Scarface (1983 film)
| Scarface | |
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 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Brian De Palma |
| Produced by | Martin Bregman |
| Written by | Oliver Stone |
| Starring | Al Pacino Steven Bauer Michelle Pfeiffer Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio Robert Loggia F. Murray Abraham Harris Yulin |
| Music by | Giorgio Moroder |
| Cinematography | John A. Alonzo |
| Editing by | Gerald B. Greenberg David Ray |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 9, 1983 |
| Running time | 170 minutes (US) |
| Language | English Spanish |
| Budget | $25,000,000 |
| Gross revenue | $65,884,703[1] |
Scarface is a 1983 epic crime drama film directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, and starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana. Based on Howard Hawks' original 1932 film of the same name, the film tells the story of a fictional Cuban refugee who comes to Florida in 1980 as a result of the Mariel Boatlift. Montana becomes a gangster against the backdrop of the 1980s cocaine boom. The film chronicles his rise to the top of Miami's criminal underworld and subsequent downfall in tragic Greek fashion.
The film is dedicated to Howard Hawks and Ben Hecht, who were the director and screenwriter respectively of the original 1932 film.
The initial critical response to Scarface was mixed, with the film receiving criticism for its violence and graphic language. The film has since gathered a cult following and has become an important cultural icon, inspiring posters, clothing, and many other references. The film's grainy black and white poster is a popular decoration and is still in production; as a result of its popularity it has been parodied many times.
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Plot
Tony Montana (Al Pacino), a violent and ambitious Cuban refugee, arrives in Miami, Florida during the 1980 Mariel Boatlift. He and his best friend, Manolo "Manny" Ribera (Steven Bauer), are sent to a refugee camp, but wealthy drug dealer Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia) arranges for them to obtain green cards in return for the assassination of a former Cuban government official.
Tony agrees to carry out a job for Frank's henchman Omar Suarez (F. Murray Abraham), buying cocaine from Colombian dealers. Tony, Manny, and associates Angel (Pepe Serna) and Chi Chi (Ángel Salazar) drive to the deal, but it is a set-up. When Tony refuses the Colombians' demands, they dismember Angel with a chainsaw. Manny and Chi Chi assault the apartment and kill the Colombians. Tony takes the money and cocaine to Frank personally, distrusting Omar. Frank likes Tony's style and hires Tony and Manny as low-level enforcers. Tony develops an interest in Frank's girlfriend, Elvira Hancock (Michelle Pfeiffer).
Months later, Tony visits his mother Georgina (Míriam Colón) and younger sister Gina (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), of whom Tony is overly protective. Gina is excited to see him, but his criminal life disgusts his mother who throws him out after refusing a gift of money.
Tony and Omar go to Bolivia to talk with cocaine kingpin Alejandro Sosa (Paul Shenar). The tension between Tony and Omar peaks when Tony tries to negotiate unauthorized terms with Sosa. Omar leaves, but Sosa requests Tony stay. Sosa orders his henchmen, Alberto and The Skull, to kill Omar. When Tony sees Omar killed, Sosa tells him Omar was an informant. Frank is infuriated over Omar's death and Tony's unauthorized deals. The two end their business relationship. Tony establishes his own operations and pursues Elvira more aggressively.
At a nightclub, Tony is shaken down by a Miami detective, Mel Bernstein (Harris Yulin). He proposes to "tax" Tony on his transactions in return for police protection and information. Tony is distracted by the sight of Gina dancing with a drug dealer. He follows the two to a restroom stall where he berates Gina for her promiscuous conduct. He asks Manny to take her home. On the way Gina admits she is attracted to Manny. Manny wards her off, mindful of Tony's extreme protectiveness. Meanwhile Tony is attacked by two gunmen but manages to escape. Suspecting Frank sent Bernstein and the hitmen, Tony asks Nick The Pig to call Frank after Tony arrives at Frank's office and inform him that the hit failed. Tony and Manny visit Frank, who is with Det. Bernstein. Nick calls Frank, who confirms his involvement by playing the call off as Elvira telling him she'll be late home. Frank begs for Tony's forgiveness before Manny kills him. Tony then kills Bernstein.
