Scarface (1932)

Directors:

Howard Hawks
Richard Rosson (co-director)

Writers:

Armitage Trail (novel)
Ben Hecht (screen story)
(more)

Release Date:

9 April 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

Plot:

An ambitious and near insanely violent gangster climbs the ladder of success in the mob, but his weaknesses prove to be his downfall.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Police | Bootlegging | Gangster | Mob

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Paul Muni	...	Tony
Ann Dvorak	...	Cesca
Karen Morley	...	Poppy
Osgood Perkins	...	Lovo
C. Henry Gordon	...	Guarino
George Raft	...	Rinaldo
Vince Barnett	...	Angelo
Boris Karloff	...	Gaffney
Purnell Pratt	...	Publisher
Tully Marshall	...	Managing Editor
Inez Palange	...	Mrs. Camonte
Edwin Maxwell	...	Detective Chief
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Henry Armetta	...	Pietro - Barber (uncredited)
Gus Arnheim	...	Orchestra Leader (uncredited)
Eugenie Besserer	...	Citizens Committee Member (uncredited)
Maurice Black	...	Jim - Headwaiter (uncredited)
William Burress	...	Judge (alternate ending) (uncredited)
Gino Corrado	...	Waiter at Columbia Cafe (uncredited)
Virginia Dabney	...	Mabel (uncredited)
William B. Davidson	...	Citizens Committee Member (uncredited)
James Durkin	...	Newspaper Man (uncredited)
Eddie Fetherston	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Paul Fix	...	Hood with Gaffney (uncredited)
Francis Ford	...	Prison Guard (alternate ending) (uncredited)
Gus Arnheim and His Orchestra	...	Paradise Club Orchestra (uncredited)
Jean Harlow	...	Blonde at Paradise Club - Cameo appearance in nightclub (uncredited)
Howard Hawks	...	Man on Bed (uncredited)
Brandon Hurst	...	Citizens Committee Member (uncredited)
John Kelly	...	One of Costillo's Hoods (uncredited)
Hank Mann	...	Stag Party Janitor (uncredited)
Dennis O'Keefe	...	Night Club Patron (uncredited)
Jack Perry	...	One of Costillo's Hoods (uncredited)
Pedro Regas	...	Tony - Bodyguard (uncredited)
Warner Richmond	...	Cesca's Dance Partner (uncredited)
Constantine Romanoff	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Bert Starkey	...	Epstein - Lawyer (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan	...	One of Costillo's Hoods (uncredited)
Harry Tenbrook	...	One of Costillo's Hoods (uncredited)
Helen C. Thompson	...	Sadie Thompson (uncredited)
Nick Thompson	...	One of Costillo's Hoods (uncredited)
Ellinor Vanderveer	...	Theatregoer (uncredited)
Harry J. Vejar	...	Big Louis Costillo (uncredited)
Douglas Walton	...	Cesca's Boyfriend (uncredited)

Directed by
Howard Hawks
Richard Rosson		(co-director)

Writing credits
Armitage Trail		(novel "Scarface")
Ben Hecht		(screen story)
Seton I. Miller		(continuity) &
John Lee Mahin		(continuity) &
W.R. Burnett		(continuity)
Seton I. Miller		(dialogue) &
John Lee Mahin		(dialogue) &
W.R. Burnett		(dialogue)
Howard Hawks		uncredited
Fred Pasley		adaptation (uncredited)

Produced by
Howard Hawks	....	producer (uncredited)
Howard Hughes	....	producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Lee Garmes
L. William O'Connell		(as L.W. O'Connell)

Film Editing by
Edward Curtiss
Lewis Milestone		(uncredited)

Set Decoration by
Harry Oliver		(settings)

Production Management
Charles Stallings	....	production manager

Sound Department
William Snyder	....	sound engineer

Visual Effects by
Howard A. Anderson	....	process photography (uncredited)

Stunts
Frances Miles	....	stunt double: Ann Dvorak (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Charles Bohny	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Roy Clark	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Warner Cruze	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Eugene Kornman	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Warren Lynch	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Douglass Biggs	....	editorial advisor

