Review: "From Conception to Birth of Movie "Scarface, 1983"
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 16, 2013
This guide is an awesome account of the remake of the 1932 movie "Scarface" directed by Howard Hawkes and produced by Howard Hughes, based on the 1929 novel by Maurice Coons writing as Armitage Trail. The 1983 version, starring Al Pacino, was promoted to Universal Studios by Marty Bregman. The first screenplay was written by Brian DePalma and David Rabe which met some dissatisfaction, and thus Sidney Lumet and Oliver Stone were their replacements. Sidney Lumet's idea was to feature Miami as the location and to address drug trafficking which was at an all time high at the time in southern Florida.  This, in itself, came with some concerns by politicians which is a close-up-shot of just how difficult it would be to film it in Miami.  The gangsters, rather than Chicago or New York types, are Latino, the first time ever for a major film. The two movies share the same plot, characters and both are incredibly violent.  Author Stevenson states the 1932 version spewed more bullets, whereas the 1983 version spewed more bloody scenes.  Much research was personally conducted by Oliver Stone with not only law enforcement agencies, but also actual drug runners.  This guide reveals so many hurdles which filmmakers went through to get "Scarface" on the screen. The 1983 movie was the defining role for Pacino and launched him into a higher level of his career.  The author also points out many faux pas throughout the film which are humorous; watch the movie again and see if you can catch all he points out.  The guide also reveals the movie as a three-act play, giving brief highlights of each act, musical scores, and describing some props/effects. It is apparent the author has in-depth knowledge and research talents to write such a concise and awesome guide. Damian Stevenson is a brilliant writer, a master in his field, and very analytical.  Having never seen the movie, I was inspired to do so.  I bought and downloaded the HD version onto my Kindle Fire.  You'll want to see the movie again after reading this great entertaining guide.