• Scarface (1932)

9/27/21 (Mon)

Howard Hawk’s seminal gangster flick was released in 1932 after a year of fights with the censors and apparently released in a bowdlerized version. Producer Howard Hughes soon removed it from circulation and stuck it in his vaults, where it remained until his death in the 1970s. The version here is supposedly more or less the original, though irritating reminders of the censor’s stamp remain, such as the opening text warning us about the danger of gangsters and an irrelevant scene with a newspaper editor accusing politicians (and by extension the public) of failing to do their jobs. Fortunately the ending was left as originally filmed rather than the moralistic finale evidently demanded by the studio.

The movie was clearly based on Al Capone – try the title, for one thing – despite claims otherwise. Ben Hecht, one of the credited screenwriters (he was at the same time writing Twentieth Century for Hawks – now that’s versatility), knew Capone and must have consulted other gangsters given this level of verisimilitude. Whatever tinkering that the producers did to the results, Capone must have approved since no one seems to have been shot for it.

It is a dramatic and credible story extremely well told. The setting is contemporary Chicago. The boss has taken over the South Side thanks to his boy Tony’s muscle, forcing all bars to go through him for their liquor. The ambitious Tony wants to move into the North Side as well, but the boss seeks to avoid a standoff with that powerful gang and orders Tony to hold back. Unfortunately, Tony becomes drunk with his own power and attacks the North Side bars, provoking violent reprisals from the gang, the interest of the police, and displeasure from his boss. Tony becomes a virtual killing machine, ultimately murdering his own boss and, due to a suffocating protectiveness of his sister, his best friend. The situation spirals out of control, and Tony becomes the hunted, down to a Bonnie and Clyde like ending.

The many shootouts and murders were adeptly filmed with no sentiment whatsoever. Everything felt real, including unusually sharp characterizations throughout. Tony’s violent jealousy of his sister was almost Shakespearean in its self-destructiveness. Some reviews see their relationship as near-incestuous, but that seems to be going too far, not least because she spends most of the time trying to get away from him and enjoy her life.

Paul Muni’s idiosyncratic performance was off-putting at first with the strange facial expressions, odd gestures and that weird accent (don’t know where the heck in Italy that was supposed to come from), but it all came together over the course of the film. His performance alone is worth the price of the ticket. He had a superb female foil in Karen Morley, who he shamelessly steals away from his own boss – but only because she allows herself to be stolen. Great poise and confidence. Ann Dvorak and a young George Raft were also wonderful as his sister and colleague. One of the best movies in this genre that I’ve ever seen. Several thumbs up.