Tony marries Elvira, takes over Frank's empire and becomes increasingly wealthy, with Manny as his second-in-command. However, cracks in Tony's operation begin to form as both he and Elvira become addicted to cocaine and drift apart. As Tony grows ever more paranoid and self-obsessed, Elvira walks out.
The police pose as money launderers to set up Tony and charge him with money laundering and tax evasion. Sosa offers Tony to pay Tony's taxes and fines. In exchange, Tony must help assassinate a Bolivian journalist intent on exposing Sosa. Tony agrees but upon seeing the journalist accompanied by his wife and children, calls off the operation. Sosa's man Alberto wants to finish the job and to stop him, Tony shoots him in the head. Sosa, furious, calls Tony and reminds him of their first encounter.
Tony's mother tells him she is upset over Gina's new, "corrupted" life. Tony goes to the address his mother gave him to investigate. When Manny opens the door, Tony sees Gina descend the steps in a nightgown. Tony fatally shoots Manny in a fit of anger. Gina reveals the two had just married. Tony and his men take a hysterical Gina back to Tony's mansion. As Tony sits in his office, snorting a huge pile of cocaine, distraught at killing his only friend, a large group of heavily armed men sent by Sosa surround the mansion. At this point, Gina enters Tony's office in the nightgown with a gun. She accuses Tony of being possessive and jealous, before shooting him. At this point one of Sosa's gunmen enters the room and kills Gina. Tony kills the gunman and upon seeing Gina's corpse, loses control. In a cocaine-fueled rage, Tony makes his last stand. He shoots and launches grenades wildly killing dozens before forced to take cover. He loses his weapon and proceeds to verbally abuse them, until brought down by a shotgun blast from "The Skull". Tony topples from the balcony and lands beneath a statue carrying the inscription "The World Is Yours".
Cast
- Al Pacino as Tony Montana
- Steven Bauer as Manny Ribera (Credits list as "Manny Ray")
- Michelle Pfeiffer as Elvira Hancock
- Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Gina Montana
- Robert Loggia as Frank Lopez
- F. Murray Abraham as Omar Suárez
- Harris Yulin as Mel Bernstein
- Paul Shenar as Alejandro Sosa
- Ángel Salazar as Chi Chi
- Pepe Serna as Angel Fernandez
- Míriam Colón as Georgina Montana
- Al Israel as Hector "The Toad"
- Michael Alldredge as Sheffield
Reaction
Scarface held its premiere on December 1, 1983 in New York City where it was initially greeted with mixed reaction. Among those in attendance were the film's two stars, Al Pacino and Steven Bauer, as well as Burt and Diane Lane, Melanie Griffith, Raquel Welch, Joan Collins; her then-boyfriend Peter Holm and Eddie Murphy among others.[2] According to AMC's "DVD TV: Much More Movie" airing, Cher loved it, Lucille Ball, who came with her family, hated it because of the graphic violence and language, and Dustin Hoffman was said to have fallen asleep. Writers Kurt Vonnegut and John Irving were among those who allegedly walked out in disgust after the notorious "chainsaw" scene. At the middle of the film, Martin Scorsese turned behind to Steven Bauer and told him, "You guys are great – but be prepared, because they're going to hate it in Hollywood ... because it's about them".[3] Scarface, upon its first release, drew controversy regarding the violence and graphic language in the film, and received many negative reviews from movie critics. Despite this, the film grossed $65 million worldwide, and has since gathered a large following. On the two-disc Special Edition, the film's producer, Martin Bregman, said that the film was well received by only one notable critic, Vincent Canby of The New York Times. However, Roger Ebert rated it four stars out of four in his 1983 review and he later added it to his "Great Movies" list.[4]
Rating
Scarface was given an X rating three times (original, second, and third cuts) for extreme violence, frequent strong language and hard drug usage. Director Brian De Palma pulled in a panel of experts, including real narcotics officers, who stated that the film was an accurate portrayal of the real-life drug underworld and should be widely seen. This convinced the 20 members of the ratings board to give the third cut an "R" rating by a vote of 18 to 2. DePalma later asked the studio if he could release the original director's cut, but was told that he could not. However, since the studio executives did not know the differences between the three submitted cuts, DePalma released the director's cut to theaters anyway with an unapproved "R".[5]
Box office
Scarface was released on December 9, 1983, in 997 theaters, grossing USD $4.6 million in its opening weekend. The film went on to make $45.4 million in North America and $20.5 million in the rest of the world for a worldwide total of $65.9 million (over $180, when adjusted for inflation, as of 2010).
