Post by Mrs Vindecco on Oct 12, 2012 10:54:08 GMT
I just finished watching the Hawks/Hughes movie Scarface for the first time. It had been sitting on Netflix for a while and I decided to watch it, mostly of curiosity because I am familiar with the Pacino/ De Palma remake. Like the latter film, I watched this with mixed feelings. I can see why people would enjoy the film and how influential it was to the genre, but I didn't find it nearly as enjoyable as Public Enemy or Little Caesar which were released about the same time.
The film is fast paced and holds the interest, which is obviously good. It was no surprise watching this that the film had many issues with censors, mainly due to the violence. However the various deaths are actually some of the best scenes in the film, Howard Hughes creates imaginative, often symbolic violence.
Another issue that censors understandably took issue with is the implied incestuous relationship between Paul Muni's Tony and his sister Cesca played by Ann Dvorak. Apparently writer Ben Hecht was inspired by the Borgia's.
Ok I have just learnt how to do screen caps.
The first shot of Tony in shadow gunning down his mob boss.
George Raft
Where I found the film a bit of a drag, was in some of the performances. Raft, Dvorak and Karen Morley were all good and did what was asked of them, though Morley's character possibly lacked some of the glamour and feistiness' of the more celebrated gangster molls. I was slightly disappointed in Boris Karloff, but I don't think this was actually his fault, some of the dialogue and slang just didn't sound right in that iconic voice. Paul Muni, in all honesty, got on my nerves. I know the Tony character isn't supposed to be the brightest light on the Christmas tree and that is fair enough, but I felt Muni hammed it up too much, to the point I didn't really care about his character and it seemed to lack genuine emotion especially in the final scenes.
