Alex,

I initially read "The Pope of Greenwich Village" in hardcover shortly after it came out in 1979. I thought the dialogue in that book put anything Puzo ever wrote to shame (that's dialogue, not storytelling ability).

I couldn't wait for the movie to come out and it did not disappoint. That film didn't do well in theatres at all. It became a cult hit on video much later. But I'm one of the people who actually saw it in the theatre.

I still watch it once a month and read the book at least once a year.