But life is not just a career path, even if he is the "godfather". When Vito died, he and his little grandson were playing in the garden. At the end of the third part, Mike died sitting in the garden alone, accompanied by only two dogs. The last words Vito said before his death was "How beautiful is life." The last thing Mike remembered was the scene of dancing with the two women and daughters in his life. While admiring Vito's great life, we can't help but sigh at Mike's life. The same is the result of involuntary self, the same calm and imperial temperament, and the same emphasis on the family's sense of responsibility, why their life trajectories are so different, and the reason is not just that Mike's phrase "the times have changed" is so simple.
Times have indeed changed. It is no longer the era in the early twentieth century when loyalty could conquer the world. Mike told Tom that what we are doing now is business, and what they value is only interest. He said to the U.S. Senate: You can look down on me, but you should not confuse these with my family. But Mike, he learned everything from his father, how to run this huge underworld group, how to not trust anyone who cooperates with him, how to "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer", and even how to be cold-blooded. But he didn't learn the most important point well, that is, what is the real family. He understands that he must value his family and treat his family members kindly. But I don’t understand that this so-called importance is not superficial. Sonny understands this point better than him, but Sonny is too reckless and sentimental, and it is hard to imagine that if he had not died, the entire family would have become the leader of the Corleone family. He vanished in a moment of anger. Mike is a very smart person. He knows how to distribute the benefits and how to make the huge Corleone family and its followers settle down and get a share of the pie. But he did not see clearly that behind a person or even his family's life for you is not just driven by profit. If it is only driven by interests, then as the interests change, the leader will be in a passive position at any time. It was a sense of honor that led those families to follow Vito with all their heart. It's like saying before Frank's death in the second part, "We were like the Roman Empire, a Roman Empire that fought for honor. Those good old days." This can also explain why Mike has been so exhausted all his life. , There are always problems in some areas, and there is always a need for a balance of interests. And Vito is like the real emperor in the empire, everything is logical, if it weren't for Sonny's babble, there wouldn't even be that assassination. He sits in his garden, raises his hand casually, his expression determines everything, and he never makes a mistake. Marlon Brando's performance during this period is too classic, and the leisurely elegance and imperial atmosphere between gestures is impressive.
What helps Vito is loyalty, human touch, and sense of honor. Times have changed, more things need to be balanced, and the direction of business is also adjusting, but in the gang, these things will not change. At the beginning of the second part, Frank came to the huge party for Mike’s son’s birthday and exclaimed, “There are so many musicians, none of them are Italian.” In the end, Mike became self-sufficient and didn’t trust anyone, which might be related to his brother. Fredo betrayed himself concerned. But Mike's incomplete trust in Tom was obvious from the beginning, even if he explained that it was because he didn't want Tom to be hurt, but trusting or not, someone with special status like Tom would be more sensitive. There is a section in the book that specifically talks about how the old godfather used some methods to make Tom feel fully trusted. Mike apparently did not do so. This is true for relatives, not to mention those relatives who have no direct or nominal blood relationship with him. Frank said, "You sit high on Beverly Hills, where do you know our usual pain in the market." And these feelings, the old godfather does not have. He started with responsiveness to people. There is only one condition. I helped you today, and when I need you one day, you should also help me. Even the lonely old woman brought by his wife, obviously would not help him in his career, he still tried his best to help. Maybe you can say that he is just to gain reputation and fame. But when he himself was already the leader of the gang empire, he still maintained that attitude. Walking on the street to buy some fruits makes the audience feel like an ordinary kind old man. Vito never gives orders with a strong attitude, he always speaks with a suggestion, as if talking with you. This was very obvious in the opening scene of the first part. Even though he was irritated by the words of the funeral home owner, he calmly walked to the window and said slowly, "Sala, Sala, why are you doing this to me? Well. If you treat me as a friend, the person who offends your daughter will be punished the same day.” Of course, Bao Luo Sala understands that he wants more than just being a friend, but the horrible phrase “If one day I need you , You should help me too." But the majesty and horror contained in his gentle and friendly words were actually higher than Mike's cold and decisive command. What is the reason for this? Majesty is the inner strength, maybe they are all hypocrites. But warm hypocrisy is always more thorough and effective than cold hypocrisy, especially for people in their position.
