Brian DePalma's 1983 South Florida remake of Scarface is in my top 3 crime dramas of all time. I figured it was time to catch the original. Made in 1932 by OCD poster boy Howard Hughes, Scarface is just as shockingly violent as its modern counterpart. Now remember, this was made in 1932, almost 80 years ago. It's 5 years older than my father. Onscreen violence was a much different beast back then, and this level of mob violence was only read about in newspapers, not displayed publicly on the silver screen. The remake took many of the broad character developments and plotlines from the original, but cocaine replaced prohibition. This is a magnificent crime story revolving around the rise and demise of a man and his friends and family. As unfortunately broken as his mind was, Howard Hughes knew how to make a movie, and make it great. Every camera movement was carefully planned and there are some wonderful tracking shots that, I can only assume, Orson Welles saw and duplicated when making Citizen Kane less than a decade later. Viewing the movie today, it does come across as dated, especially with the language, but the meanings and intentions behind those old-fashioned words still resonate today. A lot of the dialogue in the 1983 version is simply updated for the modern audience (seriously, watch both and then compare).
Paul Muni plays Tony with such wonderful abandon, that you almost believe this guy is a career criminal. As Pacino showed us his emotions using dialogue and subtle expressions, Muni puts his emotions right on his face for the world to get a look at. Jealousy, rage, happiness; it's all there on that wonderfully expressive mug. Yes the acting is extremely "hammy" by today's standards, but those performances, so theatrical upon viewing, are just amazing to watch.
If you want to see one of the seminal crime dramas; a movie that helped to give birth to one of the most amazing genres around, see the 1932 version of Scarface. It's got an amazing title sequence that looks to be an indictment of the government's approach to dealing with organized crime, but, reading between the lines, feels like the filmmakers are going after the actual prohibition laws. A great movie, especially when viewed in tandem with the DePalma remake. 9/10
See you tomorrow, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!
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