Customer Reviews

Scarface [VHS]

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A gritty, fast-paced gangster film that ranks among the best. Made with a purpose in 1932, take into consideration for example the complete title; 'Scarface: The Shame Of A Nation' and the beginning credits that ask you 'what are you going to do about it?', very straightforward but naïveté aside this is one of the best gangster films of all time. Paul Muni delivers a powerful performance, he is a driving force throughout the movie. Muni plays Tony Camonte, a character that is more than 'loosely' based on Al Capone. He easily dominates every scene he's in except one or two scenes that get stolen by Ann Dvorak as his sultry little sister. George Raft is equally impressive as Tony's best friend and partner in crime. Boris Karloff, fresh from the success of 'Frankenstein' just one year earlier, also appears as one of Tony's competitors. Ann Dvorak is excellent as Tony's sultry sister who is also in love (or is it lust?) with Tony's best friend (Raft). Scandalous at the time particularly because of the unhealthy relationship between Tony and his sister. Those hints of incest are still kind of shocking today. Some of the elements were taken from real life like the 'St. Valentine Day Massacre' for example and the name 'Scarface' is directed at Al Capone himself. The ending is a knockout. An intense and brutal gangster drama that's brilliantly directed by Hawks. A remake was attempted in the 80's with Brian DePalma and Al Pacino in the role of Tony Montana, but was much more graphic and violent not to mention overlong. This remains the best of the Scarface films. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film an 8!

I see reviews here dating back to the year 2000. This review is for the Universal Cinema Classics release of Scarface that came out in May 2007. First off, the video and audio on this print are excellent. There is no hissing in the audio, and there are very few artifacts in the video. The extras are another matter. First there is an introduction by TCM host and film historian Robert Osborne who provides the same excellent short introduction that he would were Scarface playing in prime time on TCM and he were introducing it there - no more, no less. The only other extra is an alternate ending scene for Scarface. There is no commentary track, which is a shame considering this film, along with "Little Caesar" and "The Public Enemy" form the founding trio of the gangster film in the sound era of the motion picture.

As for the movie itself, it is based on real events that happened in the criminal career of Al Capone, although Capone's criminal career had already ended with his conviction on charges of tax evasion six months before this film was released in April 1932. You know you're watching a Howard Hughes production when, during the first scene, a bar employee is sweeping up after a party held by one of Chicago's big gangsters and finds a bra among the confetti. The film shares some aspects with its gangster film predecessors - Tony Camonte is motivated by a desire for power just as Edward G. Robinson's Rico was in "Little Caesar", and also like Rico takes over the gang from a boss he perceives as weak. However, Camonte doesn't seem to have the pent-up rage of Public Enemy's Tom Powers. When Tony performs acts of violence it is usually related to gangland business. The actual deaths are strictly business, but the execution of the killings themselves are something Tony takes pride in - a sort of work of art on his part. Like Tom Powers, Tony Camonte is given a family background, but unlike Tom Powers, Camonte's family is a completely dysfunctional one. What is unique in this gangster picture is Tony's trio of love interests. He wants his boss' girl, Poppy, as a status symbol. He also seems to have a love affair going with the machine gun, acting like he has discovered America the first time he shoots one. Finally, Tony is in love with his own sister Cesca. Tony's only true fits of rage occur when he sees her with another man, and it is this loss of emotional control over this one issue that is ultimately his downfall. George Raft, an ex-gangster of sorts himself, is terrific as the smart and level-headed Guino Rinaldo, Tony's right-hand man. Finally there is Vince Barnett as Tony's extremely inadequate secretary in a bit of comic relief turned tragic at the end of the film. This film is truly a classic. I just wish Universal had put in a commentary track, for such a cinema landmark is certainly worthy of one. Highly recommended.

----- * IN A NUTSHELL: NO GLAMORIZING OF PUBLIC ENEMIES HERE -*

A dark and dank insight into the depraved and exciting world of bootlegging gangsters at their worst.

WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT: [WARNING -- CONTAINS PLOT SPOILERS BELOW]

Tony Camonte [Paul Muni], is the lead, and a character patterned after Al Capone (also called "Scarface")but not in every way. The obviously amoral Camonte gradually seizes control of the bootlegging racket, from Johnny Lovo (Osgood Perkins), his boss, through a series of barbaric murders which eventually include Johnny Lovo. Apparently, Camonte's ambition is translated into brutality as his sole constructive force, which is hardly constructive at all. There is no bargaining, communicating or making deals, Camonte simply kills everyone that stands in his way even if it is really not needed. I think I counted 26 murders in the film, but others have stated that they counted 28.

