More Scarface Wallpapers Desktop Images Links

Scarface (1983 film) Wiki

Scarface is a 1983 epic crime drama film directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, and starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana. Based on Howard Hawks' original 1932 film of the same name, the film tells the story of a fictional Cuban refugee who comes to Florida in 1980 as a result of the Mariel Boatlift. Montana becomes a gangster against the backdrop of the 1980s cocaine boom. The film chronicles his rise to the top of Miami's criminal underworld and subsequent downfall in tragic Greek fashion.

The film is dedicated to Howard Hawks and Ben Hecht, who were the writers of the original 1932 film.

The initial critical response to Scarface was mixed, with the film receiving criticism for its violence and graphic language. The film has since gathered a cult following and has become an important cultural icon, inspiring posters, clothing, and many other references. The film's grainy black and white poster is a popular decoration and is still in production; as a result of its popularity it has been parodied many times.

Plot

Tony Montana (Al Pacino), a violent, aggressive and ambitious young Cuban refugee, arrives in Miami, Florida as one of 125,000 Cuban immigrants from the 1980 Mariel Boatlift. He and best friend Manolo "Manny" Ribera (Steven Bauer) are sent to a refugee camp, but wealthy drug dealer Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia) arranges for them to obtain green cards (US residents' permits) in return for the assassination of a former high government official who tortured his brother to death.

Tony and Manny find work in a Cuban food stand, but Tony grows restless and agrees to carry out a job for Frank's henchman Omar Suarez (F. Murray Abraham), buying cocaine from Colombian dealers. Tony and Manny, along with two other Cuban associates, Angel (Pepe Serna) and Chi Chi (Ángel Salazar), drive to a Miami Beach motel, but the deal proves to be a set-up when the Colombians pull guns and demand money. When Tony refuses, Angel is brutally dismembered with a chainsaw. In an ensuing gunfight the Colombians are killed, and Tony, Manny, and Chi Chi leave with the cocaine and the money, which Tony takes to Frank personally, already distrusting Omar. Frank takes a liking to Tony, and he and Manny begin working for him in the drug-dealing business. Tony also starts to take an interest in Frank's girlfriend, Elvira Hancock (Michelle Pfeiffer).

Three months later, Tony pays a visit to his family after an absence of five years. His younger sister Gina (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), of whom Tony is overly (and arguably incestuously) protective, is excited to see him, but his mother Georgina (Míriam Colón), disgusted by his criminal life, throws him out after refusing a gift of $1,000.

Tony and Omar travel to Bolivia to discuss business with drug kingpin Alejandro Sosa (Paul Shenar) on behalf of Frank. Tony angers Omar when he tries to make negotiations unauthorised by Frank. When Omar tries to leave, Sosa orders his henchmen, Alberto and the Skull, to kill him, alleging to Tony that he had been a police informant. Frank is furious over both Omar's death and Tony's unauthorised deals, and the two end their business relationship. Tony begins establishing his own operations and starts pursuing Elvira more aggressively.

At the Babylon nightclub, Tony is shaken down by a corrupt Miami narcotics detective, Mel Bernstein (Harris Yulin). He proposes to "tax" Tony on his transactions in return for police protection and information, but Tony is distracted by the sight of his sister Gina dancing with a low-level drug dealer. He follows the two to a restroom stall where he berates Gina for her promiscuous conduct and slaps her to the ground, leaving Manny to take her home. On the journey back, Gina admits she is attracted to Manny, but Manny wards her off, mindful of Tony's extreme protectiveness. Back at the nightclub, Tony is attacked by two hitmen who spray bullets around the club, but he manages to escape the gunfire. Suspecting that Frank sent Bernstein and the hitmen, Tony instructs Nick The Pig to call Frank posing as one of the hitmen and inform him that the hit had failed. Tony collects Manny and pays a visit to Frank, whom he finds talking to Bernstein. Frank falls for Tony's ruse and confirms his involvement in the nightclub shooting by accepting the phone call and acknowledging the message that the hit had failed. Tony and Manny shoot Frank and Bernstein dead.

In time, Tony marries Elvira, takes over Frank's empire and becomes massively wealthy, with Manny as his second-in-command. However, cracks in Tony's "perfect life" begin to form as both he and Elvira become addicted to cocaine and start to drift apart. As Tony grows ever more paranoid, greedy and mean, Elvira tires of their lifestyle and eventually walks out.

