Hasitha Fernando on the story behind Scarface as it celebrates its 40th anniversary…
There is nary a filmgoer who has not heard of Brian De Palma’s Scarface. Debuting 40 years ago this month, the movie stirred controversy and polarized audiences with its graphic violence, excessive profanity and depictions of drug usage but has since then been reappraised as one of the greatest gangster dramas ever made. Today we discuss some interesting behind-the-scenes details about the cult-classic gangster drama…
The movie was a remake of a 1932 gangster film of the same name
The active development of the Brian De Palma classic took place after Al Pacino viewed a screening of Howard Hawk’s 1932 original at the Tiffany Theatre in Los Angeles. Hawk’s iteration was based loosely on the similarly titled 1929 novel by author Armitage Trail, which in turn was inspired heavily by real-life Chicago based mob boss Al Capone. The movie was released during the pre-Hays code era of Hollywood headlined by Paul Muni, one of the biggest prestige stars of that time period.
Regarding his transformative experience watching the movie Al Pacino had this to say, “The film just stopped me in my tracks. All I wanted to do was imitate Paul Muni. His acting went beyond the boundaries of naturalism into another kind of expression. It was almost abstract what he did. It was almost uplifting.”
Oliver Stone penned the screenplay whilst battling his cocaine addiction
Seeing the inherent potential of the IP, Al Pacino immediately contacted his manager, producer Martin Bregman and informed him of his intentions of remaking Scarface for a newer audience. Initially Pacino wanted to retain the period piece aspect of the original, but later dropped the idea in favor of a more contemporary story set in the backdrop of the real-life Mariel boatlift incident of 1980. This idea suggested by Sidney Lumet, who was initially attached as the movie’s director, was what convinced Oliver Stone to join the project and have a crack at the story.
During an interview with Creative Screenwriting Stone reminisced, “Sidney had a great idea to take the 1930s American prohibition gangster movie and make it into a modern immigrant gangster movie dealing with the same problems that we had then, that we’re prohibiting drugs instead of alcohol. There’s a prohibition against drugs that’s created the same criminal class as (prohibition of alcohol) created the Mafia.” But before he officially started his gig Stone had to get rid of a nasty habit that had become a big problem with the creative process – his cocaine addiction. So, in order to break the habit more effectively, Stone moved to Paris to sober up and write the script.
Creative differences and changes in directors
At the beginning of production veteran filmmaker Sidney Lumet, the man behind such critically acclaimed hits as 12 Angry Men and Dog Day Afternoon, was steering ship as the director of the film. Even the biggest story related contribution – which inspired writer Oliver Stone to reinvent Tony Montana’s origins – was all Lumet’s brilliance. However, creative differences arose between producer Martin Bregman and Lumet when the latter sought to make a more politically charged story which blamed the then presidential administration on the unnatural influx of cocaine to the US.
Lumet’s departure from the project put production on hold momentarily, but Bregman quickly found a suitable replacement – Brian De Palma. At that point in time De Palma had slowly gained his reputation as an avant-garde filmmaker with efforts like Carrie, Dressed to Kill and Blowout. But nothing would prepare him for the hornets’ nest of controversy he was about to stir up by taking on the reigns of Scarface.
Robert De Niro’s loss was Al Pacino’s greatest win
Although Al Pacino was a major driving force behind the Scarface remake from the get-go, the role of Tony Montana was initially offered to Robert De Niro first. But the talented actor wasn’t drawn to the material and so Pacino took on the role he was destined to play. The star underwent an intense period of preparation prior to shooting, working with experts on knife fighting and close quarter combat. Boxer Robert Duran helped Pacino attain the body type he wanted for the role. Working closely with Duran inspired Pacino to infuse some of the boxer’s fiery mannerisms and mercurial persona into Montana’s character as well.
Pacino briefly described his version of Scarface during a behind-the-scenes interview explaining, “I felt that this Scarface was a piece of so many different kinds of gangsters we’ve seen. He was chaotic, disorganized, didn’t comply and totally out of control, which was an interesting thing in his character to play.”
Michelle Pfeiffer was a relative unknown when she was cast in the movie
Nowadays the name Michelle Pfeiffer requires no introduction. But during the casting process of Scarface the talented actress was a relative unknown, with her involvement in Grease 2 being the highlight of her career up to that point. Sure, most film critics and media outlets cited her as being the best thing about the less than appealing sequel, but the fact of the matter was, that wasn’t enough to convince either De Palma or Pacino to cast her as the female lead.
Thankfully producer Bregman saw Pfeiffer’s potential and fought for her inclusion. As a result, Glenn Close – who was the top contender for the coveted role – lost out to Pfeiffer. Some of the other actresses who were in prior discussions were, Geena Davis, Carrie Fisher, Rosanna Arquette, Kim Basinger, Brooke Shields, Sharon Stone and Sigourney Weaver.
