However, this film, which mainly tells the story of mafia, has been criticized since its release. The biggest controversy is that many people think that this film deliberately beautifies the image of the mafia. Indeed, the audience who watch the movie carefully will find that the whole movie is full of mafia stories, and the leading characters of the movie, the old godfather Victor Corleone (played by Marlon Brando) and the young godfather Michael Corleone (played by Al Pacino), have positive images. In the whole film, the only policeman with high participation is the umbrella of drug dealers, which inevitably makes people feel that this film is to clear the name of the mafia.
In fact, the film is just a film after all. The reason why the director adopts some methods to beautify the mafia is mainly to express the ideological core that is more in line with the theme of the film. Besides, this is a movie, not a news documentary. Although the film ostensibly aims at exposing the life of the mafia, in fact, on the other hand, it is more like the director Coppola telling the story of men through the mafia, a special social group.
This movie is a movie with a man as the main character, aiming at making the story more logical. Director Coppola and screenwriter mario puzo set the story of this film in a closed space. In this space, Marlon Brando plays the old godfather, who is almost the master of the world. He is the embodiment of morality and wisdom in this world, even the embodiment of an ideal man.
Compared with Mike played by Al Pacino, it is obvious that the old godfather made a greater contribution to the first godfather. First of all, the old godfather is the driving force behind this film. It is because of his mysterious and authoritative existence that more legendary stories are involved. Although he is not a government official, he is not a celebrity. Nominally, he is a businessman in the olive oil business. Essentially, he is a mafia leader. The film doesn't explain how he became a gangster. But from the dialogue between the old godfather and Mike at the end of the film, it can be seen that the reason why the old godfather embarked on this road of life also contains a lot of helplessness and hardship.
From the first appearance, Marlon Brando played the old godfather and set the tone for the story of the whole movie. Some of his friends found him at his daughter's wedding because of "embarrassment" in life. sicilian has a rule that you can't refuse a friend's request at his daughter's wedding. With the help of strategist Tom, the old godfather responded to everyone's demands. At that moment, his powerful aura seemed to dominate the whole world inside and outside the screen and everyone's heart.
This film is called "the Bible for men" because it contains a lot of wisdom as a man. This wisdom is not only reflected in the specious lines. When the old godfather said these words, neither the enemy on the screen nor the audience in front of the screen could say "no" to the old godfather. Just like the famous saying in the film: "Give him a reason he can't refuse". Yes, when negotiating, we always try to convince each other with some logic. In fact, more often than not, we are wasting time, because most of the time, we haven't found the other party's "reasons why we can't refuse".
The so-called "reasons that can't be refused" in the film don't necessarily refer to violence. According to the old godfather's style, he will first deal with it according to social laws, move it with emotion, understand it with reason, and lure it to benefit. These are all the means of the old godfather, but once the old godfather feels he must use violence, he will not hesitate.
Then go back to the old godfather's attitude towards his career. In the old godfather's view, in society, everything related to interests is only an integral part of business. Even if his eldest son is assassinated, even if his youngest son is far away, he can negotiate with his competitors as part of his business, and even at the negotiating table, he can use his grandson as a bargaining chip.
In that great negotiation, the old godfather showed superb negotiation skills. At the seemingly dull negotiating table, the old godfather achieved his goal quietly. Under his arrangement, Mike finally returned to the United States smoothly, which laid the foundation for Mike to take over the family business later. However, what was said at the negotiating table was just a smoke bomb released by the old godfather to other families in new york. He was not confused by the scene at the negotiating table at that time. Through observation, he finally found his ultimate enemy, bassini, during that negotiation.
When the old godfather learned the news, he was not as eager to finish revenge as his impulsive eldest son Sonny. Instead, he took a roundabout tactic. First, he arranged for Mike to go home, because only when Mike went home would he have a chance to pass on the family business to Mike. At this time, Mike became the sole heir of the family. By this time Sonny had been assassinated, and Fredo was embarrassed.
Fans who watched Godfather 2 know that Mike finally executed his brother, but the old godfather never did. He has never abandoned anyone in his family, although his eldest son has a bad temper and his second son is weak. But the old godfathers can properly handle their relationship, which may be the difference between the first generation of entrepreneurs and the second generation of defenders.
However, the old godfather's biggest regret is that he finally had to let Mike participate in the family business. He once longed for Mike to take the family to another height, to be on an equal footing with those powerful people and get rid of the fate of being manipulated. In a sense, Mike definitely has what the old godfather expected, but his fate is confusing. Everyone has a destiny, and Mike's destiny is unique. In the end, he had to shoulder his mission for his father and family.
In this film, the director said many wise words about men through the old godfather, such as "Never hate your opponent", "This is just business" and "Any accident is a shame". But there is a saying that is particularly important for men, and that is: "You can never be a real man without being with your family."
If we carefully review this film, fans will find that both the old godfather and Mike have finally returned to the theme of family. In several important appearances, the old godfather put family in the most important position. At his daughter's wedding, he refused to take pictures without Mike. Before the assassination, he was preparing to buy some fresh fruit. When he saw the scarred body of his eldest son, his first worry was that his wife would be heartbroken. When he faced five families at the negotiating table, he was most worried about his youngest son, Mike, who was far away from home.
In the end, his chat with his younger son was his deep apology to his younger son and his deep regret to his family. He had a chance to get the whole family out of this crime, but he didn't fight his fate after all. The "godfather" in the film does not refer to faith, but is a kind of honorific title for the head of the family in the mafia. But the old godfather Victor Corleone, as a man, has his own beliefs, and his beliefs are family. He believes that only family can point out the direction for a man, only family can make a man's struggle meaningful, and only family can become a great man and the ultimate destination.
In the subsequent sequel, Mike tried to reverse the direction of the family business in the direction pointed out by his father, hoping that the whole family business could be washed away, but his efforts were in vain. However, Mike is still struggling to support the broken family. In the face of his brother's betrayal and his wife's abandonment, Mike is still struggling. Not for anything else, just for the belief in family, no family, no man.
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