After a sting in which the police pose as money launderers, Tony is charged with money laundering and tax evasion. Sosa offers Tony a deal whereby he will arrange with his corrupt US contacts for Tony to avoid prison in exchange for Tony helping to assassinate a Bolivian journalist intent on exposing Sosa's dealings. Tony agrees, but the plan to blow up the journalist's car goes wrong when his wife and children unexpectedly also get in the car. Tony, disgusted at the idea of killing innocent children, calls off the operation. Sosa's hitman Alberto ignores him, but before he can detonate the bomb, Tony shoots him in the head, killing him. Sosa, furious at the debacle, calls Tony and the two argue angrily.

Tony's mother tells him that she is upset over Gina's new, "corrupted" life. Tony goes to a Coconut Grove address his mother gives him to investigate, and the door of the mansion is opened by Manny. Upon seeing Gina descend the steps dressed in just a nightgown, Tony pulls his gun, fatally shooting Manny in a fit of anger before Gina can reveal that the couple have just been married. Tony and his men take a hysterical Gina back to Tony's mansion. As Tony sits in his office, distraught at killing his only true friend, and snorting a huge pile of cocaine, a large group of heavily armed hitmen, sent by a vengeful Sosa, have surrounded the mansion. At this point, Gina enters Tony's office dressed in a half-open nightgown and wielding a gun. Sarcastically, she walks seductively toward Tony and accuses him of being possessive and jealous, before shooting at him several times and wounding him in the leg. One of Sosa's gunmen then enters the office through a window and shoots Gina dead. He is in turn killed by Tony, but Sosa's men have by now penetrated the mansion in droves. In a cocaine-fueled rage, Tony, armed with an M16A1 assault rifle, bursts from his second floor office. He begins shooting wildly at the attacking henchmen, killing dozens before he is himself finally killed by a shotgun blast from behind, delivered by the Skull. He topples from a balcony into a small pool in the lobby below, beneath a statue carrying the inscription "The World Is Yours".

[edit] Cast

• Al Pacino as Tony Montana
• Steven Bauer as Manny Ribera (Credits list as "Manny Ray")
• Michelle Pfeiffer as Elvira Hancock
• Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Gina Montana
• Robert Loggia as Frank Lopez
• F. Murray Abraham as Omar Suárez
• Harris Yulin as Mel Bernstein
• Paul Shenar as Alejandro Sosa
• Ángel Salazar as Chi Chi
• Pepe Serna as Angel Fernandez
• Míriam Colón as Georgina Montana
• Al Israel as Hector "The Toad"
• Michael Alldredge as Sheffield

[edit] Reaction

Scarface held its premiere on December 1, 1983 in New York City where it was initially greeted with mixed reaction. Among those in attendance were the film's two stars, Al Pacino and Steven Bauer, as well as Burt and Diane Lane, Melanie Griffith, Raquel Welch, Joan Collins; her then-boyfriend Peter Holm and Eddie Murphy among others.^[2] According to AMC's "DVD TV: Much More Movie" airing, Cher loved it, Lucille Ball, who came with her family, hated it because of the graphic violence and language, and Dustin Hoffman was said to have fallen asleep. Writers Kurt Vonnegut and John Irving were among those who allegedly walked out in disgust after the notorious "chainsaw" scene. At the middle of the film, Martin Scorsese turned behind to Steven Bauer and told him, "You guys are great – but be prepared, because they're going to hate it in Hollywood ... because it's about them".^[3] Scarface, upon its first release, drew controversy regarding the violence and graphic language in the film, and received many negative reviews from movie critics. Despite this, the film grossed $65 million worldwide, and has since gathered a large following. On the two-disc Special Edition, the film's producer, Martin Bregman, said that the film was well received by only one notable critic, Vincent Canby of The New York Times. However, Roger Ebert rated it four stars out of four in his 1983 review and he later added it to his "Great Movies" list.^[4]

[edit] Rating

Scarface was given an X rating three times (original, second, and third cuts) for extreme violence, excessive strong language and hard drug usage. Director Brian De Palma pulled in a panel of experts, including real narcotics officers, who stated that the film was an accurate portrayal of the real-life drug underworld and should be widely seen. This convinced the 20 members of the ratings board to give the third cut an "R" rating by a vote of 18 to 2. DePalma later asked the studio if he could release the original director's cut, but was told that he could not. However, since the studio executives did not know the differences between the three submitted cuts, DePalma released the director's cut to theaters anyway with an unapproved "R".^[5]

[edit] Box office

Scarface was released on December 9, 1983, in 997 theaters, grossing USD $4.6 million in its opening weekend. The film went on to make $45.4 million in North America and $20.5 million in the rest of the world for a worldwide total of $65.9 million.

