Scarface (Universal Cinema Classics)
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Actor: Ann Dvorak, George Raft, Karen Morley, Paul MuniBrand: NBC Universal
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Black & White, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Original recording remastered, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 93 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-05-22
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: United Artists
DVD Reviews of Scarface (Universal Cinema Classics)
DVD Review: Powerhouse Melodrama
Summary: 5 Stars
"Costillo slowed down too much." -- Johnny Lovo
"Yeah, and now he come to a dead stop." -- Tony
Still a powerhouse gangster saga full of raw violence and barely clothed lust after all these years, this may have been the defining moment in the genre. Maurice Coons had a heart attack before the film's release and didn't get to witness his story reaching immortality as Howard Hawks' treatment blazed across screens like a wildfire that couldn't be contained. Both Paul Muni and Ann Dvorak gave their second unforgettable performance of the year as gangster Tony Camonte and the sister he has something for, Cesca. Dvorak's Cesca is nowhere to be seen during the middle portion of this film, but such an impression does she make at the beginning and end, her character seems to frame the entire story. Muni is equally memorable as the inarticulate and brash gangster with animal magnetism who just wants more. Following his moving performance in I am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang, and hers as the doomed and restless Vivian who finds redemption at the shattering climax of Three On a Match, both cemented their place in screen history.
Though not as often mentioned when this film is talked about, Karen Morley's turn as the gangster's moll who gets off on the animalistic behavior of Tony but wont let him get a taste until he's the man in charge is splendid. Of all the fine performances here, however, it is George Raft's as the cool, coin-flipping gunman, Guino Rinaldo which has that extra something called star power. Raft would not want to foster this image and intentionally chose to portray the good guy after this, but his underplayed "Little Boy" was admired by the real gangsters he had grown up with and shows a charisma onscreen others critical of his talents wish they had. And if one of the gangsters looks a bit like Boris Karloff, it is because it is Boris Karloff. He is quite good as Gaffney, who introduces the machine gun to the streets when Tony makes a grab for the North Side. Partially shot at Harold Lloyd Studios, Howard Hughes would tire of Hays Office interference and told Hawks to make it as real as he could, resulting in a bona-fide screen classic.
Ben Hecht and a host of others worked on adapting Armitage Trail's (Maurice Coon) story for Hawks, which became a thinly veiled bio of Al Capone's rise to crime boss. The power of the infamous massacre on St. Valentine's Day still shocks, despite the decades of explicit cinema since. In a war to control the flow of liquor during prohibition, underling Tony Camonte wants it all, and begins a grab for territory while his boss becomes a mere puppet. What he really wants is the high priced Poppy (Karen Morley) and the audience can see why. Morley is terrific in conveying Poppy's desire for the brutality Tony brings to the table, but denies herself the thrill until he's taken complete control. Helping him do that more than a little is Tony's right arm, the cool Guino (George Raft). Tony's sister, Cesca, wants to live life to the fullest, and wants Guino as well, but can do neither while her brother is alive. Dvorak is magnificent, and when she disappears for a time as the gangster saga gets hot, viewers are left chomping at the bit for her return, despite the mesmerizing story unfolding before them.
The cops know Tony is just like any other guy without Guino and his boys, however, and Hawks uses this aspect of the story to condemn the mob, using one of the cops to highlight the difference between outlaws of the west and the new gangster of the streets. There is a marvelous scene where Poppy shows where her real allegiance lies by a simple lighting of a cigarette. The best scene in the film comes after Guino gives in to temptation with Tony's sister and makes it permanent while he's away on business. What happens in a doorway and Cesca's reaction is still powerful. Trapped by the cops, Tony shows himself to still be a smalltime gangster, to the disappointment of his sister, who finally breaks the tie to him forever. Violent and raw, Hawks gave up trying to please the Hays office with an ending they'd approve, and Hughes finally released it in selected cities with Hawks' original ending to packed houses.
Dvorak was something else and this is a good glimpse of what that something was. She moved to Britain for a time with her husband during the war and offered her services to drive an ambulance. Morley would become a casualty of the Blacklist but become Lt. Governor of New York later. Four powerhouse performances and the fine direction of Howard Hawks add up to a screen classic, and perhaps the finest gangster saga ever put on film until The Godfather. It is still raw, still entertaining, and still packs a punch today. Just the chance to see Dvorak light up the screen with her elegance, masking the troubled fire beneath, is worth the price of admission. Another Howard Hawks masterpiece.
Description of Scarface (Universal Cinema Classics)
One of the most influential movies of all time, the original Scarface is an exciting story of organized crime's brutal control over Chicago during the Prohibition era. Academy Award winner Paul Muni gives an electrifying performance as Tony Camonte, an ambitious criminal with a ruthless drive to be the city's top crime boss. Produced by the legendary Howard Hughes and directed by Howard Hawks, this compelling tale of ambition, betrayal and revenge is a groundbreaking masterpiece that influenced all gangster films to follow. Filmed during the "pre-code" era before censorship shaped the way movies were made, "this powerful gangster film is the most potent of the 1930s" (Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide). Starring: Paul Muni, George Raft, Boris Karloff, Ann Dvorak, Karen Morley, Osgood Perkins, C. Henry Gordon, Edwin Maxwell Directed by: Howard HawksBestsellers in DVD
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