In a scene from the 1990 movie “Goodfellas,” are Robert De Niro, left, and Ray Liotta. Maine Film Center photo

“Goodfellas” is a big, fun, star-studded 1990 biographical crime drama directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Nicholas Pileggi (based on his book “Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family”) and, of course, Scorsese, and produced by Irwin Winkler.

MOVIE INFO

“GOODFELLAS”
Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.
Length: 145 minutes
Rating: Severe violence, gore, profanity, alcohol, drugs, smoking and frightening and intense scenes, with mild sex and nudity.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writers: Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese
Stars: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci

Its reappearance on streaming keeps it collecting fans and keeps Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci working and beloved.

It just ended a long run on Apple TV+ and here returns to the big screen at the 27th Maine International Film Festival in Waterville.

In 1955, youngster Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) falls in love with the criminal life and mafia presence in his working class Italian-American neighborhood in Brooklyn.

And then here comes caporegime Paulie Cicero (the late and great Paul Sorvino) and his associates Jimmy “the Gent” Conway (De Niro), an Irish-American truck hijacker and gangster; and Tommy DeVito, a fellow juvenile delinquent (Joe Pesci).

Henry begins as a low-level worker for Jimmy, gradually working his way up to more serious crimes.

This takes us and the three associates to the Copacabana nightclub, gambling, drinking and being “Goodfellas.”

Everything changes when Henry starts dating Karen Friedman Hill (a delicious Lorraine Bracco who one day would move to a featured part on “The Sopranos”), a Jewish woman who is at first afraid of Henry’s friends but falls in love with the glamour and money.

It’s rumored that Martin hated the title of the book, so Pileggi grudgingly changed it to “Goodfellas.” A title change? They could have changed it to “Gone with the Wind,” and it would still be a classic with a cast that ranks with the Sopranos cast as the greatest lasagna of Italians ever.

Here they are again to brighten your summer at the Maine Film Center.

History tells us that De Niro got Pesci and Liotta to come along to ask writer Pileggi, who gave them stuff from writing the book, to let them improvise and then out came rehearsals that Scorsese loved so much, he kept it all in.

This is where you’ll see that famous scene where Pesci draws Liotta into a comic-but-scary trap. Enjoy.

“Goodfellas” screens as part of the Maine International Film Festival at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 18, at the Maine Film Center.

J.P. Devine of Waterville is a former stage and screen actor.