Review: ESSENTIAL READING
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 4, 2013
At long last, "Scarface" receives the serious treatment it deserves. Thanks to the meticulous research and creative mind of screenwriter and novelist Damian Stevenson fans now have an bible for the 1983 De Palma movie. Good movie books are rare.There is one other book on "Scarface" ("Scarface Nation" By Ken Tucker) but it is riddled with errors and is superficial. "Scarface: The Ultimate Guide" is a detailed and intelligent examination of the movie from its inception to release - and beyond. The book feels fresh and is a great, fun and informative read. No doubt the release of this incredibly detailed, authoritative book is timed to the movie's 30th anniversary this year.I have seen `Scarface' countless times and thought I knew everything about it but I learned a lot from this book. At times the information was a little overwhelming. I'm not sure if people care too much about camera angles or the references to `Star Wars' but at least the writer keeps the technical aspects to a minimum. The book's best part is the shot by shot (or close) analysis of the film. It's like seeing the movie through a new set of eyes. I had no idea De Palma's film was so layered.The facts that struck me that I wasn't aware of before: how similar the movie is to the original 1932 film (especially so much of the dialogue!); how the shoot had to leave Miami because of protests about the script's treatment of Cubans; how the style of the film influenced the look of "Miami Vice;" the movie's strange antisemitism; the power of the music and how it is used; how De Palma uses the camera to enhance scenes; and all the trivia that is packed into this short but brilliant book!