Real mafiosi adopt fictional portrayals as status markers

Evidence

In the late 1970s a prominent aristocratic Sicilian family lent a country villa to a mafia boss for his daughter’s wedding reception. About five hundred people took part in the festivities. Apparently the music—deemed to have just the right touch of sentimentality—was one of the highlights of the occasion: it was the sound track from The Godfather. — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 349

Categorization

Category: Causal Relationships

• XREF: Life-imitating-art loop parallels Giannini’s concept of the trademark as information the producer broadcasts to signal quality — here the Mafia signals its own reputation via the film’s imagery.
• CANDY: A mafia boss played The Godfather soundtrack at his own daughter’s wedding — a fun, self-contained anecdote.

Related

• Real mafiosi actively engaged with their own cinematic mythmaking. (similarity 0.81)