessons that we can get that we can use to make ourselves better in a good way. It is lengthy but
worthy. The casting was well planned, a lot of them exactly look like the real character that they
portray. The way the camera works and focuses on every detail, you'll know that it’s a work of art.
With a large amount of fund, they somehow reached expectations but did not surpass them, it is
understandable that many people felt worried, comparing the movie from the Goodfellas, we can say
that both are two different films in the same genre, but similarities can be seen. Violence is strong
and can be seen all throughout the film, but the ending is heart-captivating, it is raw and implies the
vulnerability of frank.

The film portrays galactic issues our society is facing today. Through these issues that were
depicted in the film, we, as individuals that build up the society will be able to seek the root causes of
social conflicts such as killings, corruption and treachery that were seen in the story. What makes
the film also good is because of how its structure unified, wherein the entire film is just actually a
flashback and just a narration of the main character, Frank Sheeran. It shows that whether his
decisions were right or wrong, the situation where he belongs in the present time unveils the product
of his decisions and realizations in life. The film is educative for it corresponds to the American
history and era's political activities. Basically, the film “The Irishman” is actually an eye opener to
these social issues and how it affects the society, and also shows the bad sides of every individual,
but despite of those wrong doings, through the film, we will be able to understand why people
commit such mistakes and why they behave that way, and for that, we rate the film 9 out 10.

III. REFERENCES

“The Irishman.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Feb. 2020, en.m.wikipedia.org/

wiki/The_Irishman.

“De-Aging the Irishman (Updated).” Fxguide, 16 Dec. 2019, www.fxguide.com/fxfeatu

red/de-aging-the-irishman/.

The Irishman' Review: The Mob's Greatest Hits, in a Somber Key.” Google, Google,
www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/09/27/movies/the-irishman-review.a
mp.html.

Cherry, K. (2020, January 22). Common Defense Mechanisms People Use to Cope
with Anxiety. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/defense-mechanisms-27
95960

IV. SNAPSHOTS