IMDb > Scarface (1932)
Scarface
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Scarface (1932) -- An ambitious and near insanely violent gangster climbs the ladder of success in the mob, but his weaknesses prove to be his downfall.
Scarface (1932) -- An ambitious and near insanely violent gangster climbs the ladder of success in the mob, but his weaknesses prove to be his downfall.

Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   8,438 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Directors:
Writers:
Armitage Trail (novel)
Ben Hecht (screenplay)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Scarface on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 April 1932 (USA) more
Genre:
Plot:
An ambitious and near insanely violent gangster climbs the ladder of success in the mob, but his weaknesses prove to be his downfall. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
1 win more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Film School 101: Protagonists
 (From Atomic Popcorn. 1 November 2009, 4:57 AM, PST)

Gabriel Byrne: The Hollywood Interview
 (From The Hollywood Interview. 10 April 2009, 2:49 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Preferred far more than the remake; Hawks, Hecht, and Muni are first-rate here more (87 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Paul Muni ... Antonio 'Tony' Camonte
Ann Dvorak ... Francesca 'Cesca' Camonte
Karen Morley ... Poppy
Osgood Perkins ... John 'Johnny' Lovo
C. Henry Gordon ... Insp. Ben Guarino

George Raft ... Guino Rinaldo
Vince Barnett ... Angelo

Boris Karloff ... Gaffney
Purnell Pratt ... Mr. Garston, publisher
Tully Marshall ... Managing editor
Inez Palange ... Mrs. Camonte

Edwin Maxwell ... Chief of detectives
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)
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)
Howard Hawks ... Man on bed (uncredited)
Brandon Hurst ... Citizens Committee member (uncredited)
John Kelly ... Costillo's hood (uncredited)
Hank Mann ... Stag party janitor (uncredited)
Dennis O'Keefe ... Dance extra (uncredited)
Jack Perry ... Costillo's hood (uncredited)
Warner Richmond ... Cesca's dance partner (uncredited)
Bert Starkey ... Epstein, lawyer (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan ... Costillo's hood (uncredited)
Harry Tenbrook ... Costillo's hood (uncredited)
Helen C. Thompson ... Sadie Thompson (uncredited)
Harry J. Vejar ... Big Louis Costillo (uncredited)
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Directed by
Howard Hawks 
Richard Rosson (co-director)
 
Writing credits
Armitage Trail (novel "Scarface")

Ben Hecht (screenplay)

Fred Pasley (adaptation) uncredited

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

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
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Howard A. Anderson .... process photographer (uncredited)
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)
 
Crew verified as complete


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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Scarface, the Shame of the Nation
The Shame of a Nation
more
Runtime:
93 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
UK:15 (video rating) | UK:A (original rating) | Finland:K-15 (2005) (DVD) | Netherlands:6 (DVD rating) | Brazil:14 | West Germany:16 (f) | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | Norway:16 (1984) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG (re-release) | USA:Passed (original rating)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The sign outside Camonte's apartment says "The World Is Yours". That was also prominently used in this film's 1983 remake. more
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. more
Quotes:
Tony Camonte: Nice little thug. He give 'em a writ of hocus pocus. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Some of These Days more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
38 out of 51 people found the following comment useful.
Preferred far more than the remake; Hawks, Hecht, and Muni are first-rate here, 22 January 2005
10/10
Author: MisterWhiplash from United States

In an attempt to try and snap some sense into the public and the government about the crime wave (mostly in due to Al Capone, who was a major inspiration for Tony Camonte), Howard Hughes and Howard Hawks brought to the screen one of the landmark early gangster pictures. It's a film that does take its subject seriously (while on one hand one argues that the film is an indictment of crime and peoples responses, one could also argue that it's a subtle indictment of the prohibition), however it's also an exciting, and sometimes wickedly funny, take on a genre that would flourish in the thirties and forties. What comes most surprising (and I mean that as a big compliment) is how it hasn't lost much of its vitality in seventy years. The implied violence in the film is, in fact, shocking in places, and while it lacks the blood content and major shocks of the De Palma remake, it doesn't compromise to showing the (slightly Hollywood-ized) truth of the matter- crime doesn't pay, but sometimes it's all people know.

Tony Camonte is played by Paul Muni, in a performance that wonderfully ranges from angry to sarcastic, funny to romantic, and just down-right crazy; it's no wonder that Pacino was inspired by his performance to take on Tony Montana in the remake (though one could argue that Muni's bravura presence and delivery in this film out-ranks Pacino's in the later). He is surrounded by supporting players that also give very good work as well, with the story being told in various threads that work perfectly. There's one semi-comic story around one of Camonte's assistants who is rather illiterate and slow (though it's also a subtle commentary on the lack of prospects for immigrants at the time). Another (which was given much prominence in the remake) involves the power-struggle between Tony and his younger sister. And then there's the good-old mixture of solid, fascinating bits with the cops and other criminals, not to mention a boss that has to control Tony's manic ideals of taking over the city (and, perhaps, the world).

I once heard Quentin Tarantino in an interview say that Howard Hawks is the 'single greatest storyteller in the history of cinema'. Although that could be a heavily debatable statement, with this film Hawks proves that he definitely can do so very well, and of the few I've seen of his so far, this is my favorite. On the technical side of things, some of the technique is very straight-forward, but then there is also proof that Hawks was a step-ahead of the crowd that would bloom out in the film-noir period a decade later. Shadows used with a fine flair; great over-head and dead-on shots of cars riding and shooting; a couple of really keen close-ups. Add to that a script from Hecht that doesn't go too deep into character for too long, and you got your basic powerhouse gangster picture. And, believe me, it's a must-see if you're into the genre, or if you'd like to have a comparison test with the highly revered remake.

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