Scarface vs Scarface

As I am an enourmous fan of the ganster film genre, in particular Brian de Palmer's 80s epic staring Al Pacino, I was thoroughly looking forward to watching the original in class on Wednesday. While watching, the similarities between the two pieces as well as drastic differences both proved to be truly fascinating. This weblog will be focused on the importance of certain aspects that were used in both films whislt taking into account the reasons behind the substantial differences and what they reveal about the world of cinema at their time of release.
The most obvious idea that is found in each film is that the main character is an immigrant in America, Tony Camonte from Italy and Tony Montana from Cuba. Their immigrant status is vitally important as it stresses the idea that both characters have come in search of the American Dream, which in their minds is to be rich and incredibly powerful (as the poster for de Palmer's Scarface proclaims; 'He Loved The American Dream, With A Vengence'). The notion of their lust for power is not only indicated through the plot that shows them slowly climbing higher and higher up the crime world's ladder, but it is also epitomised by the characters' love of the phrase; 'The World Is Yours', a creed which they both live to fullfill. In Hawks' film, Scarface's appartment looks out to a large billboard with these words, which inventively are focused in on at the end of the film as the lights go out to symbolize Scarface's death and loss of his power. In de Palmer's version, in keeping with the film's gaudy 80s aesthetic, Tony Montana makes an even bigger statement of his power, having these world enscribed on a giant golden statue of Atlas holding up the world in a fountain. As with Hawks' Scarface, Tony Montana symbolically collapses dead into the pool in front of the statue to mirror the message that Hawks conveyed.
With regards to the visable difference to the films, it of course has to be remember that whilst the 1932 Scarface was released just before the Motion Picture Production Codes of 1927 and 1930 fully took effect, it was taking great risk with the censors who were keen to stamp down on violence, firearms, murder, siding with the bad guys, riddicule of the law and explicit details of the art of crime. Now that we have all seen the film and learnt of these censor restrictions, it can certainly be said of the original Scarface that it was incredibly taboo-breaking. There were multiple examples of the previously listed "forbidden" material from start to finish, and it can even be argued that were it not for the lack of blood, the Scarface of 1932 can be described as being every bit as violent as it's 1983 counterpart. A further key difference to note between the films is the time periods in which they are set, the 1932 version depicting the now 'classical' gangsters of the day with their identical cars, liquor rackettiering and almost businessman-like dress sense of hats and suits. The 1983 version is far more focused on the gaudy and materialistic 80s, best represented in Tony Montana's open-button shirts and enourmous gold-a-plenty mansion (not forgetting of course, his very own tiger).
Perhaps the most crucial difference of all can be found in the vastly opposing attitudes towards Gangsters and the criminal underworld in each film. Hawks's film was under the pressure from to not make the bad guys out as the heroes and make sure they get their come-uppants. It can of course be argued that ultimately, Hawks failed in this task, as despite his attrotious behaviour to others and his sister in particular, his confident swagger and almost playfullness keep him as a likeable character. Conversely, di Palmer was without such restrictions, taking the brutal malice and arrogance of Tony Montana to the extreme yet somehow, Al Pacino's performance makes the audience root for him, perhaps located in the great cinema tradition of being drawn towards the poweful, wise-cracking (and highly quotable) anti-hero. Whilst such an idea would have been detestable and shot down by censors in Hawk's day, thanks to the modern idea of the 'Cinema of Cool' in which gangsters and lawbreakers are seen as the most dynamic on screen that allowed Tony 'Say Hello To My Lil Friend!" Montana to become a cult icon of near aspiration. (Which could possibly explain my framed film poster for the 1983 Scarface taking pride of place on my wall)