Reviews
Roger Ebert rated it four stars out of four in his 1983 review and wrote, "DePalma and his writer, Oliver Stone, have created a gallery of specific individuals, and one of the fascinations of the movie is that we aren't watching crime-movie clichés, we're watching people who are criminals".[6] He later added it to his "Great Movies" list.[7] Vincent Canby also praised the film in his review for the New York Times: "Yet the dominant mood of the film is anything but funny. It is bleak and futile: What goes up must always come down. When it comes down in Scarface, the crash is as terrifying as it is vivid and arresting".[8]
Leonard Maltin was among those critics who held a negative opinion towards Scarface. He gave the film *1/2 stars out of four, stating that "...[Scarface] wallows in excess and unpleasantness for nearly three hours, and offers no new insights except that crime doesn't pay. At least the 1932 movie moved". In later editions of his annual movie guide, Maltin included an addendum to his review stating his surprise with the film's newfound popularity as a cult-classic.[9]
In his review for Newsweek, David Ansen wrote, "If Scarface makes you shudder, it's from what you think you see and from the accumulated tension of this feral landscape. It's a grand, shallow, decadent entertainment, which like all good Hollywood gangster movies delivers the punch and counterpunch of cocks and disgust".[10] Jay Scott, in his review for the Globe and Mail, writes, "For a while, Al Pacino is hypnotic as Montana. But the effort expended on the flawless Cuban accent and the attempts to flesh out a character cut from inch-thick cardboard are hopeless".[11] In his review for the Washington Post, Gary Arnold wrote, "A movie that appeared intent on revealing an alarmingly contemporary criminal subculture gradually reverts to underworld cliche, covering its derivative tracks with outrageous decor and an apocalyptic, production number finale, ingeniously choreographed to leave the antihero floating face down in a literal bloodbath".[12]
It currently holds a "Fresh" rating of 88% from Rotten Tomatoes, and an average score of 65/100 from Metacritic.
Pacino earned nomination for Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama and Steven Bauer was nominated for Best Supporting Actor as well. However, DePalma was nominated for, but did not win, a Razzie Award for Worst Director.
Legacy
In June 2008, the American Film Institute revealed its "Ten Top Ten"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. Scarface was acknowledged as the tenth best in the gangster film genre.[13] The line "Say hello to my little friend!" (said by Montana of his rifle-grenade-launcher) took 61st place on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes list. Entertainment Weekly ranked the film #8 on their list of "The Top 50 Cult Films",[14] and Empire Magazine placed it among the top 500 films of all time.
Releases
VHS
Scarface was initially released by MCA Home Video on VHS and Beta in the summer of 1984 – a two-tape set in 1.33:1 pan and scan ratio – and quickly became a bestseller, preluding its cult status.[15] A 2.35:1 Widescreen VHS would follow years later in 1998 to coincide with the special edition DVD release. The last and most recent VHS release was in 2003 to counterpart the 20th anniversary edition DVD.
TV Version
The TV version of Scarface premiered on ABC on October 25, 1987. 32 minutes were edited out, and a lot of the dialog, including the constant use of the word "fuck" was changed. In addition, aside from being heavily cut for content and time, the following scenes were added in order to make up for anything that was cut:
- An extra Freedom Town scene, in which Tony is in a phone booth trying to call a young girl (Presumably Gina), and then watches television with Manny and Chi Chi.
- At the Babylon Club, before Frank points to Tony El Gordo, he points to him Louis and Miguel Echevierra.
