I'm not sure if I should post this here or in the Organized crime real life forum...anyway this is a topic I'm hugely curious about and I'm sure that if real mafia somehow let it know how they did perceive the movie and the impact it had on the audience, the GF gurus in the BBs know it.

I'm far from an expert, but I believe that there were maffiosi who tought the film was very 'cool'. They wanted to be like Vito, Santino, ... And acted like them.

Somewhere in the seventies, a powerful maffiaboss had a trial in Sicily. He had seen The GF, and when he was in the courtroom he acted totally like Vito Corleone. He pulled his lip up, he mumbeld, and did all kinds of slow Vito-handgestures...

I read somewhere that a lot of mafia people were around in the sets (those shot around the streets) when the film was being made. I am not talking about the big guys here, they were the street level operators. They were happy that a film glorifying them was being made and many of them went to watch the movie. But they realized that once the shooting was done, all their celebrity status was lost. I don't remember where I read this, it was actually an old review. Written around the time when the movie was released. I vaguely remember that someone on this boards posted a link to that. Not sure...

Yes you are right, it was Luciano Liggio.

All mafiosi i read about liked it, they said it was very real. Nino Calderone (an informer in Sicily) told in his book that every guy in his family (around 30 people) read the book and saw the movie..

As far as I know, in Russia every criminal with an authority among mob, every criminal who is able to read, have aready read this book...

GF was wildly popular among real Mafiosi. FBI and other law enforcement who were bugging mobsters picked up many conversations about the film--all of them admiring--and caught mob guys and wannabees talking like people in the film.
As you probably know, Joe Columbo muscled Paramount to delete references to "Mafia" and "Cosa Nostra." In return, he gave the crew lots of cooperation during filming. He also let James Caan follow around some of his gang to study their ways. Caan mimicked Carmine (the Snake) Persico, who was then a Columbo capo. The FBI, which didn't know Caan, for a time had him listed as a new Columbo "made guy."

Mafia did like the movie and thought it was best film yet to portray the life of a mobster. Henry Hill was amazed by the film, and it was only movie, He enjoyed as usually he wouldn't be able to stand watching such a lengthy movie, as he's always on the move.

Though he wasn't cosa nostra, Saddam Hussein's favorite movie is The Godfather. It's kind of interesting...

WOW!!! I didn't know it, Turnbull!!! It's incredible, isn't it?

Yeah...and kind of disturbing as well....

OMG, it must have been a lot of fun....

Yeah, it sure was. One of the most powerful criminals of Italy, was about to be convicted and put in jail for 3000 years. What a great atmosphere must have been there...

I guess he figured he might as well go out on a lighter note. No matter how ruthless or bloodthirsty he was, people were always going to remember him as "That goofball who did the Brando impression at his trial." Great.

_The Rodriguez Cartel, In Cali (Colombia) maked every member of their family to watch The Godfather at list 25 times.

_Pablo Escobar belived the only real Gang Lord was Don Vito Corleone.

They where not maffiosi, but gangsters... Anyhow.

Ta ta...