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Review
Archives
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Today's
Date is:
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Scarface
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Reviewed
by: |
Tom
Reynolds |
| Genre: |
Action/drama
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| Video: |
Widescreen
letterbox 2.35:1 |
| Audio: |
Dolby
digital 2.0 surround (English) |
| Language: |
English
|
| Subtitle: |
English,
Spanish, French |
| Length: |
170
mins. |
| Rating: |
R
|
| Release
Date: |
March
31, 1998 |
| Studio: |
Universal
|
| Commentary:
|
None |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
"The
Making of Scarface" |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
De
Palma and five cast members |
|
Interviews: |
Included
in featurette |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
Two
theatrical trailers for "Scarface," one for "Carlito's Way"
|
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
Ten
"Outtakes" |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
Production
notes, photos |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Al Pacino,
Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio,
Robert Loggia, F. Murray Abraham, Miriam Colon, Paul Shenar,
Harris Yulin |
| Screenplay
by: |
Oliver Stone
|
| Produced
by: |
Martin Bregman, Louis
Stroller |
| Directed
By: |
Brian De Palma |
| Music: |
Giorgio Moroder |
| The
Review: |
In May of
1980, Castro opened the harbor at Mariel, Cuba, to allow Cuban
nationals to join their families in the United States. Most
of the 125,000 who left Cuba for the greener pastures of freedom
in America were honest, hard-working people, thankful for this
opportunity they had been granted. But not all. Among the "Marielitos"
who streamed into Florida, approximately 25,000 had criminal
records and were nothing less than the dregs of Cuba's jails--
criminals considered beyond redemption, who Castro had merely
wanted to be rid of. And they, too, saw America as a land of
opportunity, in the same way that Al Capone had considered Chicago
fifty years earlier. Among the most ambitious was a man named
Tony Montana, known to his associates as Caracortada: "Scarface."
Montana (Al Pacino) had grown up under the yoke of Communism,
and now that he was free of it, he wanted what he felt was coming
to him, and he was through waiting for it. From the moment he
stepped off the boat in Florida, he was determined to have it
all. Wealth and power; that was Montana's dream, and he would
get it by doing what he did best, beginning with a favor for
a man living in Miami, a man named Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia).
Lopez, it seems, had a brother in Cuba who had met an untimely
end at the hands of one of Castro's goons, a man who, having
outlived his usefulness to Castro, had been summarily discarded
and was currently being held in "Little Havana," along with
Montana and all of the Cubans just off the boats, where they
awaited their papers from the government that would effect their
transition into their new lives. And in short order, Montana
sees to it that Lopez's brother has been avenged. In return
for the favor, Lopez, a wealthy businessman with the right connections,
gets Montana and his friend, Manny (Steven Bauer), released
from the holding camp, and puts them to work. In his day, Capone
may have had illegal alcohol as a means through which to line
his coffers with illicit gain, but Lopez has the modern day
equivalent, and it's even more lucrative: Cocaine. Lopez takes
Montana under his wing and indoctrinates him into the life;
but once he has a taste of it, Montana isn't satisfied with
whatever crumbs Lopez sees fit to throw his way, and he sets
a course that will take him to where he wants to be: At the
top. With a cold-blooded, iron will, Montana decides he'll do
whatever it takes to get there, no matter what the cost. And
before it's over, Tony Montana will pay the price for his dream;
but for a brief moment, he will know what it's like to be The
Man. "Scarface" is his story. Director Brian De Palma set out
to make a film about the rise and fall of an American gangster,
and that he did, with the help of a terrific screenplay by Oliver
Stone and some impeccable work by an outstanding cast. De Palma's
film is somewhat larger-than-life, and that's just the way Pacino
plays it, and he does it beautifully. From the accent he affects
(which he researched thoroughly to make sure he got it right--
and he did), to the body language and the attitude, he's got
it all, and it makes Montana convincing and very real. There's
no denying that this film belongs to Pacino, but Loggia and
Bauer give notable performances, as well, along with Mary Elizabeth
Mastrantonio (as Gina, Montana's sister) and especially Michelle
Pfeiffer, as Elvira, the woman who becomes an integral part
of Montana's dream. An excellent precursor to the more recent
"Traffic" and "Blow," and with a final scene reminiscent of
Peckinpah's 1969 film, "The Wild Bunch," De Palma's "Scarface"
has a hard, realistic edge that may be unsettling to some; but
for those with enough gumption to take the ride, this one is
definitely worth it. |
| Image
and Sound |
The overall
quality of this DVD is somewhat disappointing. The picture is
clear, but it retains that sense of "film" that you get from
a VHS format, rather than that distinct clarity you would ordinarily
associate with a disc. With the exception of one scene near
the end in which a wavering, rippling effect is quite discernible
for the duration of the scene, the picture is consistent and
devoid of any signs of wear or rough spots whatsoever. The images
do seem "soft" at times, however, especially in long shots in
which the characters appear in the distance. The color is good,
especially the bold reds (which are predominant throughout the
film) and blues. The more neutral colors, though, like the softer
browns, yellow and beige tend to seem a bit washed out. It's
not distracting, by any means, but just not up to the kind of
quality you'd expect from a DVD. The sound is good, but barely
above the quality of VHS. The dialogue (which of course is vital)
is always audible, but again, without that crisp, clarity you
get from most DVDs. The shotgun blasts, for example, or the
report of the machine gun and rifle fire doesn't have that resounding
sharpness that would have enhanced the effect of the film. The
balance is good, but stereo effects are lacking, which gives
the film a fairly one dimensional feeling sound-wise, and background
sounds and noises are weak at times. The music, however, is