There are often film critics comparing the lives of the old and new generations of godfathers with American history. Speaking of Mike, his middle age is like the United States at that time, he is self-sufficient, thinking that money can solve everything. But we all understand that it is more than just benefits and deterrence to let others work for themselves wholeheartedly. Mike, he gave up his ideals for his family and stepped into the gang, but in the end he went further and further away from his family and destroyed the family with his own hands. All that was left was a huge body. I have to say that this is a tragedy.
As fans of "The Godfather", we can't bear to think about Mike like this. When he was young, Mike always made people feel so distressed, even if in the end he was frantic and cold-blooded, his face felt sad at a glance. So when we analyze him and his life, we always say "the times have changed", as if we are interceding for him. Times have indeed changed, and Mike and Vito's growth trajectories are also different. Vito took the road to the gang in order to survive, and Mike gave up his ideals when he had nothing to worry about, and followed his own blood to the road to the gang. How could the difference be clear in a few words. But the more he reads, the more he understands that everything is the bitter fruit of his own character, no wonder the fate of the times.
If there is a link in "The Godfather" that is related to fate, it is love. In such a film dominated by men, it is full of killings and conspiracies, brotherhood, family relationships, and love seems to be just a dispensable embellishment. But when you go deep into the story of the godfather, you will find that this seemingly insignificant wind and snow is sometimes the decisive link.
Mike is, to some extent, the father of several sons most like his father. With a closed heart, it is difficult to see what he really thinks, whether it is for career or love; he is loyal to marriage and does not have a corrupt private life like Sonny and Fredo. Many people say that Mike's greatest fate is the death of Apollonia, which led him to marry an inappropriate woman, Kay. But maybe this is what Mario Puzo wants to tell us, some truth.
Kay and Mike got acquainted in their school days, or when he was in the military, the time point is not important, what is important is that they got acquainted with Mike's youthful and ideal youth. Mike of that period, returned from World War II, national medal, high-spirited, handsome and gentle, and always speaks modestly and politely. He will watch the movie with Kay on Christmas, and immediately change his words after discovering Kay's wrong face and say "No, you are Ingrid Bergman, and I will not love you more." Such kind of flattering words; he will be at his sister's wedding. Shi insisted on letting Kai take pictures with her family, even though she was just a new girlfriend at the time; he would say "Kay, this is my family, not me." I really like him at that time. The kind of gaze that is sure of one's future, a gentle expression, a smiling face. But destiny walked mercilessly to the assassination, arousing the family feelings in Mike's heart, making him go on a road of no return.
He reluctantly left the United States and sought refuge in his hometown of Sicily. Along with the Godfather theme song Love Theme, Mike is walking on the beautiful and primitive Sicilian hillsides. At this time Mike has completed the transformation of his life. After killing his enemy, he fled to his hometown, even though his face is still so handsome, but his eyes Something has changed. He no longer has the innocent warmth. When the local carer drove to the hillside to look for him and told him that he shouldn't walk around, he just said calmly, "I want to see Corleone Village and walk." There was no hesitation or temptation. At this time, he was no longer that innocent college student, and had become a young emperor.
In other words, this period in Sicily is an important transitional period in Mike's life. Before coming here, he was an innocent and promising young man who suddenly killed his enemies and began to transform; when he was in Sicily, everything was like a paradise, far away from the sinful world (although Sicily is famous for its gangsters), his character has already He started to change, but he still had good wishes; and with the death of Apollonia, his exile days ended and Mike returned to New York. The plot of the plot was extremely repressive black. He found Kay and hoped to marry her. But at this time, Mike has completely completed the transformation, and has become a new generation of godfather in his heart, and innocence has long disappeared.
