Giulio Andreotti - Popular Culture

Popular Culture

• In Italy, his detractors nicknamed him Belzebù (Beelzebub) or "The Prince of Darkness", because of his alleged Mafia links. Other disparaging nicknames include "The Black Pope" and "The Hunchback".
• The fictional character Don Licio Lucchesi from the movie The Godfather Part III, a high-ranking Italian politician with close ties to the Mafia, was modeled on Andreotti. Tellingly, before Lucchesi was killed, his killer whispered in his ear "Power wears out those who don't have it".
• He appeared as himself in the 1983 film Il tassinaro, alongside Alberto Sordi.
• A joke about Andreotti (originally seen in a strip by Stefano Disegni and Massimo Caviglia) had him receiving a phone call from a fellow party member, who pleaded with him to attend judge Giovanni Falcone's funeral. His friend supposedly begged: "The State must give an answer to the Mafia, and you are one of the top authorities in it!". To which Andreotti answered puzzled, "Which one do you mean?"
• The Italian satirical magazine Cuore referred to Andreotti as Giulio "Lavazza" – Lavazza being a leading Italian brand of coffee. This was a reference to the alleged involvement of Andreotti in the assassination of banker and felon Michele Sindona, killed in jail with a poisoned espresso.
• Andreotti is the subject of Paolo Sorrentino's Il Divo, winner of the Jury Prize at the 2008 Cannes film festival. Andreotti walked out of the movie and dismissed the film, saying he believes he will in the end be judged "on his record".
• On 2 November 2008, Andreotti appeared on the entertainment program Questa Domenica ("This Sunday"), broadcast on the Italian television channel Canale 5. During his appearance, he seemed to be in difficulty and there was speculation he had suffered a stroke. Andreotti was twice asked a question and simply failed to respond, although his eyes remained open. The director cut to an advertisement break, following which Andreotti reappeared in seemingly better condition. The incident was presented as a consequence of technical difficulties.