BACK TO THE ACTION:

After bumping off his boss Lovo, with the aid of henceman Guino Rinaldo [George Raft], Camonte took up with Lovo's mistress, Poppy [Karen Morley]. Though he has lusted after Poppy from the start, Tony has shown oddly incestuous interest in his own sister, Cesca [Ann Dvorak] that seemed more emotionally deep than that for his newly found trophy girl. There were hints about the incestuous nature of their relationship throughout the film with their mother, who Tony never implied was anything more than a domestic servant, constantly warning Cesca about Tony's intentions in veiled but unmistakable language.

Believe it or not, there is actually humor woven into "Scarface" throughout, with one of the best examples being the murder of Gaffney, [Boris Karloff] while he was bowling. The camera pans to Gaffney's bowling ball knocking down all the pins which is a strike, and one of the many examples of the "X" being used to indicate a murder being committed throughout the film. This reduced the explicitness of the violence, but was perhaps more effective and thought provoking through the implicitly clear outcome.

In the end, Camonte got what he had coming and took it like a weasel, which was required by the censors, but it also removed the romanticism that frequently was given to the many violent criminals of the day, especially Capone. His sister died with him, actually before him. At which point he became a defeated man, ready to throw in the towel, but not before he provided proof that he was no hero and unworthy of anyone's respect, which the police had told us to expect.

ABOUT THE TONE OF THE FILM AND ITS TIME:

Hughes had all kinds of problems with the censors of the day, and we are told that two versions of the film were released. One without the censors approval and one with. Also, that a moral prologue had to be added at the beginning of the film, and added several times during it, to make clear that this was a bad thing we were seeing, [the ruthless life of a killer] and that it was not okay to emulate. In essence, to make clear that the message of the film was NOT to encourage this kind of lifestyle.

MY TAKE ON THE MESSAGE:

To me, the lead character, Tony Camonte, is a vicious swine whose courage came in the form of a gun in his hand. His lusts' and interests' were both perverted and dispicable, making him an unsympathetic character, and a blight in any civilized society. Good - because that is how he was meant to be seen. That, in no way, diminishes the potency of this film. Instead it punctuates and highlights the right from the wrong, the good from the bad. We may not be sure what the good and right is, after seeing this film, but we can be sure what is bad and wrong, because we have seen it for 93 minutes by the time the film ends.

-----*- PRINCIPAL ACTORS -*

Paul Muni - Tony Camonte
Ann Dvorak - Cesca Camonte
Karen Morley - Poppy
George Raft - Guino Rinaldo
Boris Karloff - Gaffney
Osgood Perkins - Johnny Lovo

-----*- PRODUCTION CREW -*

Howard Hawks - Director / Producer / Screenwriter
Howard R. Hughes - Producer
W.R. Burnett - Screenwriter
Ben Hecht - Screenwriter
John Lee Mahin - Screenwriter
Seton Miller - Screenwriter
Fred Palsey - Screenwriter
Armitage Trail - Book Author

ABOUT THE VIDEO:

The video quality was variable, but it was watchable from beginning to end. The sound was even better, with very little of the background hiss that we can expect from a 74 year old film.


BOTTOM LINE:

An excellent film and an excellent companion for the more recent remake of Scarface,1983, Directed by Brian De Palma and starring Al Pacino. When one recalls that Scarface was made in 1932, before film-noir, and actually during prohibition [1920-1933] it reminds us of what a gem this "talky" is.

"Scarface", belongs to the trio of classic gangster films with "Public Enemy", and "Little Caesar", of the early thirties that defined forever what a gangster or crime tale should like like.Even all these years later "Scarface" cuts a vivid and often frightening picture in its depiction of one ruthless crime boss and the means he uses to make his way in the world. Being of the pre code era "Scarface", in some respects has a surprisingly modern and non sentimental feel to it which makes it really entertaining viewing even today.