Maybe this is the reason why we love Sicily, it is too beautiful, as beautiful as Apollonia, and as innocent. Mike was completely fascinated when he saw her. Some people say that this kind of love is not a deep love, but a visual impact, an impulse. But I think she is exactly the kind of woman that Mike is in during the transformation period.
There is no plot to explain how the old godfather Vito knew his wife, Mrs. Corleone. But from the second plot, we can see that their encounter must be unremarkable. She is gentle and introverted, not the kind of particularly stunning beauty, but a typical good wife type. An article said that it was the image of a typical housewife in Italy, as well as the image of a typical housewife in the old society. She doesn't talk much, and takes care of her family's children conscientiously and admires her husband. The husband’s affairs are not questionable, even if he is a murderer. I guess she must be beautiful when she was young, just as beautiful but simple as Apollonia. They must not have received any cultural education, all they know is that they have to marry a good family, do their part, and worship their husbands. Even though Apollonia’s young face sometimes shows a playful expression, we know that if he returns to the United States with Mike, she must be another Mrs. Corleone many years later.
For this mafia family, especially for their leader, what is needed is this kind of woman. It is hard to imagine that someone like the godfather would talk to his wife about his work and refer to her opinions. After dealing with a day of murder and murder, all he needs may be the company of his wife and children, a dinner without talking about work, a plate of fruit, and a cup of tea. Rather than repeatedly asking questions like "You promised me, when can the family be legalized?"
Perhaps, if Apollonia was not accidentally killed, Mike would become another Vito. In the end, it will not die alone, will not be frantic, and will not even expand family affairs to so many areas that it is huge but farther and farther away from legalization. But this is destiny. Apollonia was still dead, and he returned to New York to marry his long-time girlfriend Kay.
At one time, I hated Kay deeply. I think she ruined Mike. She always emphasized her values, but didn't realize Mike's difficulties. The conversation between the two of them before they broke up in the second part was full of intense despair. Mike's exhaustion turned into despair, despair and hatred, which left a deep impression on people. For Italians, the importance of descent is paramount. Kay’s abortion completely destroyed Mike’s last trace of nostalgia for this marriage. Kay knew this well, and she wanted nothing more than the result.
But then, I gradually understood something. How can we blame Kay for being too American, too modern, and too incomprehensible for Mike and their family's difficulties. When she fell in love with him, he was a young and promising innocent youth, doing all the righteous things. One day he suddenly left. After a long time, he came back suddenly. And asked her to marry him. In the period when Mike Xiangkai proposed to marry me, I couldn't see any warmth, even though he said that he always cared about her. That proposal was almost like an order, just like any order he was about to issue in his life. At that time, Kay obviously still had past feelings for Mike. She loved him, but she loved him in the past, and the years that followed were a loss of the past love, a continuation of weakness and self-paralysis. She may be living in fantasy, thinking that one day he will try to legalize the family completely because of his love for her and his love for children, so as to live the life of her dreams. But when she had a complete epiphany one day, her wish had long been frustrated, and Mike had no longer been the person he used to be, but had become a frightening devil, her kind of despair can be imagined. After she was old in the third part, she said to Mike, "I'm not without feelings or hating you. I'm just afraid of you, I'm afraid of you, I'm afraid that I will have your son again, and he will become like you one day." When I saw this sentence, I immediately forgave Kay. She was originally a woman of the new era, a typical American. I want to find an ordinary person who is in love with a little ideal, and live a warm and hopeful life. Who is not like this? Who doesn't want to live this kind of life. Who can accept that his husband is the largest gang leader in the United States and a murderous demon? And her education made it impossible for her to ignore things outside the window like those traditional Italian girls, letting it happen and still enjoy herself. Fate dictated that the person in front of her was completely unrecognizable overnight, but she herself did not change anything. She just understood it too late.
So, that view is correct. If Apollonia is not dead, everything will be different. But this is what the author wants. He wants Mike's tragedy, not a copy of his father's life. What he wanted was that he couldn't realize the warmth of family or love in the end, and completely turned into a cold-blooded suspicion and revenge. A life of loneliness, a life of sadness.
