The Bible of Mankind —— Understanding the Godfather

Vito was the leader of the Corleone family of the American mafia in the 1940s. Earn high profits and protect the weak while doing illegal things. Although there are criticisms, they also get everyone's support. He was shot for refusing Sollozzo's drug deal. The contradiction between mafia bosses intensified, and Vito's youngest son killed Solaso, the drug Lord, and fled outside. And his eldest son, Sonny, was shot because of the traitor's betrayal. In the great pain of losing his son, old Vito gave a final roar. He accepted the loss of his eldest son Sonny and got his youngest son Mike back safely. Mike, who inherited almost all the advantages of his father, came back and took over the family affairs. He wiped out all the enemies once and for all with thunder and became the second generation "godfather".

Why this film is called "man's Bible" has always been a mystery to me. When I tasted the pinnacle of this gangster film again, I finally realized something.

1, I'll give him a reason he can't refuse.

This is the most common line in the film. Corleone's youngest son, Mike, quoted this sentence lightly when he told his girlfriend Kay that his father had helped singer Johnny get rid of his old club. The so-called "irresistible reason" is to point a gun at Johnny's old boss's head.

Johnny appeared at Victoria's daughter's wedding and once again longed for his godfather's help-to star in a Hollywood movie. And this film can make him angry again. The producer refused to let Johnny play in this film because Johnny kidnapped his popular female artist. Tom, the godfather's adopted son, cut off the horse's head of the producer's beloved stallion and threw it on his bed. The frightened producer agreed to Johnny's "request"

Aside from the ruthless means of the old godfather, we can see that there are deeper reasons why he can become the most influential boss of the American mafia. He can give others a sense of certainty-doing things that others seem helpless. Over time, the image of keeping promises will be established in the crowd, which has established a high prestige and reputation for the old godfather in society.

That is, from the current point of view, a trustworthy person can always win a place in society and even establish authority for himself.

A man who doesn't spend time with his family is not a real man.

Sonny, Vito's eldest son, was grumpy and bohemian. Sonny was having an affair with a girl when Johnny complained to Victoria. Old Vito took the opportunity to teach Johnny a lesson by innuendo-men who don't spend time with their families are not real men.

Old Vito is a family man. He started from scratch and laid the foundation of Nuoda, not only for himself, but also for his family. At his daughter's wedding, strategist Tom asked whether to assign tasks to his son-in-law, but Vito refused. He doesn't want his daughter and son-in-law to get involved in this muddy water, just want them to enjoy a better life.

For his youngest son, Mike, old Vito's preference is more obvious.

During the wedding, the photographer will take a group photo for the Vito family. Vito found that his youngest son Mike was not on the list and refused to take pictures. I didn't take a new photo until Mike came. Vito was shot by Sollozzo after refusing to deal in drugs. In the process of recovering from illness, his youngest son, Mike, was forced to take refuge in Sicily in order to remove the threat of continuing to kill his father, and killed Sollozzo and McAskie, who jointly murdered his father. During this period, Sonny, the eldest son, was calculated for recklessness and lost his life. After old Vito recovered, he called a meeting of the most powerful families in the mafia to show his position. The attack, coupled with the loss of his son, made old Vito give up. He didn't want to fight any more, so he went to other big families for peace talks. In the tense peace talks, old Vito no longer insisted on refusing to use his own strength to escort the drug business, but he also made it clear that if his youngest son died, he would spare no effort to retaliate against everyone present.

Vito at this moment, like an old lion, is old, but the breath of the king is still there. Strong gas field and superb negotiation skills have enabled the peace talks to reach a consensus. Mike was able to return to China safely, but Vito's family was still not directly involved in the drug business.

Take care of your family and show the value of a man in the family. Keeping the bottom line of doing things is also the guarantee that Victoria can build the last safety bottom line for her family in the gang era.

Don't let outsiders know what you are thinking.

Sonny was there when old Vito turned down the drug business. But the difference is that Sonny showed unusual interest in the drug business, and even when his father was negotiating with Sollozzo, he couldn't help interrupting. After seeing Sollozzo off, old Vito severely reprimanded Sonny and told him never to let anyone know what he was thinking.

This is a portrayal of Vito's life. It's a pity that his eldest son Sonny didn't learn his father's profound "internal skills" and became a "born bird". This also doomed him to be calculated and die tragically. However, the youngest son, Mike, got his father's biography and became a more calm, calm, taciturn and decisive figure.

