Michelle Sullivan

2/9/2016
COMM 305
Communications 305: Paper Option 1
Scarface is a well know movie released in 1983. It is known especially
for the end scene where the main character played by Al Pachino is holding a
M16 rifle equipped with a 40mm grenade launcher, and says Say Hello to
my little friend. This is when he shoots the grenade helping put the body
count in the movie to well over forty. Many people, however, do not know
about the original Scarface which was released almost fifty years before in
1932. The original movie holds the same plot with details being changed to
fit the eighties era. The 1932 movie was directed by Howard Hawks and
written by Ben Hecht. Howard Hawks was a very wealthy man interested in
primarily aviation, not directing. His movies were usually controversial in
content, just as seen in the original Scarface. The main character is Tony
Camonte which is played by Paul Muni. By the end of his career, he would
only star in twenty-five films total. The remake of Scarface was directed by
Brian De Palma. He is known primarily for his crime and suspense movies. It
was re-written by Oliver Stone, but original plot comes from the Ben Hecht,
the original writer. The remake of the movie was dedicated to Ben Hecht and
Howard Hawks. Oliver Stone and Brian De Palma were careful not to alter
the plot too much, which can be seen in the very identical scenes between
the movies. In the second Scarface, Al Pachino plays Tony Montana. Al
Pachino and Paul Muni did very well at portraying the crazed character. Al
Pachino is known as a method actor and would stay in character through the
filming of the whole movie even when he was off set and taking a break. He
was Tony Montana from the day he started filming to the end of the movie.
Al Pachino has been nominated for eight Academy Awards. Likewise, Paul
Muni was nominated for six Academy Awards. Pachino was the only one to
go on to win an Oscar. For the 1983 remake of Scarface, it is listed in the
American Film Institute as being the tenth best gangster film, but the
original is listed as the sixth best.
Obviously, changes had to be made to alter the original movie to the
current era. The filming and production was done differently as times
changed. The most visible difference was clearly the black and white to color
film. The original movie was about an hour and a half long. The second was
almost twice as long at two hours and fifty minutes long. The dress style was
also different between to two films. The original was set in the 1930s in
Chicago during prohibition. The gangsters of that era were very clean and
crisp. Paul Muni was usually in black, slim-fitted pantsuit with a clean light
colored shirt underneath. The hairstyles were slick and parted and

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sometimes topped off with a fedora. The womens clothing were not as
nearly revealing as in the remake. In the remake, Al Pachino was usually in
colorful clothing, white and unbuttoned shirts. They were set in Miami and
had beach attire and tropical style clothing. In addition, the language was
much different between the movies. In the remake, the f-word was used
well over two-hundred times as well is many more curse words in between.
The movie is almost two-hundred minutes long. That means that the f-word
was used on average, more than one time per minute. In the original, there
was very few cursing. They had think Italian accents, filing the classic
mobster stereotype. This was done to help resemble one of the most
infamous mobsters at the time, Al Capone. He was a crime boss between
New York and Chicago. He found out about the movie and sent some of his
men to go check on the movie. They were convinced by the producers and
directors that the movie was not based on him. Al Capones same men were
then also hired as consultants to validate the legitimacy and accuracy of the
movie and its portrayal of the mobster and gangster world. Al Capone
supposedly loved the movie so much and considered it to be based upon
himself that he had his own copy he watched while in jail.
Since the original film was based on gangsters that were illegally
selling large quantities of beer to bars during the prohibition, there was a lot
of controversy over it. Especially since the movie was filmed and released
when prohibition had not ended yet. William Hays was the main reviewer of
scripts in Hollywood at the time. He wrote the guidelines called The
Formula to create an acceptable and appropriate movie. These included no
sex, illegal drugs, nudity, and much more while filming. The movies had to
be clean and could not include any of those types of scenes. Even so, the
movie was very violent for back then and even now today. The original
Scarface was banned in seven states and there were regulations set for the
movie. The full title of the movie is Scarface: The Shame of the Nation
which was added on. The movie was bringing attention to the shame of the
nation, the gang crimes that were going on at the time such as Al Capones
gang. In addition, there is also a disclaimer at the beginning of the film
which criticizes the government and the lack thereof to subdue the crimes at
the time by the gangsters. The renaming of the film and getting it approved
for censoring delayed the release of the film. Just like the original, the
remake of Scarface was also delayed in releasing. After filming, it took three
times to get the movie to pass as R-rated and not X-rated by the MPAA. The
producers brought in narcotic officers who consulted and helped the movie
pass as R-rated. When it hit the theaters, it did not do as well as hoped with

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only $4.6 million opening. To this day, it has received much better reviews
and more praise than originally released after the shock died down of the
violence, cursing, and intense drug use
The storyline between the two movies stayed the same for the most
part. The remake was modernized to fit the eighties era, but was carefully
done so as to not alter too much from the original storyline. The original
movie was based upon a classic Italian gangster in Chicago. The gangs
illegally distributed beer to bars during prohibition. The remake is about a
Cuban immigrant landing in Miami and climbing his way up in a cocaine
distribution operation. A difference between them, is that the remake
focuses on the use of the illegal product by the main characters. Both Tony
and Elvira use cocaine a lot which helps lead to his downfall. In the original,
it seems more psychological rather than drinking profusely. In both movies,
Tony is after the bosses spouse and is eager to climb to the top so he can
have her. Poppy is the woman from the original, she has a much more
pleasant feel to her and seems to have some affection towards Tony. In the
remake, Elvira is cold and is with whomever can supply her money and her
addiction. One of the most similar things between the two movies is the
relationship between him and her sister. Tony I obsessed with his sister and
is furious when she is with anyone else. In both movies, Tonys mother says
that his sister has not been home. So, he goes to find her and finds her with
his partner, Manny and Guino. They are both shot in the gut as soon as
Tonys sister appears. He soon finds out that they were going to surprise
him, as they had just been married the previous day. These scenes are the
beginning of the spiraling downfall for Tony. In the original, Tonys sister
comes to avenge Guinos death. She pulls a gun on him and cant follow
through. Just then, the police arrive at Tonys apartment and shoot his
sister, then gun him down, ending the movie. In the remake, when Tonys
sister comes in to avenge Mannys death, she shoots at him several times
and hits him in the leg. The rival gang has infiltrated Tonys home. They
shoot his sister, and this begins the last scene just like the original. In the
remake, the final scene is much more violent than the original. It is a blood
bath, and Tony is finished off by a man from behind with a double barrel
shotgun.
Currently, there is talk about a third Scarface. This one is not
supposed to be a remake or a sequel, so things may change drastically in
the new one. They are keeping the same producers, Marc Shmuger and
Martin Bregman, from the 1983 version. Al Pachino will not be staring in the

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movie. The writer is Jonathan Herman who recently scripted Straight Outta
Compton. The new remake will most likely have the same downfall at the
end with a bloodbath. The crime ring may be focused on the Texas/Mexico
border or California/Mexico area such as Los Angeles. It will get away from
the mobster and gangster era and most likely focus on the Mexican Drug
Cartel. Hopefully, a good cast will be selected that can compare to the first
two versions of Scarface.

Sources
http://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/scarface-remake-miami-losangeles/2015/03/20/id/631359/