Now that the ending is like this, the audience will be more nostalgic for the love in the first Sicily. Accompanied by melodious music, he was walking on the hillside and suddenly saw a team of local female workers returning home from work, a girl in a lavender dress. Mike was stunned. Not only Mike, but the audience was equally stunned. She is too beautiful, pure and primitive beauty is really beautiful. Mike's feeling of being hit by love can happen several times in his life, and some people never have it. But when his bodyguard talked about it jokingly in the village teahouse, Mike solemnly said to the teahouse owner, the father of Apollonia, that he respected the local traditional customs and hoped to be formally in front of all his relatives. When dating her, he even said on the same day that he was willing to marry her.
Many people can't understand Mike's impulse. He has always been a calm person, not like someone who can do things like getting married when they meet. But we should try to experience that feeling. He must already know his transformation very clearly, just like the lost youth. But life is always the last fight, for the beautiful things that are most valued in my heart. That beautiful at this time, in this isolated village, is not Kai, not anyone in the United States, but turned into a young woman who just met. When a person is deeply in love, it is not exactly that person who loves, but the beautiful self and love itself in love. Mike's love for Apollonia is a beautiful metaphor for the age of innocence, and her final death is also the end of this metaphor.
Only when this fairy tale is over, we begin to sigh. Review over and over again, experience over and over again. In the Godfather's trilogy, only two large weddings were performed in the first part. One is the wedding of Vito's daughter at the beginning, in order to explain the background of the characters. The other is the grand Italian wedding between Mike and Apollonia in Sicily. I really lack vocabulary, but that beautiful period makes people want to cry. The two of them distributed food to the guests and danced gracefully, with a sweet expression immersed in happiness on their faces.
In common sense, someone will ask, what about Kay? At this time Mike thought about waiting for his girlfriend Kay in America? But no one has asked this question, even if the scene briefly cut to New York, Kay went to the godfather's house to find Tom, hoping to contact Mike. Everyone was immersed in the illusion, unable to extricate themselves. And in this illusion, the plot that touched me the most was: Mike visited her house for the first time and gave her a golden necklace. Apollonia accepted it shyly, her eyes flickering and she dared not look directly at him. And when they had a second family dinner, they were sitting at two ends across a long long table. After talking with her family one by one, Mike suddenly saw Apollonia staring at him bravely and fiddling with him. Clicking on the necklace on his neck, he smiled at her, and she gave back a sweeter smile. This move is undoubtedly an affirmation of Mike's pursuit, even if it is so implicit, there is not even a word. This section is also accompanied by the theme music of love theme, which is innocent or even unreal. The power of love is more holy in this implicit and classical atmosphere. I was surprised that the same is true in the traditional West. I thought that only the East could experience this implicit beauty.
Throughout the trilogy, his favorite woman is of course Kay. Kay accompanied him all his life, raising two children, even if he was divorced in middle age. And Apollonia soon died. Some people even pointed out directly in the book that the reason why Apollonia and his family can accept Mike is because Mike is obviously a rich man who has sought refuge in the United States. They can't ask for such a person to marry. And this kind of worldly concept will make this love draped in a veil, and it will appear less innocent. The film's handling in this respect is obviously different from the original book. Coppola downplayed this secular side, and highlighted the innocence and beauty of love. This treatment is very correct, and it is also in line with the meaning of this paragraph in Sicily and its weight in Mike's life.
In the third part, along with his son’s singing, Mike’s thoughts returned to Sicily that year, back to the happy dance between him and Apollonia at the wedding, old and tearful, maybe what he missed was only the last of his innocent age For a moment. And when it finally came to the last scene, Mike, who had lost his beloved daughter, sat alone in the garden when he was old, accompanied by only two dogs. The scene of him dancing with his daughter, Apollonia, and Kai in different time and space flashed before him. Then he died sadly.
Here, even if the audience feels distressed about him, it will not help.
The final outcome is life and destiny.
View more about The Godfather reviews
