SCARFACE (1932) - USA
Dir: Howard Hawks
My Rating - 4.5/5
The remake being an icon of Hollywood, even though had good ratings, I went for this with a little low expectations. But this was surprisingly solid.
And it gets better when you're reminded that this is made In 1932, this makes hella sense because the film becomes a reflection of some actual events that happened at that time. Al Capone loved the film himself.
From beginning to the end, the film is interesting to watch, because it's violent. Character development is quiet something here tbh, every single character is a study, and the screenplay is excellent. Paul Muni is great as the centered character. I find it interesting that how similar the advertisement worked in Scarface to the Gondo's house in Kurosawa's High and Low. These little things are gold.
The thing is, I wouldn't recommend this to someone who has already watched the remake. Because this is a classic that doesn't have flaws itself but can be made into something bigger with the technology, and of course with Al Pacino, if it's done by a great artist, which Brian De Palma is. So there's the possibility that you might be let down watching this after the remake, that's what all the negative reviews say. But I'm telling you, this original Scarface stands pretty solid on its own.
IMDb Rating - 7.8
Rotten Tomatoes - 98%
Letterboxd - 3.8/5
Scarface 1932 Trailer
