Because the film is too long and the narrative style is slow, it is easy to give up at first sight, but as long as you keep watching it, it is basically in into the pit. Because the film is interspersed with many narratives and flashbacks, it contains too much information, and many details can't be realized at once. I'm sure you will watch it the second time and the third time, and the interpretation methods and appreciation angles are also diverse.
The purpose of this film review is, on the one hand, self-induction and, on the other hand, introduction to friends who haven't come to into the pit yet. So we rearrange the narrative structure in chronological order, first try to make the story clear, and then find some details to appreciate and feel.
192 1 year, in the slums of new york, USA, 14-year-old teenagers "Noodles", "Paixiao", "Percy" and a younger Dominic wandered the streets to help gangs collect protection money and do some tricks. It was not until they met Max, a teenager who had just moved, that the fate of several friends changed. ?
The United States was in the period of prohibition in the 1920s, and the main income of gangs was smuggling alcohol. Noodles thought of a way, successfully escaped the police's tracking, greatly increased the flow of private wine, and several small partners also earned the first bucket of gold.
12 years later, MAX was released from prison after eating noodles. In the underground winery of Pang Lao Mo, noodles only know that their business is doing very well, and all the money earned these years has noodles. Noodles naturally rejoined the small gang. MAX obviously claimed to be the boss, and Paixi and Noodles listened to his command.
The Gang of Four became more and more arrogant. After robbing jewelry and diamonds, it was black and white. In the end, they actually participated in the struggle of the trade union strike, and even directly scuffled with the police. In several actions during this period, Noodles gradually rejected Max's ambition and always cared about his first girlfriend Deborah, and Max was very angry at Noodles' lack of enterprising spirit.
Prohibition will be lifted soon, and the income of the gang will be in trouble. Max planned to rob the federal bank, but Noodles didn't agree, and they had another quarrel. After a painful choice, Noodles reported the smuggling activities of Max and others to the police, hoping to save the lives of the two brothers through several years of imprisonment. Unexpectedly, Max, Paixao and Percy were all killed that night. Noodles full of remorse were chased by gangs as traitors and had to flee from new york. At the station, they found that the gang funds of 6.5438+0 million disappeared inexplicably.
Thirty-five years later, Noodle received a mysterious letter and returned to new york alone, only to find the story reversed. Max didn't die, but cheated all his brothers, took the gangster fund for himself, changed his name and became Minister Bailey. The most unacceptable thing is that Deborah, her first love girlfriend, turned out to be Max's mistress and had a child with Max.
Minister Bailey encountered an irreversible political crisis and wanted to die. He only feels that he owes too much noodles and hopes to die in the hands of noodles. After knowing everything, the noodles did not show the impulse when they were young, but left silently. Max couldn't get the last psychological comfort and committed suicide by throwing a garbage truck.
The story is over, but it can only be regarded as an outline of the story.
If you tell the story directly, everything looks dull except for the big reversal at the end. In fact, one of the outstanding points of this film is the method of interspersed narration.
For example, at the beginning of the movie, Noodles smoked a pipe in China, and the harsh ringing of the telephone constantly stimulated Noodles. I didn't know until I read it. The ringing of the phone suggested that Noodles called to report the case, which led to the murder of their brother.
Then the noodles escaped, and 35 years later they jumped back to new york. The really amazing scene is that 40 minutes after the movie started, the old man recalled his childhood through a peephole. Deborah, a teenager, is the most beautiful girl in the movie I have seen personally, and there is no one.
Deborah's emotional entanglement with noodles is also an important story line of this film. Deborah is the daughter of the hotel owner, so her family is a little better. Her charm is not only pure beauty, but her firm ambition to be a star and enter the above society since she was a child. Noodles have feelings for her, just like when I was a child, I saw the beautiful school flower in the next class, and I didn't even dare to say hello, so I could only peek. Noodles often spy on Deborah's dance practice from the small hole in the toilet of Laomo Hotel. Deborah had already discovered that the noodles were peeking, but she didn't expose them, and she had to strip off her clothes to expose the small PP to lure the noodles.
