This is a magnificent film. No, this is a ground breaking, earth shattering, trail blazing masterpiece. This film is nothing less than an epoch. Some will try to pretend that the gangster film genre truly existed before Howard Hawks' 1932 gem, but it didn't. This is the first film that can and should be taken seriously as a gangster film. Hawks did for the gangster genre with this film what Hitchcock did for suspense.
Scarface has maturity, depth, scope, it is multifaceted. The script by Ben Hecht is wonderful. There are a number of magnificent lines throughout the film such as Tony Camonte saying you do it first, yourself and keep doing it. The character is revealed immediately and he is paradoxically both attractive and grotesque.
The film is a broad canvas that frames all of America's ills. The romanticism of violence, the lust for success on any level, and an absolute appetite for blood.
Extraordinarily disturbing is the films finale. Camonte doesn't parish so much because of the depth of his immorality, but because he shows weakness, his tough exterior has failed him, just like the bulletproof shutters he has put on his windows.
It's very bizarre to me to to think that this film would ever be in need of rescuing, but unfortunately film like history when it comes to the general population has a very short memory. Today audiences are more likely to be familiar with and in reverence of De Palma's 1983 version. A virtual rip off that changes a few elements, and sure it is not the same movie, but so much material is lifted and no credit is given. This is an outrage. More than half the script for the 83 version comes from this film. No matter what anyone says that is outright theft, but it is overlooked because we are talking about film and not literature. Sure Mr. De Palma pays homage to Howard Hawks, but wouldn't you if you had basically plagiarized his film with a few alterations to modernize the story.
Ironically, as in Hawks visionary story integrity, truth, validity, morality have all been obscured and we live in a society where it is not only okay to steal and butcher, but it pays. Whoever said crime doesn't pay?
Scarface has maturity, depth, scope, it is multifaceted. The script by Ben Hecht is wonderful. There are a number of magnificent lines throughout the film such as Tony Camonte saying you do it first, yourself and keep doing it. The character is revealed immediately and he is paradoxically both attractive and grotesque.
The film is a broad canvas that frames all of America's ills. The romanticism of violence, the lust for success on any level, and an absolute appetite for blood.
Extraordinarily disturbing is the films finale. Camonte doesn't parish so much because of the depth of his immorality, but because he shows weakness, his tough exterior has failed him, just like the bulletproof shutters he has put on his windows.
It's very bizarre to me to to think that this film would ever be in need of rescuing, but unfortunately film like history when it comes to the general population has a very short memory. Today audiences are more likely to be familiar with and in reverence of De Palma's 1983 version. A virtual rip off that changes a few elements, and sure it is not the same movie, but so much material is lifted and no credit is given. This is an outrage. More than half the script for the 83 version comes from this film. No matter what anyone says that is outright theft, but it is overlooked because we are talking about film and not literature. Sure Mr. De Palma pays homage to Howard Hawks, but wouldn't you if you had basically plagiarized his film with a few alterations to modernize the story.
Ironically, as in Hawks visionary story integrity, truth, validity, morality have all been obscured and we live in a society where it is not only okay to steal and butcher, but it pays. Whoever said crime doesn't pay?