Paul Muni had one of his most memorable screen roles in "Scarface' as Tony Camonte a small time hood who by most often ruthless methods, manages to climb up the crime ladder to be one of the crime bosses involved in everything from paybacks to illegal bootlegging. The film chronicles his seedy rise from small time thieving and intimidation to where he undermines his old "boss" and takes over all his underworld operations, to where he becomes the crime boss of the city while destroying everyone who loyally supported him on his rise. Loosely modelled on the Al Capone character Tony Camonte is a highly unlikeable character and it's to Paul Muni's great credit that he manages to instill in the character as much dimension as is possible in an individual that possesses few redeeming qualities. He begins as a cocky nobody out for anything he can get, developing into a more polished crime lord till his fall when he becomes the sniverling pathetic individual that was always lurking beneath the surface. It is a terrific performance which cemented Muni's stardom for the decade and placed him forever with the all time gangster greats like Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. Paul Muni would go on to create many memorable pieces of work in such diverse films as "I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang", "The Story of Louis Pasteur", and "The Good Earth",among others, but this performance is the one he would always be most remembered for.

The film has a gritty hard look about it and never compromises on showing the violent, unsafe and indeed terrifying underworld and the ruthless individuals that peopled it. Murders, incest, betrayal and illicit sex are all portrayed here with few attempts to gloss over the truth. "Scarface" contains many memorable performances, first and foremost in one of his best performances George Raft as the ruthless sidekick to Tony, Guino Rinaldo who pays the ultimate price for crossing Tony in his plans and falling for his little sister. His supposed real life gangster connections give Raft a glowing realism here and his trademark tossing of a coin was unforgettably sent up years later in Billy Wilder's "Some Like It Hot". Ann Dvorak as Tony's over sexed sister Cesca who also has a vividly incestious realtionship with her brother is another memorable and no holds bared character who would never have been allowed in films in just a few years after this film was made. She is a very sexual creature that holds her brothers love above all else and is even willing in the end to help kill for him. Karen Morley strikes an unforgettable impression as the cold as ice moll of first Johnny Love Tony's gangster boss, and when he outlives his usefullness, of Tony himeslf. She is slick, cold blooded and someone who revels in violence and hard company. Her's is an unforgettable performance and one of the best female characters to appear in any of the 1930's gangster films as she is her own boss and decides what she wants to do herself with no help from any man. The film has many violent scenes of gang warfare, mass killings, car chases, characters outliving their usefulness to Tony and being eliminated, and seduction. It's a vivid tale that will stick in your memory long after the fantastic final shoot out when Tony meets his richly deserved end.

These pre-code efforts by studios like Warner Bros. and Universal hold up very well even today and "Scarface" has justly been considered a memorable classic since its release in 1932. Weakly remade in the 1980's, the Howard Hawks version starring Paul Muni is still the one to see. With its warts and all, no holds barred look at the seamy side of a gangster's life it is unsurpassed. For a slice of underworld life I highly recommend that you sit back and savour the delights of the violent yet extremely entertaining 1932 version of "Scarface".

Crazysexycool is the best way I can describe Paul Muni's character in Scarface. Muni,as always is excellent. He takes a ruthless,coldblooded killer and gives him likeablilty and appeal. Except for the "moral lecture" in the middle, the movie is great. That scene was added to satisfy the censors in 1932. Director Howard Hawks said that the scene made him want to puke. If you see the movie, you will see what he means. It only serves to slow down the pace of the movie. Otherwise, I love it. My favorite scene is when Tony first gets a machine gun. He's like a kid with a new toy. He's says "out of my way while I spit" and procedes to mow the place down. I also love the scene where Tony and his entourage swagger into the nightclub. He is the epitome of cool. At that moment he is a man on top of the world. At the end when he is reduced to a sniveling coward and is mowed down in the street just as he deserved to be, I still found myself liking the guy!

The original scarface, so much different the 1970's remake. The two movies are night and day. This is a true pre-code noir gangster film made by Howard Hughes, loosely based on the life Al Capone who was terrorizing the streets of America at the time, the use of shadow and subtle violence in this movie makes it a very good example of early noir.

Howard Hawk's Scarface will always stand as the epitome of the early 1930's gangster film. The early talkie stars Paul Muni as Tony Camonte loosely based on the real life Al Capone. The acting in the film is typical of the time period. Muni goes way over the top in his portrayal( something that DePalma tried to get Pacino to do in the 1983 remake).

There are several performances that stand out in the film. Most notably is that of the coin flipping George Raft as Camonte confidante Guino Rinaldi. The script was written by Ben Hecht who won an academy award even though it gets somewhat preachy in order to satisfy the movie censors.

The action is particularly well filmed even with the technical limitations of the day. Note the shootouts and car chases. Another interesting plot device is the placing of X's throughout the film when something bad is about to happen.