- While visiting his mother's house, Tony presents to her a gift. He then says "So here we are, the Three Muskateers" as he opens the champagne bottle, and makes a toast to America.
- A scene that shows Sosa talking to his fiancee, Gabriella Martini, on a White Horse.
- A scene where Tony meets his lawyer for the first time.
- A scene in New York City where Tony pretends to be looking for his lost dog.
Some of these scenes appear as extras on DVD, but in a rough-cut fashion, as opposed to the versions that were seen on television.
DVD
Scarface has been released on DVD several times in the United States.
The first release was by Universal Studios Home Entertainment on the film's 15th anniversary in 1998 under the studio's "Collector's Edition" line. The DVD featured a non-anamorphic widescreen transfer, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, a "Making of" documentary, outtakes, production notes and cast and crew biographies. This release was not successful, and many fans and reviewers complained about its unwatchable video transfer and muddled sound, describing it as "one of the worst big studio releases out there".[16]
This DVD quietly went out of print, subsequently fetching outrageous prices on secondhand sites such as eBay. In 2003, Universal released a remastered two disc "Anniversary Edition" to coincide with the film's 20th anniversary re-release, featuring two documentaries — one re-edited from the last release to include new interviews with Steven Bauer (Manny Ray) and another produced by Def Jam Recordings featuring interviews with various rappers on the film's cult success in the hip-hop world and other extras ported over from the previous DVD. New to this edition was a 2.35:1 Anamorphic widescreen transfer and 5.1 surround sound in both Dolby Digital and DTS. An alternate, 1.33:1 pan and scan version of the DVD was also made available.
The limited, 20th anniversary theatrical re-release in 2003 also boasted a remastered soundtrack with enhanced sound effects and music but the DVD's 5.1 tracks were mixed from the film's original four-track stereo audio, resulting in noticeably limited frequency and surround effects. A limited edition box set was also released featuring a gold money clip embossed with the "Tony Montana" monogram, production stills, lobby cards, and a DVD of the original Scarface. In 2005, Universal released a single disc 'movie only' version of the Anniversary Edition with the deleted scenes as the sole bonus feature.
In the fall of 2006, Universal released the movie in a two-disc "Platinum Edition" featuring the remastered audio from the theatrical re-release in Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround. Most of the extras (with the exception of the Def Jam documentary, production notes, and cast and crew biographies) from the Anniversary Edition were also included. New features to this edition were two featurettes relating to the new video game and the criminal and cultural world of Miami in the 1980s, and a "Scarface Scorecard", which kept track of the number of bullets fired and "F-bombs" throughout the film.
Blu-ray
As of early 2010, Universal has not publicly disclosed any plans to release Scarface on Blu-ray.
Spanish language title
When released in Spain, the film was titled El Precio del Poder (The Price of Power).[17][18] The US and Latin American editions of the DVD feature a Spanish language track, but give the title as Caracortada (Spanish for "Cutface"; a literal translation of "Scarface" into Spanish is "Cara de cicatriz").
Pop culture
Music
The music in Scarface was produced by Academy Award-winning Italian record producer Giorgio Moroder. Reflecting Moroder's style, the soundtrack consists mostly of synthesized new wave, electronic music.
Video games
A licensed video game, Scarface: The World Is Yours, was released in September and October 2006, followed by an update in June 2007. It was developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Vivendi Universal Games. The game is a quasi-sequel based on the premise that Tony survived the raid on his mansion at the end of the film. Wii, PS2, Xbox, and PC versions have been released.
Radical and Vivendi also released a second licensed video game, Scarface: Money, Power, Respect, in October 2006. The game is much like Scarface: The World is Yours, but deals more with the controlling of drugs and managing of the Montana cocaine empire and turf, whereas Money, Power, Respect is mostly focused on getting rid of gangs, gaining respect and overall reconstruction of the empire. To date, only a PSP version of this game has been released.