Deborah's love for noodles is also a clear feeling. As she said, noodles are the only person she cares about. When she read the Bible to Noodles, she made it clear that "he can never be my lover". She felt in her bones that she could not marry a rogue, but she gave herself her first kiss. All this was seen by Max, who was jealous of Deborah and noodles since childhood.
Noodles was released from prison at the age of 26, which was the only chance for Noodles to leave the gang. As soon as he saw Deborah, it was like finding a spiritual home, which was interrupted by Max's intentional intervention. Later, the noodles were wrapped in the best hotel in Long Island and told her girlfriend, but Deborah was as calm and clear-cut as ever. She wants to leave noodles and go to Hollywood to develop. Noodles are dying, but Deborah's gentle farewell has triggered an incredible rape.
Many people condemned this play before, but I personally couldn't understand it at least 10 years ago. In the final analysis, this is caused by the dislocation of two kinds of thinking. Deborah has planned a route to the upper class for herself since she was a child. In her dictionary, it should be a gentle goodbye, and the "prince" usually lets go calmly and politely. As for 12 noodles that just came out of prison, she ruthlessly refused to push noodles into endless hell again, which completely aroused the beast in a rogue's heart. From this moment on, the noodles died, and what may be left is brotherhood.
What about brothers? Max's crazy plan to rob the federal bank deeply tortured the noodles. He didn't want his brother to go to the point of no return. He chose the most taboo informant in the gang, but directly killed several brothers and fled for 35 years with full regrets. The only good memories of the last big anti-transfer noodles have disappeared. This is the tragic life of noodles. Personally, Robert De Niro's performance in this film is the best performance in his acting career.
On the surface, Max is the biggest winner in life, which fully proves that in this free country of America, a poor boy can get into the upper class by virtue of his intelligence and unscrupulous means. He can completely control the flute and Percy, but he always loses to stubborn noodles in the gas field.
This made him come up with a poisonous trick, prompting Noodles to call the police to save his brother's initial heart, killing two innocent brothers, and pretending to be dead at the same time, taking all the property for himself, while Noodles had to escape alone with the guilt of killing his brother. His plan is flawless, even putting the beloved woman and the woman who has played with noodles into his harem, which shows his inner distortion and abnormality. Finally, when Noodles told Max that "my brother died 35 years ago", Max's American dream was completely shattered. If he committed suicide in a garbage truck, would he admit that he was a garbage?
There are many interesting details in this movie, for example, the nicknames of several people can explain their fate.
MAX is the biggest representative of the boss, and it also implies an insatiable desire.
Noodles noodles have another meaning: idiot.
Cross-eyed flute playing means that drunk people always play with their flutes, which provides most of the background music of this film.
Patsy Percy means gullible person. When he was a child, he bought a cake, which was intended to pay Peggy for prostitution, but he couldn't resist the delicious cake. He ate one mouthful at a time, which indicated his life style.
These four brothers are idiots and fools except MAX. They all died at the age of 26. Noodles taste worse than life.
Deborah successfully planned her own life, but in the second half of her life, she turned out to be Max's mistress, which means that she acquiesced in Max's complete betrayal and deception of noodles. She gave birth to a child with MAX, but was given the same name as noodles, which shows that her life is full of irreconcilable contradictory feelings and material choices. What happiness can she have by pretending to live all her life?
This is an adult fable about the "American Dream", with excellent narrative techniques and successful characterization, which clearly depicts the American gangs, civilians and upper class from the 1920s to the 1960s. There are many imitations and tributes behind this film, such as brighter summer days and sunny days, which can show some expressions for reference.
Finally, I want to say that the connotation of this film goes far beyond the above, and there are still many places worthy of appreciation and understanding. Welcome everyone to jump into the pit together.