The Goodfellas Copa Shot: As Told by the Guy Who Shot It | Art of the Scene

It’s been over 30 years since Martin Scorsese released his gangster movie classic, Goodfellas. On this episode of Art of the Scene, we’re talking to Larry McConkey, the Steadicam operator on one of Goodfellas’ best scenes - The Copa shot. He’s going to tell us all about his behind the scenes experiences working with Martin Scorsese, Ray Liotta, and Michael Balhaus on one of the best long shots in the history of film.

While Martin Scorsese has directed classic films like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and The Departed, his depiction of the 1960’s Italian mafia still holds up as one of the best mob movies of all time. Sure, Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro gave great performances- both Tommy DeVito and Jimmy Conway are iconic characters. However, Scorsese’s long shot through the Copacabana is easily one of Goodfellas best clips. In this video, while it doesn’t feature an original Martin Scorsese interview, we discuss what makes The Copacabana scene so special. Larry McConkey talk to us about how he worked with Ray Liotta (Henry Hill), who channeled his inner gangster, and improvised some of the most memorable moments in the whole movie.

Honestly, The Copacabana scene is really just an incredible piece of cime cinema (plus the best Goodfellas scene while also being one of Goodfellas best moments) and we hope you really enjoy watching this piece of Goodfellas analysis.

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