Plot.
Poster of Scarface

Scarface

1932 · Film · 93 min

  • Crime
  • Action
  • Drama
  • Thriller

Plot

In 1920s Chicago, Italian immigrant and notorious thug, Antonio 'Tony' Camonte, aka Scarface, shoots his way to the top of the mobs while trying to protect his sister from the criminal life.

About Scarface

Scarface (also known as Scarface: The Shame of the Nation and The Shame of a Nation) is a 1932 American pre-Code gangster film directed by Howard Hawks and produced by Hawks and Howard Hughes. The screenplay is based loosely on the 1930 novel by Armitage Trail, which in turn was inspired by the life of Al Capone. The film stars Paul Muni as Italian immigrant gangster Antonio "Tony" Camonte who violently rises through the Chicago gangland, with a supporting cast that includes George Raft and Boris Karloff. Camonte's rise to power dovetails with his relentless pursuit of his boss's mistress while his sister pursues his best hitman. In an overt tie to the life of Capone, a version of the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre is depicted. After purchasing the rights to Trail's novel, Hughes quickly selected Hawks to direct and Hecht to write the film's screenplay. Beginning in January 1931, Hecht wrote the script in 11 days. Scarface was produced before the introduction of the Production Code in 1934, which enforced regulations on film content. However, the Hays Code, a more lenient precursor, called for significant alterations, including a prologue condemning gangsters, an alternate ending to more clearly reprehend Camonte, and the alternative title The Shame of a Nation. The censors believed the film glorified violence and crime. These changes delayed the film a year, though some…

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Cast

  • Paul MuniAntonio 'Tony' Camonte
  • Ann DvorakFrancesca 'Cesca' Camonte
  • Karen MorleyPoppy
  • Osgood PerkinsJohn 'Johnny' Lovo
  • C. Henry GordonInsp. Ben Guarino
  • George RaftGuino Rinaldo
  • Vince BarnettAngelo
  • Boris KarloffGaffney
Images