This is the meaning of director Wang Cheng’s "Doll’s House" "putting the cart before the horse", just like Michael Corleone looking back on "the birthday of that year" at the end of "The Godfather II", this kind of touch is an unchanging truth— —Only when the wanderer returns to his hometown can he truly see his journey clearly.
A popular commentary tendency is to discuss the causal relationship between the situation and the outcome of the two generations of godfathers by analyzing the characteristics of the two fathers and sons of Vito and Mike, the similarities and differences of the times, etc., but they overlooked a key-let We have also returned to the origin to see it more clearly. Yes, Mike’s soul return at the end of the film is indeed a kind of self-torture, but it is worth noting that "that year’s birthday" is whose birthday? Mike's? No, it's his father's. ——Even during the torture, the whole film did not even give Mike a little bit of his own "space". Without his own "space", then Mike's actions cannot be directly reflected on his own personality. You must know that before the whole film Mike develops his "core actions", he first asked his mother about his father. The question, and that answer, was the real answer that affected his life and created the final outcome: "family" (recall the birthday scene and the beginning of the two "Godfathers".), in any case this family cannot be lost (Even if you can lose friends, brother, sister, wife...). This goes back to many ancient cultural archetypes, and we can find another word, fate. And this is a core of the complexity of the "Godfather" series. It is undeniable that the source of moving and shocking power is sometimes just so simple and ancient, especially when it is also combined with all other beautiful or conventional things. When there is a conflict, it is a masterpiece. (By the way, in reality, this kind of family concept is in old Shanghai, and the Jiangbei Gang is a typical godfather with Chinese characteristics...)
Many people have commented on "The Godfather I" and "The Godfather II", and more people have imitated them. Almost everyone has read them. I don't need to say more. But the significance for me is that in the return of Wang Cheng's version of Nora and Mike in "The Godfather", I saw more of the return that I had previously ignored, and even outside the script, I found a way of interpretation, that is, " Back to my hometown", so I suddenly found a new horizon. I can find more details and support in any script and any role. I also have a new understanding of how Al Pacino’s performance methods are handled. Under the shadow of Marlon Brando, I had quite underestimated this young actor at that time, but now I can be sure that after understanding Part of his performance can even be said to be better than the era of "Scent of a Woman".
This is a simple act, and we don’t do it often, and people don’t seem to think about "return" until the end of the credits Mike. (It's just a consideration, otherwise there would be no "Godfather III". Then, if we are at a loss, when we are tired, and when we have distracted thoughts, let us start our journey back to "that year's birthday". Will the air in the heart also be purged for it?
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