integrated well throughout and comes through splendidly without
ever compromising the dialogue or action. Overall, the look
and sound of this DVD is quite average, so that while it does
nothing to enhance the experience, it certainly does not distract,
either. It's simply a bit disappointing, knowing that the technology
is available that could've made it exceptional, or at least
much better. |
| The
Extras |
The "Outtakes"
are not the usual flubs and gaffes that necessitate an additional
take; the ten clips shown here (without commentary, so there
really isn't any context) are scenes, or bits of scenes, that
were simply not used in the final cut, or scenes that remained
in the film but shot from a different angle. The only one of
any significance is the scene, early in the film, in which Montana
gets his first taste of the cocaine business. As show here,
as Montana, Manny and their two cohorts drive up to the motel
to meet with the Colombians, the shot is from directly in front
of the car, close in on the four men; in the film, the angle
is from behind and to one side of the car, which gives you Montana
and Manny's point-of-view. It's interesting to get a glimpse
of the kinds of choices a director faces in the cutting room,
but it would've been more interesting to hear from De Palma
as to why he chose to go with the scene as he did. The lack
of a commentary track is compensated for somewhat by the "Production
notes" and the featurette "The Making of Scarface." The "Production
notes" are fourteen pages that cover everything from the inception
of the project to it's completion, and are actually a written
commentary on the film. Beginning with a brief description of
the story, it points out that the film reunites producer Martin
Bregman and Pacino, who worked together on "Dog Day Afternoon"
and "Serpico." Bregman first got the idea for this film sometime
in 1980, after watching the 1932 version of "Scarface," starring
Paul Muni, on late night TV. He immediately knew that the next
film he did would be an updated version of that Howard Hawks'
classic. And he saw it as a chance for Pacino to "Create a kind
of character he's never played before, one who hasn't been seen
on screen since JImmy Cagney in 'White Heat.'" It would not,
however, be a remake, since the "Underworld, like everything
else, has changed radically since the Capone days of speakeasies
and bootlegging." This version of "Scarface," he decided, would
deal with the thriving cocaine industry, which had become a
kind of proving ground for modern day gangsters. De Palma came
on board after reading Oliver Stone's screenplay (written in
Paris after two months of intensive research in Florida, during
which he divided his time between the law enforcement agencies
of three different counties), and he was excited to be working
with someone else's material after having written or co-written
most of his own projects in the past. To prepare for the role
of Montana, Pacino moved to Miami to get to know the customs,
values and speech patterns of the community, which he subsequently
integrated into his character. The distinctive Cuban dialect
was vitally important to him, and once he mastered it, he continued
to speak in patois, both on and off the set for the duration
of the filming. There are also notes from De Palma discussing
some of the highlights of the film, as well as certain locations,
like the fact that they had to convert "Little Tokyo" in Los
Angeles into "Little Havana," complete with storefronts and
billboards in Spanish, as well as an ingenious mural of the
Miami skyline which he used to great effect in the film. All
in all, the "Production Notes" are informative and interesting;
well worth a look. "The Making of Scarface" is not the usual
behind-the-scenes type documentary that takes you through the
set-up and shooting of the film; rather it is a series of interviews
with Bregman, De Palma, Pacino, Stone and Director of Photography
John A. Alonzo, discussing various aspects of the film, interspersed
with pertinent clips from this film, as well as from the 1932
version. De Palma comments that this was his first chance to
work with a truly great actor and a truly great script; he'd
never done anything quite like this, and he feels it helped
him grow as a director. He goes on to say that he saw this story
as a modern day metaphor for the "Treasure of the Sierra Madre,"
in which cocaine becomes gold and it's kind of the "American
dream gone crazy, where you have all of this and it destroys
your life." He also speaks of wanting to establish a level of
violence like nobody had seen, a whole different level of mob
interaction, not the "pleasant" shoot-outs and stranglings like
in "The Godfather." And he wanted it early on in the film, to
establish this whole other world they were in (which he did
with the celebrated "chainsaw/shower" scene). Along with Bregman,
he discusses the problems they encountered with the Cuban community
in Florida, and that because they didn't like the way they were
being portrayed, they "Ran us out of town," which necessitated
the shift in location to Los Angeles. Bregman mentions that
Sidney Lumet was originally attached to this project and credits
him with coming up with the "cocaine" aspect of the story. Lumet,
however, felt the story should have a more "political" angle
and wasn't happy with Stone's take on it; Bregman did, though,
and because of the artistic differences that developed, Lumet
left the film and was replaced by De Palma. Bregman liked Stone's
screenplay from the beginning, and points out the similarities
between his "Scarface" and the original, especially in some
of the characters. Bregman and Pacino talk about their long-running
professional relationship (Bregman represented Pacino at the
beginning of his career, and actually launched Pacino). Bregman
also discusses the casting of Pfeiffer and Mastrantonio. Pfeiffer
at the time was relatively unknown, and Bregman agreed to audition
her if she would be willing to pay for her own transportation,
which she did. Impressed by that kind of dedication and confidence
by a young actor, however, Bregman ultimately picked up the
tab for all of Pfeiffer's expenses and hired her, he says, because
during her reading she brought Pacino to life like no one else
had been able to do. And he knew immediately that Mastrantonio
was who he wanted for Gina, because her reading was absolute
"magic." He discusses the fact that many reviewers at the time
of the film's debut picked unmercifully on the "chainsaw/shower"
scene because of the violence, which he points out was implied,
rather than graphic, all done "with sound and a man's face."