The hit game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City also has some homages to Scarface, such as an area with the famous bloody bathroom in an empty apartment, along with a chainsaw that can be used as a weapon. The Malibu Club is also very similar to the Babylon Club. Other similarities include a drugs deal that goes wrong, a mission to kill a cocaine-dealing boss similar to Tony and Manny's killing of Frank, and a mansion featuring an office and hall very similar to those of Tony's mansion in the movie.
Books and comics
Dark Horse Comics' imprint DH Press released a novel called Scarface: The Beginning by L. A. Banks.[19][20]
IDW publishing released a limited series called Scarface: Scarred For Life. It starts with corrupt police officers finding Tony has survived the final mansion showdown.[21]
Television and film
In 2001, plans were set into motion for hip hop artist Cuban Link to write and star in a sequel to Scarface entitled Son of Tony.[22] The plans for a prospective sequel drew both praise as well as criticism, and after several years Cuban Link indicated that he may no longer be involved with the project as the result of movie rights issues and creative control.[23]
USA Network announced in 2003 they would be producing a mini-series based on the movie; however, the series' current status is unknown.
References
- ↑ "Scarface". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=scarface.htm. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
- ↑ "Wireimage Listings: Scarface Premiere: Dec 1, 1983". Wireimage. December 1, 1983. http://www.wireimage.com/GalleryListing.asp?nbc1=1&navtyp=CAL====122873&ym=198312. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- ↑ "Scarred for Life". The Palm Beach Post. October 11, 2003. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/10/08/1065601905570.html. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- ↑ Roger Ebert (December 9, 1983). "Review of Scarface". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19831209/REVIEWS/312090301/1023. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
- ↑ 1983 Article about the rating of the film.
- ↑ Ebert, Roger (December 9, 1983). "Scarface". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19831209/REVIEWS/312090301/1023. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
- ↑ Ebert, Roger. "Great Movies". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=greatmovies_fulllist. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
- ↑ Canby, Vincent (December 9, 1983). "Al Pacino Stars in Scarface". New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?_r=2&res=9B0DE3D71F39F93AA35751C1A965948260&scp=21&sq=%22Scarface%22&st=nyt&oref=slogin&oref=logint. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
- ↑ Maltin, Leonard (August 5, 2008). "Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide". Signet Books. pp. 1202.
- ↑ Ansen, David (December 12, 1983). "Gunning Their Way to Glory". Newsweek.
- ↑ Scott, Jay (December 9, 1983). "A Castro cast-off cut from cardboard Scarface: the scuzziest of them all". Globe and Mail.
- ↑ Arnold, Gary (December 9, 1983). "Al Pacino, the New Gangster, Saddled With Old Cliches". Washington Post.
- ↑ "AFI's 10 Top 10". American Film Institute. 2008-06-17. http://www.afi.com/10top10/gangster.html. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ↑ "The Top 50 Cult Films". Entertainment Weekly. May 23, 2003.
- ↑ "Fonda Still Working Out (best-selling VHS and Beta tapes of the week)". The Miami Herald. June 16, 1984. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MH&s_site=miami&p_multi=MH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB35FD5E3BD789B&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
- ↑ Todd Doogan (September 3, 1998). "DVD Review - Scarface: Collector's Edition". The Digital bits. http://www.thedigitalbits.com/reviews/scarface.html. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
- ↑ "El precio del poder (1983)". FilmAffinity. http://www.filmaffinity.com/es/film188896.html. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
- ↑ "Ingresar". Shareadictos.com. http://www.shareadictos.com/foro/index.php?topic=23773. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
- ↑ Dark Horse Comics > Profile > Scarface Vol. 1: The Beginning
- ↑ DH Press Books : Current Titles
- ↑ IDW Publishing; 'Scarface: Scarred For Life'
- ↑ "Son of Tony". Ozone Magazine. http://www.ozonemag.com/feb2002/cubanlink.html. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
- ↑ "Cuban Link Starts His Chain Reaction". Latin Rapper. http://www.latinrapper.com/featurednews41.html. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
External links
- Scarface at the Internet Movie Database
- Scarface at Box Office Mojo
- Scarface at Rotten Tomatoes
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