[edit] Reviews

Roger Ebert rated it four stars out of four in his 1983 review and wrote, "DePalma and his writer, Oliver Stone, have created a gallery of specific individuals, and one of the fascinations of the movie is that we aren't watching crime-movie clichés, we're watching people who are criminals".^[6] He later added it to his "Great Movies" list.^[7] Vincent Canby also praised the film in his review for the New York Times: "Yet the dominant mood of the film is anything but funny. It is bleak and futile: What goes up must always come down. When it comes down in Scarface, the crash is as terrifying as it is vivid and arresting".^[8]

In his review for Newsweek, David Ansen wrote, "If Scarface makes you shudder, it's from what you think you see and from the accumulated tension of this feral landscape. It's a grand, shallow, decadent entertainment, which like all good Hollywood gangster movies delivers the punch and counterpunch of glamour and disgust".^[9] Jay Scott, in his review for the Globe and Mail, writes, "For a while, Al Pacino is hypnotic as Montana. But the effort expended on the flawless Cuban accent and the attempts to flesh out a character cut from inch-thick cardboard are hopeless".^[10] In his review for the Washington Post, Gary Arnold wrote, "A movie that appeared intent on revealing an alarmingly contemporary criminal subculture gradually reverts to underworld cliche, covering its derivative tracks with outrageous decor and an apocalyptic, production number finale, ingeniously choreographed to leave the antihero floating face down in a literal bloodbath".^[11]

It currently holds a "Fresh" rating of 88% from Rotten Tomatoes, and an average score of 65/100 from Metacritic.

Pacino earned nomination for Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama and Steven Bauer was nominated for Best Supporting Actor as well. However, DePalma was nominated for, but did not win, a Razzie Award for Worst Director.

[edit] Legacy

In June 2008, the American Film Institute revealed its "Ten Top Ten"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. Scarface was acknowledged as the tenth best in the gangster film genre.^[12] The line "Say hello to my little friend!" (said by Montana of his rifle-grenade-launcher) took 61st place on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes list. Entertainment Weekly ranked the film #8 on their list of "The Top 50 Cult Films",^[13] and Empire Magazine placed it among the top 500 films of all time.

[edit] Releases

[edit] VHS

Scarface was initially released by MCA Home Video on VHS and Beta in the summer of 1984 – a two-tape set in 1.33:1 Pan and scan ratio – and quickly became a bestseller, preluding its cult status.^[14] A 2.35:1 Widescreen VHS would follow years later in 1998 to coincide with the special edition DVD release. The last and most recent VHS release was in 2003 to counterpart the 20th anniversary edition DVD.

[edit] DVD

Scarface has been released on DVD several times in the United States.

The first release was by Universal Studios Home Entertainment on the film's 15th anniversary in 1998 under the studio's "Collector's Edition" line. The DVD featured a non-anamorphic widescreen transfer, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, a "Making of" documentary, outtakes, production notes and cast and crew biographies. This release was not successful, and many fans and reviewers complained about its unwatchable video transfer and muddled sound, describing it as "one of the worst big studio releases out there".^[15]

This DVD quietly went out of print, subsequently fetching outrageous prices on secondhand sites such as eBay. In 2003, Universal released a remastered two disc "Anniversary Edition" to coincide with the film's 20th anniversary re-release, featuring two documentaries — one re-edited from the last release to include new interviews with Steven Bauer (Manny Ray) and another produced by Def Jam Recordings featuring interviews with various rappers on the film's cult success in the hip-hop world and other extras ported over from the previous DVD. New to this edition was a 2.35:1 Anamorphic widescreen transfer and 5.1 surround sound in both Dolby Digital and DTS.

The limited theatrical re-release also boasted a remastered soundtrack with enhanced sound effects and music but the DVD's 5.1 tracks were mixed from the film's original audio, resulting in noticeably limited frequency and surround effects. A limited edition box set was also released featuring a gold money clip, production stills, lobby cards, and a DVD of the original Scarface. In 2005 Universal released a single disc 'movie only' version of the Anniversary Edition with deleted scenes as the sole bonus feature.

