When Johnny, who was released after serving his sentence, walked out of prison, Frankie was returning to his hometown to attend the baptism ceremony of his godson. The ritual and music of the church seemed to announce Johnny's new life. Johnny has excellent cooking skills and got a job as a chef in the small restaurant where Frankie served as a host, and the two people have an intersection. Johnny quickly noticed Frankie. First of all, because the song "Frankie and Johnny" that described the story of the murder of women and men at the beginning of the film made Johnny believe that there should be a story between himself and Frankie, and secondly, in the hostess. Frankie is the most beautiful. So Johnny chased Frankie, and the two gradually became close. However, Frankie's closed heart did not open. When Johnny proposed to marry her and have children, Frankie lost control of his emotions and became furious at Johnny. It turned out that Frankie was a victim of domestic violence, so that she had a miscarriage and could no longer give birth. This kind of experience made her sensitive and fragile, and she no longer believed in love and no longer opened her heart to others. Therefore, she did not admit that the relationship between her and Johnny was love, and quarreled with Johnny about it. But Johnny's affection and thoughtfulness eventually infected and moved her. In the end, Frankie accepted Johnny. The two were bathed in the first ray of sunlight in Debussy's "Moonlight Sonata".
In the film, the lighting window of Frankie's residence presents a very symbolic picture. The setting of this scene is quite the charm of Hitchcock's film "Rear Window". A couple lived in the left door of the window. His wife was also victimized by domestic violence. Frankie witnessed the husband beating his wife severely. Frankie wanted to close this window, and it symbolized her past. To the right of the window lived an old couple who depended on each other, but they were relatively speechless. This is like a sign of Frankie's future. At the end of the movie, Frankie accepts Johnny. When she sits under the window again, she finds that the wife who has been abused by her husband has run away. Only the drooping husband is sulking. Frankie laughed. Perhaps this is also the case. It means that she is no longer bothered by her past, and the camera does not show the old couple, because Frankie already has a future with Johnny.
The emotional motives in the film are pure and true. The film uses the game of guessing the age of two people to show the reality that Frankie and Johnny are not young, but they are all alone. Johnny is divorced and lives alone in a big city like New York. He has the need for love and the need to be needed. Frankie is shackled by the past and dare not touch love again. The appearance of the enthusiastic Johnny was like a warm current, a little warm and moved Frankie whose heart was frozen. The film takes the two people from the understanding to the further understanding and identification, as well as the twists and contradictions in this, the proper performance of the two people, the transition and the transition are smooth and natural.
Of course, this change in the relationship between the hero and the heroine is also inseparable from the wonderful interpretation of the actors Al Pacino and Michel Pfeiffer. In my impression, Al Pacino rarely appeared in such a purely romantic movie. The role of Johnny is not as complicated as his other roles. This role is simple and straightforward, and may have a dark past, but he actively and down-to-earth seeks to earn a living. Road, he loves life, it is this clear temperament that can infect and light up Frankie. Michelle Pfeiffer’s performance is free and easy. At first, she was curious and liked Johnny, but she tried to hide it. Facing Johnny's passionate pursuit, she was as confused as a little girl and didn't know what to do; finally Opening her heart, she was sensitive and fragile, but she also showed the stubborn temperament of Frankie, making this character plump and real.
From the perspective of the plot, the love story of Frankie and Johnny is so ordinary, but the commendable point of this movie is that although it focuses on love, it shows a whole picture of ordinary citizens' lives. The little supporting roles that appeared in the movie have also been portrayed full and image: the owner of the restaurant came from Greece to the United States to work hard, and the restaurant business is booming, and he has a career. He gave Johnny a job, who was just released from prison. Chance. In the restaurant, the male chef has both those who keep on the phone with his girlfriend all day long, and those who pursue the dream of a screenwriter and finally realize their dreams. Among the waitresses, there are those who are old and have nowhere to go and die alone, and there are those who enjoy in time and don't want the future. In a small restaurant space, each character has a different personality and speaks words that match his identity. Although the movie doesn't touch them much, it uses their words and deeds to show a strong sense of life.
At the end of the film, the camera passed several main characters such as the owner of the restaurant and the waitress. It did not judge, but showed the different mornings of different people: the owner and his family slept together, and there was a stranger lying next to the waitress who had fun in time. The man, the waitress who had become old, was lying on the bed alone. In this way, the movie may be conveying the message "No matter whether love comes or not, life will continue".
I like the simple narrative technique of this movie. It unearths the material of love stories from ordinary life scenes, and gives a beautiful experience to the trivial and boring daily life. This is the magical skill of the movie. Performance. Although it has romantic elements, such as the float next to Frankie and Johnny when they kissed for the first time, it is not deliberate; although it has a little bit of life details, it is not deliberately laid out for the sake of creating fun, but with the characters The identity and character are set. The film not only has the theme of love, but at the same time conveys the value of the pursuit of dreams and the love of life. In addition, it criticizes domestic violence and expresses the phenomenon of no one to rely on.
Although this movie is unknown in many love movies and few people mention it, I love it very much. In my opinion, its fascinating feature lies in its ability to see the big from the small. Through the love story of Frankie and Johnny, it shows the different emotions and living conditions of the middle and lower-class people. The structure of the film is rigorous and echoes before and after. Not only the main characters are full-faced, but the supporting roles can also be memorable. It is really a good movie worth watching.
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