The carnage and bloodshed was by design
The ultra-violence depicted in Scarface was a major topic of dispute when it debuted, but De Palma found it a necessary evil so as to demonstrate the sheer brutality of the new brand of gang warfare that was unleashed during that era.
“They didn’t just kill each other in these drug wars, they literally chop people up or sawed them, dumping the body parts inside a trashcan outside of a 7- Eleven. Because of that, I wanted to establish a level of violence that had not been seen before. This was a whole new level of mob interaction, which was poles apart from the pleasant shootouts or strangulations you’ve seen in The Godfather,” recalled De Palma during one of the movie’s behind-the-scenes interviews.
Scarface was slapped with an X-rating by the MPAA prior to its release
There’s no doubt that, at the time of its release, Scarface was one of the most violent films ever conceived. So, it came as no surprise that the MPAA initially slapped the movie with an X-rating, just two months prior to its release for “excessive and cumulative violence and language”.
De Palma was not pleased as he had already re-cut the flick around three times by that point. Fed up he and Bregman accepted the X-rating, usually reserved for pornographic efforts, and decided to make an appeal regarding their ill-timed predicament. Fortunately, the appeal board ruled in their favor, affording De Palma the opportunity to screen their original cut with an R rating.
Giorgio Moroder’s synthwave soundtrack
Italian composer and music producer Giorgio Moroder have often been dubbed the “Father of Disco”, for his pioneer contributions in the field of electronic synthesized music. His singular efforts invariably paved the way for the birth of music genres like house, techno, Hi-NRG, Italo disco, synth pop and new-wave music. His seamless transition to scoring film music garnered him multiple accolades which further cemented his legendary status.
Remember the catchy 80s songs “Take My Breath Away” and “Flashdance” which went on to bag Oscars? Yeah, you can thank Giorgio Moroder for those toe-tapping numbers. But I digress. De Palma was pressured incessantly by the studio to use pop music from the era in which the story is set, instead of utilizing Moroder’s synth-heavy score. But the filmmaker stubbornly stuck to his guns, only using the material crafted by Moroder which he thought was perfectly adequate for his film.
Negative reviews and a decent box-office run
Like most great cult-classics Scarface was destined to be lambasted by critics when it opened. Severe criticism was levelled against the movies’ extreme violence, obscene language and its portrayal of drug usage. Although somewhat tame by modern standards back in 1980 Scarface was viewed as a whole new level of crazy. However, the risky endeavor did have a handful of fans who understood the film’s potential even back then.
One such individual was legendary movie critic Roger Ebert who gave the flick a rare four stars out of four in his 1983 review writing, “De Palma 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.”
Vincent Canby of The New York Times also showered praise by saying, “The dominant mood of the film 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.” Ebert later on added Scarface to his coveted “Great Movies” list. In spite of the alarming subject matter the movie did surprisingly well at the worldwide box-office raking in $ 66 million on a production budget of $ 25 million, making it the 7th highest grossing R-rated film in North America for 1983.
An enduring legacy and a major pop culture influence
Very few movies, especially gangster movies, have been able to have the cultural impact that Scarface has had. Sure, there’s Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather and Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, but in terms of sheer reach and influence Scarface surely takes the proverbial cake.
For starters, the fact that one real-life drug lord from Naples ordered an exact replica of Tony Montana’s Miami mansion built in Italy and another was found to possess a life-sized porcelain bust of the man himself, speaks volumes about the impact Al Pacino’s character has had even on mafiosos. Even Sadaam Hussain’s money laundering company was named Montana Management after Tony Montana’s money laundering operation in the movie.
The film has also had a significant impact on hip-hop artists and their culture over the years. This could be because that these artists could identify with the themes of power, wealth and the struggle for success explored in Scarface. Some notable artists inspired by the effort include East coast rapper Nas, BTS member Suga/Agust D and even rap legend Tupac Shakur.
In the gaming industry Scarface proved to be a major source of inspiration for the creators of the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the fourth main entry of the Grand Theft Auto series published by Rockstar Games. The movie even ended up getting its own direct tie-in video games in 2006, with Scarface: The World is Yours and Scarface: Money. Power. Respect, which explored a scenario where Tony Montana survived.
The movie also influenced an entire generation of young, maverick filmmakers and imaginative storytellers unafraid to take risks, through its bold visual styles, compelling narrative and exploration of dark themes and complex characters. Quentin Tarantino, Tony Scott, Antoine Fuqua and Alejandro G. Iñárritu are a few who have expressed admiration for Scarface and its impact on the crime genre. In tandem some of the talented creatives who were involved in Scarface such as Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Oliver Stone also had their careers launched properly with the debut of this film.
While Scarface may not have been universally praised upon its release, its impact on cinema and pop culture as a whole is undeniable. A cultural touchstone without comparison, the movie continues to be celebrated and discussed by filmmakers, artists and audiences the world over to this day.
What are your thoughts and recollections of Scarface? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Hasitha Fernando is a part-time medical practitioner and full-time cinephile. Follow him on Twitter via @DoctorCinephile for regular updates on the world of entertainment.