When Mike came to the hospital where his father was recovering, he found that all the bodyguards who guarded his father were gone. I didn't know until I asked the nurse that these people were driven out by the police. Mike soon realized the seriousness of the situation-Sollozzo, who assassinated his father, was not dead and was ready to attack his father again. Calm down, Mike kept the nurse who took care of his father, quickly called his brother Sonny for help, and then persuaded the nurse to change his father to another ward in a very firm tone. Hiding in the dark, Mike met Anceaux, a cake maker who came to visit his father in the hospital. Anceaux got help from old Vito. Mike took Anceaux to the hospital gate to protect his father. When Vito's assassin drove past the hospital, Mike made a gesture of reaching for his gun and scared the murderer away.

This experience made Mike clearly realize that Sollozzo would not give up his decision to assassinate his father, so when discussing the coping strategies at the family meeting, Mike gave a view that shocked everyone-taking the opportunity of peace talks to kill Sollozzo and McAskie! Sonny, the boss, strategist Tom and other core members suddenly looked at Mike, who had never been involved in family affairs.

The assassination process once again showed Mike's terrible calm and composure. Sollozzo is a big shot in the underworld all the year round, and McAskie is an old police officer who is about to retire. Although Sonny's informant bought them time to place their weapons, it was not easy to kill such two people face to face. According to the established plan, shortly after Mike arrived at the restaurant, he took out the pistol hidden in the toilet under the pretext of going to the toilet. After arranging his hair and clothes, Mike went back to the restaurant. After sitting in the chair, Sollozzo continued his negotiation, but by this time, Mike was no longer interested in hearing Sollozzo's plan. He is adjusting his emotions and looking for the most suitable time to shoot. At this time, there was the roar of the train passing outside, and Mike knew that his time was up. He quickly stood up, took out his pistol and shot Sollozzo in the head. Mike pulled the trigger again before McAskie could react. Mike paused, quickly left the restaurant and threw away his pistol.

The whole process was clean, and there was no emotion in Mike's eyes, and some were almost cruel and calm. Because of this, old Vito loved his little son dearly, and finally Mike took over everything at home.

Although the film tells the story of the rise and fall of the Mafia, some life philosophies expounded in it are still applicable even in today's society. Perhaps it is to tell the world that being a man (not just being a man) should have principles, a bottom line, responsibility and talent. In that special period, Vito, as an important leader of many mafias, created his own era with extraordinary will, although he chose a path that was not very wise.

However, aside from these, I saw a kind of sadness expressed in the film, that is, in a big era, the individual's helplessness and resistance to fate.

In the film, although Victoria's daughter Connie is a supporting role, she plays an important role in promoting the plot of the film at a critical moment. At the beginning of the film, it is at Connie's wedding that she wears a wedding dress happily, thinking that she will live a happy life from then on. However, her husband is a prodigal son. Because he is dissatisfied with the old godfather family, he repeatedly abused and beat her. Connie doesn't know that the root of her painful fate is not her dissolute husband, but her father. Perhaps because the father forbade her husband to enter the inner circle of the family, or because the Corleone family never looked up to her husband, this marriage was doomed to be a tragedy. As it turns out, not only Connie was constantly hurt in her marriage, but also her brother Sonny was designed to be killed because she vented her anger on herself. In the end, the husband could not escape the liquidation of his brother Mike.

Connie is the saddest character in the film. And she is just a microcosm of the Corleone family.

This film describes the struggle of Italian-Americans in America. An outsider was ostracized by the locals. In that special era, Vito, with his shrewd mind and superhuman courage, barely won a place for himself and his family by violence. However, while building a huge kingdom, it also planted the seeds of doom. With the development of the times, the industries that vito corleone and his family are engaged in will inevitably be less and less accepted by the whole times. This is also the reason why the whole series of movies gives people a dull and depressing feeling.

I have thought about this question: how can we avoid such a tragedy? Maybe there is only one way, before the ship sinks, to escape, the sooner the better. Mike has such ambition and perseverance. Once, he was separated from his family, and his initial feelings with Kay were based on this idea. However, perhaps because his experience after joining the army made him have a clearer understanding of politics, perhaps because his father was shot and his brother was shot, which inspired him to hold up an umbrella for his family. Mike returned to the family and took over his father's position. But he didn't give up the ideal in his heart and tried to make his family slowly turn white. However, it is difficult to return. Since lying to Caesar and not killing his brother-in-law, Mike has embarked on a road that can never be turned back. That door not only cut off the connection between Mike and Kay, but also cut off the connection between Mike and himself in the past

Perhaps, this is fate. In an era, individuals can't get rid of their destiny.