James Caan On The Godfather Set
Above is a picture of actor James Caan on the set of the classic film, The Godfather. The film is a tale of the vicious criminal underworld run by the mafia and how its many different members play their parts in running a criminal organization.
The movie focuses around the Corleones, one of the most powerful families in the entire city of New York. Headed by their patriarch, Veto Corleone, (played by Marlon Brando) the family goes through trials and tribulations after going to war with another crime family. James Caan plays the role of Santino “Sonny” Corleone, the eldest son of the Corleone family and heir to their crime empire. He is a man of passion and recklessness, making the family concerned about whether or not he can truly be a good boss. The picture shows Caan as he is on break from shooting the death scene of his character in the film’s third act. Manipulating Santino’s brash nature, a rival gang sets up a trap they know he will rush into it head first. They gun him down and force his little brother, Michael, to take his place as heir.
Caan would play the part of the hot-blooded Santino so well that it would net him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Considering his costars who were also considered for the nomination were Robert Duvall and Al Pacino to name a few, this is a true achievement. Caan even remarked in an interview that he once had a membership to a country club rejected because they thought he would be just as fiery in real life as he was in the film.
