Film Review: Scarface (1932)

Brian De Palma’s Scarface is one of the best known gangster films, nowadays known as a source of popular Internet memes. Apart from being famous piece of genre cinema, that film bears honour of being one of the rarely successful and renowned remakes. The original version, released in 1932 and directed by Howard Hawks, is considered to be one of the classics of gangster genre and among the most influential works of early 1930s Hollywood.

The plot is based on the eponymous 1929 novel by Armitage Trail, which was inspired by the real life events in Prohibition era connected to infamous mob boss Al Capone and its rule over Chicago streets. His fictional counterpart in the film is Antonio “Tony” Camonte (played by Paul Muni), small time Italian gangster who works as a bodyguard for bootlegging gang boss “Big” Louis Costillo (played by Harry J. Veyar). At the very beginning Camonte kills Costillo, being hired to do that by Costillo’s lieutenant John “Johnny” Lovo (played by Osgood Perkins) who later takes over his gang and control over bootlegging operation in South Side of Chicago. Camonte becomes Lovo’s top enforcer but, despite
his cautious boss explicitly ordering him no to, decides to expand operations to North Side, which would create conflict with Irish gangs led by Gaffney (played by Boris Karloff). This leads to brutal gang war on the streets that creates outrage among the public. Lovo becomes displeased with Camonte, especially after noticing that his glamorous girlfriend Poppy (played by Karen Morley) begins to switch her affections to his increasingly powerful and arrogant lieutenant. Camonte, however, appears to be more concerned with his sister Francesca “Cesca” Camonte (played by Ann Dvorak) who likes to go out and flirt with men, much to Tony’s displeasure. Things get further complicated when Cesca starts romance with Tony’s best friend and partner Guino “Little Boy” Rinaldo (played by George Raft).

Scarface was produced by Howard Hughes, legendary aviation industry tycoon known, among other things, for his attempts to establish himself as studio mogul in 1930s Hollywood. His idea was to exploit popularity of gangster films among the public during last years of Prohibition and great notoriety of bootleggers like Al Capone, who had already served as a model for fictional protagonist of Little Caesar, another gangster classic made a year earlier. Hughes was trying to make this film even more authentic by hiring W. R. Burnett, author of novel upon which Little Caesar has been made, to take part in writing the script (with one of his co-writers being legendary Ben Hecht). The result is a film that takes inspiration from real events in Prohibition era Chicago further more than any other Classic Hollywood film. Camonte’s rise to the top of criminal hierarchy matches events from Capone’s career, including even the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, which is recreated in one scene of the film. Like Capone, protagonist has nasty scar on the face that gave him a nickname. There are, of course, differences, mostly because Capone’s downfall in the form of tax evasion criminal conviction and imprisonment was more prosaic affair than the spectacularly violent showdown at the end of Scarface.

Just like Brian De Palma fifty years later with Al Pacino, Howard Hawks had good fortune to have one of the most talented actors of its time in lead role. Paul Muni, already established as highly respected stage actor, was known for elaborate preparations for his role, as well as intensity of his performance. Muni plays Camonte as an archetypal gangster who tries to achieve American Dream through crime and violence before biting more than he could chew. He shows him as person of contradiction – cynical and ruthless street thug with a “bad boy” charm that could compensate his lack of style and taste when his material condition improves. But most impressive is the way he transforms into irrational monster when being confronted with independently-minded sister to whose affairs with men he reacts in a way that suggest incestuous relationship. Muni’s role in Scarface was one of the best in his career and later paved the way for many great roles, including Louis Pasteur in biopic that would ultimately bring him an Oscar.

But even greater asset of the film was Howard Hawks, director who would in next decade emerge as one of the most versatile and talented film makers of Classic Hollywood. In Scarface he confidently transcends initial limits of newly arrived sound technology and delivers quick-paced and entertaining film which also tries to depict phenomenon of organised crime in urban America in realistic fashion. There is a lot of violence in the film, with many beatings, bombings and assassination, including use of “Tommy guns” and car chases. But, underneath it all, Scarface, like many 1930s Hollywood gangster films, tries to convey something of a socially relevant message and express its outrage over violence on Prohibition era streets that couldn’t exist without sensationalist media glamourising gangster lifestyles or apathetic public tolerating corruption and inefficiency of the government in dealing with such problems.

Hawks and Hughes injected that theme in the film at the very beginning with preachy opening title and later had the scene of concerned citizens expressing outrage while meeting newspaper publisher. This kind of content might have been part of authors’ intention, but it was also attempt to circumvent censorship and controversies over excessive depiction of violence (same problems that De Palma’s version would have). Scarface was made shortly before the implementation of infamous Hays Code and, as such, it had some content that would, although quite timid for our standards, would have been impossible later in 1930s. That included, among other things, subplot dealing with Tony’s relationship with his sister. Ann Dvorak, who plays Cesca, brings mild erotic undertones in the film during the scene in which she seduces Guino by provocatively dancing alone in night club (and according to later testimonies, Dvorak in real life won the role by doing the same in front of producers).

Hawks’ Scarface, like De Palma’s version, had serious problems with censorship and boycotts, especially like Italians (who, like Cubans fifty years later, didn’t like being portrayed as criminals). Like 1983 version, it also failed at box office and soon became obscure, only to be rediscovered and appreciated by critics and film historians many decades later. Today’s audience would probably find it interesting, well-made film that could serve as perfect companion piece for its better known remake.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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