This film was long unavailable on DVD but can now be found in that format as part of the Scarface Deluxe Gift Set. I'm hoping that the film will be remastered and released on its own with some additional bonus material. For now the only additional material that is available on the disc is an alternate ending Hawks shoot to get the film past the Film Review Board which has a captured Camonte led off to face trial and execution for his crimes ( a sort of crime doesn't pay message that the censors insisted on).

Do yourself a favor and see Scarface as it was meant to be. This important film is in many ways superior to the 1983 remake but does stand as a bookend to that piece. Get out and see this great piece of gangster history.

The life and death of a Chicago gangster in the twenties. Famous for it's silvery cinematography by Lee Garmes and it's unique stylish touches by director Howard Hawks, SCARFACE is an exceptionally intelligent, sometimes frightening, thrilling and provocative motion picture from the Hollywood of 1932. Obviously modeled on Al Capone with an incestuous sister thrown in, this is probably the most vivid of all the gangster epics of the 193O's. It's revelling in its own sins wasn't obscured by its subtitle THE SHAME OF A NATION. Produced by Howard Hughes and scripted by Ben Hecht (who won an AA) the movie made a star of Polish-born Paul Muni, and as Cesca, Ann Dvorak deservedly won kudos from the critics. Muni is perfectly cast as Tony Camonte: he moves sluggishly as if only the part of his brain which is evil generates his physical movements. Karen Morley, an underrated actress is exceptional as Poppy, the ice-cool blonde gun moll. She's a violence-craving chippie who is turned on by power and killing. The famous scene where slinky, sexy Ann Dvorak seduces George Raft - i.e. asking him whether he likes the steamy jazz music as she shimmies - was based on an actual incident: it plays beautifully. Legend says that Al Capone himself owned a print of SCARFACE and saw it perhaps a half dozen times: he was mesmorised at its authenticity in that many lines spoken by Muni and others came right out the mouths of real-life gangsters!

Although there were many movies similar to this one made in the 30's and 40's, I feel that this one stands out for it's realism and spark. The rise and fall of a gangster was never this well done.

"Scarface" starts off with a warning. The events depicted in the film are part of a real problem and it is up to the citizens to hold their government responsible. There were similar warnings at the beginning of "Little Caesar" and "The Public Enemy" (both released one year earlier, 1931). All three films were trying to be more than just films. They were attempting to be the public's conscience. Of the three movies though I think "Scarface" is the most preachy.

Take for example a scene where a group of citizens debate why the local newspaper keeps putting those stories of violence on its front page. The publisher of the paper agrues the people have a right to know whats going on. By printing these stories on the front page perhaps they will be able to shame them out of their town. Soon we get a medium shot of the man, he is suppose to be addressing the people in his office but instead he is looking directly into the camera. He is really talking to YOU. He is warning the audience unless they hold their government responsible nothing will change. This kind of moral preaching seems a little pretenious to me.

Francois Truffaut once said there is no such thing as an anti-war film because when you watch the war scenes they are exciting. That may very well be true and I think the same can be said about these gangster pictures. How can you make a movie saying violence is bad and then flood the movie with violent scenes? Honestly, weren't the shooting scenes exciting to watch? Therefore I feel the movie contradicts itself.

But enough with all this serious talk. "Scarface" was produced by Howard Hughes (I wonder why he didn't direct this one) and directed by Howard Hawks. It is probably the best of the three films I mentioned if only because of the violence. Hughes at the time would agrue, it's not violent, it's realistic. But what an odd choice I felt for Hawks to direct. I've always associated his name with other genres, mostly comedies such as "20th Century" and "His Girl Friday". Because of this it doesn't really feel like a Howard Hawks film, at least to me.

The movie tells the story of a small time hood, Tony Camonte, (Paul Muni, it's a shame he didn't receive an Oscar nomination) who makes his way up to the big time. At first we see Tony working for Johnny Lovo (Osgood Perkins) a big shot on the southside of town. But Tony wants to control the northside as well, especially after he sees the way Johnny lives. Expensive clothes, expensive place to live, and a beautiful woman (Karen Morley). So Tony starts going over Johnny's head and becomes the new leader.

A lot of people I bet are more familar with the Brian De Palma remake of this film with Al Pacino made in 1983. The two are as different as night and day. But I will not comment on which is better, mostly because they are two different movies and do not deserve to be compared.

As you watch this original "Scarface" though you'll notice small roles for George Raft, as a friend of Tony's and Boris Korloff as a rival.

Bottomline: Overly preachy tale of "crime doesn't pay" But is still one of the best gangster pictures of its time. Good performance from Paul Muni makes the movie watchable.