Review: A lot of movie with SCARFACE. a lot of SCARFACE with this book
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 14, 2013
According to Damian Stevenson's bio, he's seen SCARFACE 200 times. That's probably more than most people, but if you know a man between the ages of 20 and 40, chances are he's seen SCARFACE at least once (probably more) and that at least once (probably more) he's done a really bad imitation of one of the movie's signature lines, "Say hello to my leetle freend."This book is billed as the "ultimate guide" to the 1983 remake of the 1932 Howard Hawks movie and it lives up to its boast. Stevenson begins with the statement that "SCARFACE is a powerful and stylized commentary on violence, materialism, excess, corruption and crime in America." Comparing the movie's anti-hero Tony Montana to Macbeth (persuasively), Stevenson offers up a book full of analysis, information, and just plain gossip that covers pretty much any aspect of the movie's making, right down to the way the poster's iconic image was crafted.Film buffs will appreciate the behind-the-scenes aspect of the story as Stevenson chronicles the script's development, and the obstacles in its path. Readers whose only connection to Hollywood is a bookmark for TMZ on their browser will enjoy the tidbits like who was originally considered for the role of Elvira, the icy blonde goddess played by Michelle Pfeiffer.  (Brooke Shields was a contender and so was Glenn Close.)Stevenson's style is low-key but every once in a while he throws in a zinger just to see if his readers are paying attention, as when he talks about Oliver Stone heading to Paris after being hired to re-write the screenplay and "putting his firsthand knowledge of cocaine to practical use."Stone's script became infamous for the number of times that it dropped the f-bomb (a little more than 200 times, which was impressive in 1983, but doesn't even put SCARFACE in the top five most-profane movies these days).  One of the best quotes in the book, which features interviews with many of the actors as well as director Brian De Palma, is a line thrown out by Joan Collins.There are many reasons why the movie SCARFACE became a cultural touchstone. This engaging and entertaining book examines those reasons.