Music Department
Gus Arnheim	....	musical director
Adolph Tandler	....	musical director

Other crew
W.R. Burnett	....	continuity
Howard Hughes	....	presenter
John Lee Mahin	....	continuity
Seton I. Miller	....	continuity
E.B. Derr	....	supervisor (uncredited)
Howard Hughes	....	direction supervisor (uncredited)
Lincoln Quarberg	....	general press representative (uncredited)

Production Companies

• The Caddo Company

Distributors

• United Artists (1932) (USA) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1934) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Atlantic Pictures Corporation (1938) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Astor Pictures Corporation (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Universal Pictures (1979) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• United Artists (1981) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• MCA Home Video (1983) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• United Artists Video (UAV) (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• CIC Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Silver Screens
• Universal Studios Home Video (2003) (Canada) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Metropolitan Sound Studios  sound

Also Known As:

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

UK:15 (video rating) | UK:A (original rating) | Finland:K-16 (1998) | Netherlands:6 (DVD rating) | Brazil:14 | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | West Germany:16 (f) | Australia:PG | Norway:16 (1984) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG (re-release) | USA:Passed (original rating)

Company:

The Caddo Company

Trivia:

Film debut of George Raft, who didn't have to go far for inspiration on how to play a gangster in this film. He grew up in a New York City slum alongside gangsters Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Joe Adonis and Lucky Luciano. In an ironic twist, after the release of "Scarface", many of Raft's gangster pals would come to him for advice on how to dress, walk, talk, etc.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the Northside guys throw a body out of the car, it lands face down, but when Tony and the others look at the body, it is face up.

Quotes:

Tony Camonte:This fellow's got ideas I don't like.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Scarface: The World Is Yours (2006) (VG)

Soundtrack:

St. Louis Blues

Say Hello to the Original Scarred Madman...

The early 1930's produced a whirlwind of mobster films, commenting on the real-life problem of organized crime throughout Prohibition America. LITTLE CAESAR and PUBLIC ENEMY were the first significant films of the genre, but not until Howard Hawks tour-de-force smash, SCARFACE, did the public get to see what was going on. Hawks' film came out in 1932 and has been a mainstay in filmmaker's minds and fans alike ever since. Scorsese, Coppola, and especially De Palma, have all drawn inspiration (and the '83 remake) from Hawks and Ben Hecht, the picture's screenwriter. Paul Muni was loosely based on Al Capone, and SCARFACE begins with yet another message to the government telling them to get off their butts and rid the country of Tony Carmontes everywhere. I think the picture works more as brutal, realistic entertainment than moral message. In hindsight, SCARFACE made it all look fun.

This searing flick looks so spooky and dark, you truly get the feeling of the real "underworld" and how uncompromising it was and still is. Some brilliant images grace the screen: the passage of dates on a calendar by machine gun; Muni's gruesome scar; an opening murder scene done with such subtly the mere sound of Muni's whistle triggers doom; a sideshow of possible incest between "Tony" and his tortured sister. No joke. It appears almost blatantly in varying scenes of building jealousy and murder. Many of the elements show up in De Palma's remake, such as the sister, her relationship with Tony's best friend, and his disapproving mother. The original packs more substance into a shorter film and is clearly better than the flashy remake (which I also loved).

This was one of Howard Hawks' 1st films and he continued to make pictures that differed so completely, one after the other. SCARFACE is his landmark film, a must-see that was considered by many to be unreleasable to the audiences of 1932. It is a predictable rise and fall portrait of a brooding goon, however the techniques and blunt force of the film make you come back for more. Watch it before the Pacino remake and see what you think. They are excellent representatives of Hollywood storytelling then and now. Keep an eye out for a svelte Boris Karloff in civilian clothing (a rarity) as a sinister enemy of the scarred one. He rolls quite a memorable strike in a bowling alley. A masterpiece of character, story, mood, and bullets flying.

RATING: 10 of 10