In the fall of 2006 Universal released the movie in a two-disc "Platinum Edition" featuring the remastered audio from the theatrical re-release in Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround. Most of the extras (with the exception of the Def Jam documentary, production notes, and cast and crew biographies) from the Anniversary Edition were also included, along with two new featurettes relating to the new video game and the criminal and cultural world of Miami in the 1980s.

[edit] Blu-ray

As of early 2010, Universal has not publicly disclosed any plans to release Scarface on Blu-ray.

[edit] Spanish language title

When released in Spain, the film was titled El Precio del Poder (The Price of Power).^[16][17] The US and Latin American editions of the DVD feature a Spanish language track, but give the title as Caracortada (Spanish for "Cutface"; a literal translation of "Scarface" into Spanish is "Cara de cicatriz").

[edit] Pop culture

[edit] Music

The music in Scarface was produced by Academy Award-winning Italian record producer Giorgio Moroder. Reflecting Moroder's style, the soundtrack consists mostly of synthesized new wave, electronic music.

[edit] Video games

A licensed video game, Scarface: The World Is Yours, was released in September and October 2006, followed by an update in June 2007. It was developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Vivendi Universal Games. The game is a quasi-sequel based on the premise that Tony survived the raid on his mansion at the end of the film. Wii, PS2, Xbox, and PC versions have been released.

Radical and Vivendi also released a second licensed video game, Scarface: Money, Power, Respect, in October 2006. The game is much like Scarface: The World is Yours, but deals more with the controlling of drugs and managing of the Montana cocaine empire and turf, whereas The World is Yours is mostly focused on getting rid of gangs, gaining respect and overall reconstruction of the empire. To date, only a PSP version of this game has been released.

The hit game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City also has some homages to Scarface, such as an area with the famous bloody bathroom in an empty apartment, along with a chainsaw that can be used as a weapon. The Malibu Club is also very similar to the Babylon Club. Other similarities include a drugs deal that goes wrong, a mission to kill a cocaine-dealing boss similar to Tony and Manny's killing of Frank, and an office and hall very similar to those of Tony's mansion in the movie.

[edit] Books and comics

Dark Horse Comics' imprint DH Press released a novel called Scarface: The Beginning by L. A. Banks.^[18][19]

IDW publishing released a limited series called Scarface: Scarred For Life. It starts with corrupt police officers finding Tony has survived the final mansion showdown.^[20]

[edit] Television and film

In 2001, plans were set into motion for hip hop artist Cuban Link to write and star in a sequel to Scarface entitled Son of Tony.^[21] The plans for a prospective sequel drew both praise as well as criticism, and after several years Cuban Link indicated that he may no longer be involved with the project as the result of movie rights issues and creative control.^[22]

USA Network announced in 2003 they would be producing a mini-series based on the movie; however, the series' current status is unknown.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Scarface

• Scarface at the Internet Movie Database
• Scarface at Box Office Mojo
• Scarface at Rotten Tomatoes

Scarface Movie Synopsis

Brian De Palma's blood-and-sun-drenched saga of a Cuban deportee�s rise to the top of Miami's cocaine business has become something of a popular classic since its release; it's been referenced in rap songs and subsequent gangster movies and quoted the world over. Despite this lovefest with the dialogue, the film�s brutal violence and lack of positive characters still make it controversial and disliked by certain critics. Al Pacino stars as Tony Montana, whose intelligence, guts, and ambition help him skyrocket from dishwasher to the top of a criminal empire but whose eventual paranoia and incestuous desire for his kid sister (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) prove his undoing. Michelle Pfeiffer plays Tony�s neglected coke-addicted trophy wife, and Steven Bauer is his concerned friend. F. Murray Abraham, Robert Loggia, and Paul Shenar are some of Tony�s sleazy business partners and potential killers. Oliver Stone wrote the expletive-packed screenplay, based on Howard Hawks�s 1932 version--which was ostensibly about Al Capone and starred Paul Muni and George Raft. The synth-heavy Giorgio Moroder score expertly evokes the drug-fueled decadence of 1980s Miami, and De Palma provides several of his elaborate set pieces, including a horrific showstopper in a motel room with a chain saw.