Scarface was one of the greatest gangster films ever made. The motion picture was released in 1932, during the first years of sound films. The film was part of a cycle of Hollywood gangster movies during the early and middle 1930’s. Those films included Little Caesar (1930) and The Public Enemy (1931).
Scarface traced the rise and fall of a Chicago gangster during the 1920’s. The film was subtitled “The Shame of a Nation.” Scarface had an almost documentary-style realism that made its violence and brutality even more convincing. The title character was played by Paul Muni and was based on the career of Chicago gangster Al Capone. The movie departed from the tradition of the one-dimensional gangster by making Scarface a more complex personality. The film depicts him as a man in love with his sister, though he refuses to admit it. Howard Hawks was the director, and Howard Hughes the producer. Ann Dvorak co-starred as Scarface’s sister. Supporting actors included George Raft and Boris Karloff.
Scarface was remade in a much longer and more violent version in 1983. Al Pacino performed the Paul Muni role, and Brian De Palma directed.
See also Capone, Al ; Hawks, Howard .
