Scarface Blu-ray delivers great video and decent audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
An ambitious and near insanely violent gangster climbs the ladder of success in the mob, but his weaknesses prove to be his downfall.
For more about Scarface and the Scarface Blu-ray release, see Scarface Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on October 23, 2019 where this Blu-ray release scored 3.0 out of 5.
Universal has finally released the 1932 version of 'Scarface' to Blu-ray; the film was previously included with older Blu-ray releases as a bonus
feature presented in standard definition. The long-awaited release, which is on its own disc, is currently only available as part of a Limited Edition bundle with the 1983 film on both 4K UHD and remastered
Blu-ray, in addition to a large statue replica. The new presentation looks and sounds quite good and includes two cuts: theatrical and alternate
censored.
A full film and Blu-ray review appears below.
Tony Camonte (Paul Muni) is a midlevel gangster but knows that he's destined to "run the whole works." "Do it first, do it yourself, and keep on
doing
it," he proclaims, vocalizing the violent, cold-hearted nature of the criminal underworld and his self-determined drive to rise to the top. He sets out
on
his own violent spree, outside his boss Johnny Lovo's
(Osgood Perkins) orders and authority, to expand the empire for his own personal gain and satisfaction. He wants everything, including Johnny's
girl,
Poppy (Karen Morley). As Tony's empire expands and as his greed grows, the target on his back becomes increasingly large. It's only a question of
how big
he can grow before it all comes crumbling down.
The film opens with the following text: "This picture is an indictment of gang rule in America and the callous indifference of the government to this
constantly increasing menace to our safety and liberty. Every incident in this picture is the reproduction of an actual occurrence, and the purpose of
this picture is to demand of the government: 'what are you going to do about it?' The government is your government. What are you
going
to
do about it?" The film's battles with censor boards are well chronicled across the Internet and those battles are a focal point for the brief
introduction
that
accompanies the film's home video release. The film is very violent, albeit more suggestively than gruesomely. Gunfire abounds and erupts with
ferocity at
several key points during the movie, and the lead character seems to almost thrive on it as he climbs the corpses to the top of his world.
Tony's desire for more power is insatiable. He frequently disobeys orders and works on his own authority and for his own gain to expand his own
stature and growing empire. When he survives a shooting and comes into possession of a handheld machine gun, he almost gleefully takes it out
for a
spin to suddenly, violently, and mercilessly take control of more territory by instilling fear in his enemies and gunning a bunch of them down to get
the
point across. But he knows the dangers in his line of work, dangers which are exacerbated by his recklessness and desire to gain more: more
power,
more territory, more money, more sense of self. He brags to Poppy about the safety nets he's building around him: a car with bullet proof glass and
a
reinforced body,
steel shutters on his home's windows. He's not a stupid man by any measure, but he's certainly driven more by his animalistic instincts rather
than any sort of moral compass or code. It's not a novel characteristic -- though certainly in 1932 it was more shocking than it is today (which is
why
De Palma's film pushes the violence further to more deeply explore the mental measures of that film's "Scarface") -- but it's explored with striking
efficiency by Writer Ben Hecht and Actor Paul Muni, who is brilliant as the title character.
Tony's story is a portrait of a life ascending to incredible heights and just as quickly falling into a death spiral. Both his upward climb and downward
fall
are defined by bullets and blood and a striking
coldness to the damages he deals to life and property along the way. He is not a character to be admired, obviously. But he is an interesting point
of
psychology as a man with enormous drive and no risk aversion or serious consideration for his long term future. He plans a defense, yes, but the
character is absolutely blinded by avarice and drowns in his own thirst for power. This is a very effective film, shot and acted extremely well and not
shying away from the psychotic tendencies and violent repercussions of Tony's tour to life's bloody top and plummet from the literal peak and the
metaphorical high that drives him.
Scarface makes its 1080p debut to excellent result. The picture is in fine shape. The 4x3 aspect ratio preserves the original theatrical exhibition
configuration and presents the film on modern 1.78:1 HD displays with vertical "black bars" on either side of the frame. The picture is clear and pleasing
to the eye. Medium shots lack tack-sharpness but close-ups reveal fine point skin and clothing textures while the various environments in the picture
present with excellent definition and detail. There are a few smudgy looking shots; take a look at an exterior shot at the 42:48 mark for an example.
Clarity is excellent and grain is retained evenly and accurately for the duration. The grayscale is healthy and consistent, with well defined gradations,
quality brights, and deep and dense blacks that hold true without crushing critical detail. There are no serious encode or source blemishes of note.
Scarface features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. The opening title music is harsh, shrilly, and lacking anything resembling
precise sonic definition, but it's effective within the context of a track recorded going on 90 years ago. There is an underlying scratchiness and hiss to
dialogue. However, the spoken word does image nicely enough to the center. Further, the track does offer good foundational front side extension. The
bustle and din inside newspaper offices in chapter three create fine essential detail and a modest feel for location immersion. Gunfire spreads nicely
across the front as necessary, and the rat-a-tat of machine gun fire enjoys serviceable punch and pop in what are often extended stretches of sound
output. Note that the Alternate Censored Version only
includes English audio; the Spanish track is not available on that cut.
Universal's Blu-ray release of 1932's Scarface contains two cuts of the film: Original Theatrical Version (1:33:29) and Alternate Censored
Version (1:35:34). An introduction and alternate ending are also included. As the disc ships with the limited edition, it is not in its own Blu-ray case but
rather bundled in the same case as the 1983 film's Blu-ray and UHD discs. That's a minor disappointment given the premium price for the limited
edition. It appears that the digital copy code that ships with the limited edition only applies to the 1983 version of the film rather than redeem for both.
Another disappointment.
Introduction by Turner Classic Movies Host and Film Historian Robert Osborne (480i, 2:22): Osborne covers the film's "mighty"
credentials, the basic plot, Writer Ben Hecht's script based on Al Capone and Hecht's dealing with Capone's associates, the film's violence and
censors' objections to the film, the alternate ending, and release to states without censorship boards.
Finally, 1932's Scarface is on Blu-ray! The movie is terrific in its own right. It's in some ways very similar to the De Palma film and in many
ways different. But it's critical viewing for audiences who want to more fully appreciate its 1983 namesake that Al Pacino made so famous. Universal's
Blu-ray is, at time of writing, exclusive to a pricer boxed set, inside of which it does not ship in its own case, rather sharing one with the 1983 film's
UHD and Blu-ray discs. Supplements are slim but the video and audio presentations are fine within context. Recommended.
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Universal Pictures Home Entertainment will issue a standalone Blu-ray release of Howard Hawks' classic film Scarface (1932), starring Paul Muni, George Raft, Boris Karloff, Ann Dvorak, and Karen Morley. The release will be available for purchase on November 19 ...
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