Scarface 1932

directed by Howard Hawks
USA 1932

One of Hawks's undisputed masterpieces, and a landmark in the screen depiction of gangsters. Though the gangster genre had recently exploded with LITTLE CAESAR and THE PUBLIC ENEMY, it was SCARFACE (a.k.a. "Scarface, the Shame of a Nation") that depicted the professional hood as a murderous beast. In earlier films of the genre, a great deal of attention was paid to developing the background of the criminal and placing the blame for his antisocial activities on his environment. But with SCARFACE, all of that was dispensed with to give audiences for the first time an adult, fully developed monster who thrived on murder and power.

The first scene of SCARFACE shows Tony Camonte (Muni) only in shadow, whistling a few bars of an Italian aria before shooting a victim and then walking calmly away. It's obvious that the career shown on screen is that of the notorious Al Capone. Tony is honestly portrayed as the typical gangster of the era; he is brutal, arrogant, and stupid (Truffaut said Hawks directed Muni to make him look and move like an ape; it's likely), a homicidal maniac who revels in gaudy clothes, fast cars, and machine guns, because their rapid fire allows him to kill more people at a single outing. (The number of deaths recorded in this ultra-violent film is 28, with many more reported as occurring off-camera.) But Tony is also insanely jealous of his slinky sister (Ann Dvorak), to the point where his feelings toward her are obliquely incestuous. Tony works for Johnny Lovo (Osgood Perkins), a more sophisticated and clever hoodlum who, in turn, is the chief lieutenant of Big Louis (Harry Vejar), the city's nominal crime boss. (Perkins's role is based on Johnny Torrio, the creator of organized crime in America, and Vejar is a duplicate of Chicago's old-time crime czar, Big Jim Colosimo.) Tony is arrested for the murder shown in the opening scene, but the mob lawyer soon has him freed on a special writ. Tony encourages Johnny to kill Louis since he won't take advantage of the new Prohibition law and go into bootlegging liquor. But when Johnny tells Tony to leave the North Side boss (Boris Karloff) alone, and especially after Tony meets Johnny's sexy mistress (Karen Morley), it's clear that Tony's tactics are only going to intensify.

SCARFACE was the most violent, bloody film the genre had seen. Hawks outdid himself, running his cameras with the action in vivid truck and dolly shots often missing from the static early talkies of the period. Note in particular how Hawks uses the symbol of an "X" to indicate death (the rafters of a ceiling, Karloff's bowling score, Raft's apartment number, etc.) Aiding the director was cameraman Lee Garmes, whose sharp contrasts created some of the starkest images ever captured on screen. Producer Howard Hughes spared no expense, but he also interfered with Hawks (as he did with other directors), insisting that Hawks present all decisions for his approval. In fact, the production was almost cancelled because of the incessant squabbling between the producer and director.

Excerpt from TV Guide located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: 31 March 1932 - USA

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DVD Comparison:

Universal (lone edition) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Universal - 83' Deluxe Giftset - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Universal - Region 2,4,5 - PAL

(Universal (lone edition) - Region 1- NTSC LEFT vs. Universal - 83' Deluxe Giftset - Region 1 - NTSC MIDDLE vs. Universal - Region 2,4,5 - PAL RIGHT)

DVD Box Cover
Distribution	Universal Region 1 - NTSC	Universal from Scarface (1983) Deluxe Gift Set Region 1 - NTSC	Universal Region 2,4,5 - PAL
Runtime	1:33:30	1:33:30	1:29:42
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.23 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 8.68 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 8.79 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate : Universal NTSC (lone)
Bitrate : Universal NTSC (in Boxset)
Bitrate: Universal PAL
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono)	English (Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono)	English (Dolby Digital 1.0),DUBs: French, German, Italian, Spanish (Dolby Digital 1.0)
Subtitles	English (Closed Captions), French, or none.	English (Closed Captions), French, Spanish or none.	English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Hungarian, Norwegian, Polish, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Universal Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Robert Osborne Introduction (2:23) • Alternate Ending DVD Release Date: May 22nd, 2007 Keep Case Chapters: 18	Release Information: Studio: Universal Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Alternate Ending • Trailers DVD Release Date: September 30, 2003 Keep Case in Collector's Box Chapters: 18	Release Information: Studio: Universal (Anniversary Edition) Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Alternate Ending • Trailers DVD Release Date: December 26th, 2005 Keep Case Chapters 18

Comments

ADDITION: Universal - lone edition - May 07': It is different, but not discernibly. I suspect that the blacks and possibly brightness have been very slightly enhanced. Trouble is when that is done it sometimes brings out the damage marks a bit more prominently. Sometimes the artifacts are more visible than the other two. It includes the alternate ending and adds the perennial Robert Osborne introduction. I hoped for a lot more (commentary, supplements or how about just being dual-layered) but realistically I new this is what we would get. Still for the price it is a must-have if you don't own it already.

****

One of the greatest crimes associated with Howard Hawks 1932 Scarface is that the only available DVD for region one locked viewers is in the super ostentatious 1983 (De Palma) Scarface Deluxe Giftset (compared HERE). Come one Universal! It truly is a crime to force Noir die-hards to spend $50 for something that multi-region users can get for about 1/5 of the price.

If there is any difference between the NTSC and PAL editions it is very slight. Both are progressive, have rich black levels (possibly boosted) and some digital noise. Light scratches and infrequent damage marks are visible on both - in the same spots. The PAL edition is region coded to sell as extensively as possible with multiple subtitles and DUB options. Both have the alternate ending sequence and some trailers as an extra. The R2 is dual-layered where the NTSC is single-layered - perhaps for all the extra DUBs and subs - I'm not sure.

If you are not yet capable of viewing all regions yet, and are a fan of this Hawks masterpiece we suggest buying a reasonable-priced player and buying the European edition rather than succumbing to the extravagant 83' Giftset packaging (truly ridiculous). Of course, once you open the region-free door you have really taken the blinders off and will undoubtedly purchase other great cinema previously unavailable to you.

Bottom line: If you own the 83' version Deluxe Giftset there is no reason to buy the PAL, otherwise we suggest a great savings by purchasing one of the European editions (which basically are all the same to my knowledge). Calling Scarface (1932) a classic film is almost an understatement.

- Gary Tooze

DVD Menus

Universal (lone edition) - Region 1 - NTSC

(Universal - 83' Deluxe Giftset - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT vs. Universal - Region 2,4,5 - PAL RIGHT)

Screen Captures