He likens it to Hitchcock's famous shower scene in "Psycho."
where you actually see nothing; it's all in the audiences imagination
due to the clever way in which the scenes are presented. Pacino
speaks of going to see Muni's "Scarface" which was playing at
a local theater at the time (before the making of this film),
and of being inspired by Muni's terrific performance. He discusses
the character of Montana, and how he attempted to heighten the
accent and the mannerisms because he felt that De Palma was
going to take a larger-than-life approach to the picture. And
he credits Bauer with helping him, especially with the accent,
some of the "Latino" gestures and mind-set. The "chainsaw/shower"
scene, he notes, was vintage De Palma, and he points out De
Palma's understanding of what he wanted to do with it visually,
and how he wanted to build it, and that it was so well thought-out
and choreographed that it was actually an easy scene to do.
He also talks about his admiration for Pfeiffer, and how committed
and attentive she always is, and the fact that she really likes
to discuss what is going on with their characters. Oliver Stone
talks about the background of much of what went into his screenplay.
The chainsaw murder, for example, really did happen, which he
learned during his research in Florida. He went to Paris to
write the screenplay, he notes, because Paris at the time was
a "clean" city and he was struggling with his own cocaine problem
at the time. Ironically, by writing about cocaine, it helped
him break his own habit, mainly due to the fact that in Paris
it just wasn't readily available as it was at the time in Hollywood,
or anywhere in the States, for that matter. He discusses the
character of Montana and his "American dream" of having it all,
and how ultimately it is all hollow because Montana can't really
connect with anything, can't even really love Elvira. All he
can really love is his sister-- his blood-- which is why he
so desperately wants a child; but that his ability to love at
all is destroyed by the materialism that surrounds him. Bregman
credits the U.S. Attorney's Office in Florida for helping get
this film made, which they viewed as decidedly anti-drug in
nature. He and De Palma discuss the problems they encountered
with the rating on this film, which was originally given an
"X." De Palma went to the press with it, while Bregman went
to arbitration, preparing as if he were going to court. He brought
in three psychiatrists, a feature writer for Time Magazine and
the head of the Police Officer's Organized Crime Bureau in Miami
to address how in their professional opinion this film would
affect children, pointing out that it is, in fact, an anti-drug
film. Bregman won by a vote of 18-2, and they received the "R"
rating. In a couple of other notes of interest, Pacino mentions
that this is one of his own personal favorites of the films
he's made; and there is a brief look at how "Scarface" had to
be altered for broadcast on national television, using two scenes
to illustrate how certain words had to be changed to be acceptable
for that particular medium. Overall, this "Making of" segment
is quite entertaining and informative, and using the "Interview"
format with the personalities actually being on screen rather
than doing commentary over the set-up of a scene, is entirely
effective and engrossing. This is definitely a valuable asset
to this DVD. |
| Commentary |
None |
| Final
Words: |
Originally
panned by many critics, mainly because of what they felt was
excessive violence, "Scarface" has since been cited by many
as the definitive gangster film. De Palma has a masterful touch
for bringing a story like this to life, from his technique of
cutting away from one scene to another, then going back to the
first in order to build suspense and anticipation (as he did
so effectively with the "chainsaw/shower" scene), to his use
of overhead and sweeping crane shots that add so much to the
visual context of the film. With a performance filled with nuance
and style, Pacino adds another memorable character to his extensive
repertoire with Tony Montana, and Michelle Pfeiffer turns in
a subtle, understated performance that put her on the path to
stardom. The quality of the DVD may be disappointing, but the
film certainly isn't, and along with the "Making of" segment,
it makes this disc a worthwhile, satisfying experience overall.
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