美国国家公共电台 NPR 'Take The Cannoli': 45 Years Spent Quoting 'The Godfather'

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

The Academy Awards are Sunday night. But that's just what we call a peg¹ for what I really want to talk about. This spring marks the 40th anniversary of "The Godfather." Leave the gun, take the cannoli. Francis Ford² Coppola's film is smartly scripted, beautifully acted and gorgeously directed. It's one of those special films you can see every few years and notice something new each time. It's an opera, really, where the arias³ are storylines about love, blood and America.

I think an important part of why "The Godfather's" become a part of popular culture almost half a century after it was made is that you can find a line from the film for most any occasion. It's not personal. It's strictly⁴ business. See? That's what Michael Corleone told Sonny when he said he would whack⁵ Sollozzo, the Turk who ordered the hit on Vito Corleone. Some of us have been quoting "The Godfather" most of our lives. We can have whole conversations just with lines from the film.

I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse. He held a gun to his head and my father assured him that either his brains or his signature would be on that contract. That's a true story. I never wanted this for you. I work my whole life. I don't apologize. I took care of my family. But I thought when it was your time you'd hold the strings⁶. Senator, governor - presidents and senators don't have men killed. Oh, who's being naive⁷ now?

It's an old Sicilian message. It means he sleeps with the fishes. What are you worried about? If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already. Do you know who I am? I made my bones when you were going out with cheerleaders. I want someone who's good, and I mean very good, to plant that gun. I don't want my brother coming out of that toilet with just his [explicative] in his hands.

You're my older brother, and I love you. But don't ever take sides against the family again - ever. A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man. Today, I settle all family business. So don't tell me that you're innocent. You talk about vengeance⁸. Is vengeance going to bring your son back to you or my boy to me? Certainly, he can present a bill for such services. After all, we are not communists. Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

(SOUNDBITE OF SLASH⁹ PERFORMANCE OF LARRY KUSIK AND NINO ROTA COMPOSITION, "LOVE THEME FROM 'THE GODFATHER'")

SIMON: That's Slash, not BJ Leiderman, who does our theme music. And you're listening to NPR News.

1 peg   

n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定

参考例句：

• Hang your overcoat on the peg in the hall.把你的大衣挂在门厅的挂衣钩上。
• He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet.他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。

2 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

3 arias   

n.咏叹调( aria的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Can you pick out the operatic arias quoted in this orchestral passage? 你能听出这段管弦乐曲里有歌剧式的咏叹调吗？ 来自辞典例句
• The actions are large and colour, there are arias and recitatives. 动作夸张而华美，有唱段也有宣叙部。 来自辞典例句

4 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

5 whack   

v.敲击，重打，瓜分；n.重击，重打，尝试，一份

参考例句：

• After years of dieting,Carol's metabolism was completely out of whack.经过数年的节食，卡罗尔的新陈代谢完全紊乱了。
• He gave me a whack on the back to wake me up.他为把我弄醒，在我背上猛拍一下。

6 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

7 naive   

adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的

参考例句：

• It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.相信他会言行一致，你未免太单纯了。
• Don't be naive.The matter is not so simple.你别傻乎乎的。事情没有那么简单。

8 vengeance   

n.报复，报仇，复仇

参考例句：

• He swore vengeance against the men who murdered his father.他发誓要向那些杀害他父亲的人报仇。
• For years he brooded vengeance.多年来他一直在盘算报仇。

9 slash   

vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩

参考例句：

• The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
• Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。