Rent Scarface (1932)
3.9 of 5 from 137 ratings
1h 29min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Generally regarded to be the best of the classic gangster films, 'Scarface' tells the exciting story of organised crime's brutal control over Chicago during the Prohibition era. Paul Muni gives an electrifying performance as Tony Carmonte, an ambitious criminal with a ruthless drive to be the city's top crime boss. Directed by the legendary Howard Hawks, 'Scarface' was a groundbreaking film which established both Paul Muni and George Raft as major Hollywood stars, while influencing all gangland films to follow.
- Actors:
- Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, Karen Morley, Osgood Perkins, C. Henry Gordon, George Raft, Vince Barnett, Boris Karloff, Purnell Pratt, Tully Marshall, Inez Palange, Edwin Maxwell, Henry Armetta, Gus Arnheim, Eugenie Besserer, Maurice Black, William A. Boardway, William Burgess, James Conaty, Gino Corrado
- Directors:
- Howard Hawks, Richard Rosson
- Producers:
- Howard Hughes, Howard Hawks
- Writers:
- Armitage Trail, Ben Hecht, Seton I. Miller, John Lee Mahin, W.R. Burnett, Howard Hawks, Fred Pasley
- Aka:
- Scarface: The Shame of the Nation
- Studio:
- Universal Pictures
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Classics, Drama, Thrillers
- Collections:
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- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 22/02/2021
- Run Time:
- 93 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, French DTS 2.0 Mono, German DTS 2.0 Mono, Italian DTS 2.0 Mono
- Subtitles:
- Danish, Dutch, English Hard of Hearing, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- 2 Versions of the Film:
- Original: The uncensored theatrical version of the film as it was originally intended by the director
- Alternate: A censored version of the film shown in select theaters with an alternate ending
- Introduction by Turner Classic Movies Host and Film Historian Robert Osborne
- Alternate Ending
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 18/11/2024
- Run Time:
- 95 minutes
- Languages:
- English Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- DVD Regions:
- Region 2
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.35:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
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Reviews (2) of Scarface
Crime Does NOT Pay! - Scarface review by Count Otto Black
This extremely violent gangster movie may be a classic, but I'm afraid it hasn't aged quite as well as some classics. It's not exactly dull; given the number of people who shoot each other at regular intervals, it hardly could be! But there are two major problems with it, which are not entirely unconnected.
Firstly, Paul Muni's performance as the title character, who for legal reasons isn't actually called Al Capone but it's not very hard to guess who he's based on, is downright odd. He's not a bad actor, and I'm sure he's only doing what Howard Hawks told him to, but he's subtle the way Vin Diesel is shy and retiring! The "Godfather" trilogy is acclaimed as two of the best films ever made (shame about part 3) because of its Shakespearean portrayal of a good man being inexorably corrupted for reasons that to begin with aren't his fault at all. But there's nothing even slightly tragic about the downfall of Antony Carmonte (Al Capone - same initials! - see?). I'm not even sure "downfall" is the right word for someone who never rises above the gutter, and Muni plays AC as practically subhuman.
He's basically a wildly exaggerated caricature of a horrible twenties gangster who almost seems comic at times. He's at his best when he gets to be genuinely menacing in a serious context, and at his worst when he has to portray Al Capone as a bragging, ignorant, moronic clown with no taste who would be a joke if he didn't kill people. They're so determined to deprive him of any redeeming features whatsoever that they come as close as they possibly can to implying that he's capable of raping his sister (this film also comes closer than any other movie from that era I've seen to having someone say the f-word - surprisingly, not Muni). Which ties in with its other huge flaw. It's preachy, and that's never, ever good. Crime doesn't pay, therefore everybody who commits it is irredeemably vile and gets their just desserts (though the cops seem scarcely more likable). And although the opening credits inform us that every event portrayed in the film is true, Al Capone was still up and running when it was made, so everything that happens to Antony Carmonte at the end is wishful thinking. Both endings, in fact - there's a really grim alternative one available on this disc as an extra.
It's lively, it's ferocious, it's got some first-class floozies, but in the end it's too one-note to make it as a true classic. And what's with the running gag about the mentally retarded gangster who is literally too stupid to answer the phone? By the way, look out for Boris Karloff as a character who is Bugs Moran in all but name; he's almost very good apart, apart from his obvious struggle not to sound English.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Gangster Classic. - Scarface review by Steve
Released a year after, this is clearly modelled on Little Caesar. They are similar because both draw on the life of Al Capone, and are shaped by the same pressure of censorship. Scarface stops the action for a couple of minutes while support actors representing public bodies discuss the social damage caused by organised crime.
But Scarface differs from other early gangster films in its style. Ben Hecht's script features much more comedy, usually at the expense of the idiot mobs. Howard Hawks creates an expressionistic look, rich with raw symbolism, like the shadowy crosses that foretell each death. And there is more spectacle, with car chases and epic shootouts on large sets.
Paul Muni delivers a potent, unsubtle performance as the uninhibited killer who wages a one man war on his rival gangs and the police. There's a great moment when he gets his first Tommy gun: 'Outta my way. I'm spittin'! Ann Dvorak is Muni's equal as the sister who is tortured by his incestuous jealousy. Karen Morley lacks fizz as the mercenary moll.
The big weakness is the reactionary sermonising. Its solution is... to send in the army, rather than finding cause in prohibition and America's economic crash. It scores with Muni's weird charisma and Hawks' atmospherics. This is a visually stunning film which shows evidence of the studios emerging from the inertia of early sound.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.