IN CAMPANIA, life would seem to imitate art. Among seven people arrested last weekend in a series of raids on small towns close to Naples was small-time godfather Bernardino Terracciano.
Terracciano (53) was arrested on suspicion of having extorted protection money on behalf of the Casalesi clan, a Camorra (Neapolitan Mafia) family widely held responsible for an ongoing campaign of terror and intimidation that resulted in the killing of six African immigrants in Castel Volturno last month.
The point about Terracciano, however, is that he played the part of a small-time, local godfather in the award-winning film Gomorrah, an exposé of the Camorra that won an award at this year's Cannes festival.
Most critics reacted favourably to the film, though there were those who felt it was too cinéma vérité, too grimy and grubby.
One critic argued that it was too realistic, so much so that he had difficulty working out whether he was watching "real people or professional actors". In the light of Terracciano's arrest, that looks like fair criticism.
For years, Italian commentators have pointed to one of the great ironies of making films about organised crime.
Namely, if the director wants the film to have a feel of authenticity, then he/she will often choose to film on location, in the very region where the fictional action takes place.
In practice, though, this often results in the Mafia, be it Cosa Nostra in Sicily or the Camorra in Naples, becoming at least indirectly involved in the film.
In the case of Gomorrah, director Matteo Garrone chose to make the film almost entirely in and around Naples, using a small number of professional actors along with Neapolitans, usually with no acting experience, hired on the spot.
Garrone has pointed out that, given the dangerous nature of some of the neighbourhoods in which he filmed, he was happy to take local advice.
It would seem, though, that some offered more than just advice. Terracciano is at least the second member of the cast to be arrested following the arrest of boss Giovanni Venosa (he played a godfather in the film) in July.