Remembering Scarface By GregMo Roberts Each month, killerreviews.com will be focusing on a specific film title of the past and providing detailed information regarding all aspects of the release from pre-production and casting right through to what the actors and filmmakers have done since the film’s release. This month, our film choice for retrospective is : Scarface. “Say hallo to my little friend” That’s just one of the countless memorable quotes from 1983’s gangster film, Scarface. The film starred Al Pacino in the role of Tony Montana, a Cuban immigrant living in Miami, Florida who turns to a life of crime in hopes of fulfilling the American Dream. Tony gets offered an opportunity to run some drugs for a local drug dealer – played effectively by a non-menacing Robert Loggia. When the deal goes bad (chainsaw bad) and persons on both sides of the drop are killed, Montana stands out when he gets away with both the money and the yeyo (cocaine). This then puts him on a fast track that will lead to murder, drug deals, more murder, a bad marriage and a gun fight at the conclusion of the movie that stands up even now, twenty five years later. Brian De Palma was coming off directing the 1981 John Travolta thriller, Blow Out when he opted to helm a film abandoned by Sidney Lumet. That meant bowing out of Flashdance which was then handed to director Adrian Lyne. The screenplay for Scarface was written by one Oliver Stone. Stone, who has admitted to a cocaine problem during this period, had written Midnight Express (which won him an Oscar) and Conan the Barbarian when he polished off Scarface, an update of the Paul Muni gangster film of 1932. De Palma originally wanted Robert De Niro to play the Tony Montana, but De Niro turned down the role, opening the door to Pacino. Pacino was in need of a hit. After all the fame and fortune that followed him through the Godfather I and II movies, he appeared in two box office flops in 1980’s Cruising and 1982’s Arthur! Arthur! so he needed something to jump start his stalling yet promising career. With his lead actor now signed, De Palma faced shooting roadblocks when the city of Miami waned on having the film shot on their city streets. City officials believed that the subject matter of the film would not show the city in a light that would attract tourism and De Palma had to fight hard to get shooting permits throughout the city. Eventually, he moved production to California and had Los Angeles sub for the city of Miami. Casting became another De Palma nightmare. Countless actors and actresses were considered or auditioned for various supporting roles. John Travolta was considered for the role of Manny, Tony’s close friend and confidant. The role instead went to Steven Bauer who had small walk on roles on various television shows, but had yet to break into the motion picture business. Casting the role of Elvira Hancock was even tougher. Brooke Shields was offered the role, but a domineering mother/agent forced her to turn in down. Some of the credible names that auditioned for the role were Sharon Stone, Carrie Fisher, Geena Davis and Kristy McNicol. Producer Martin Bergman admitted that Glenn Close was the original choice, but she turned down the role on grounds that it was too shallow of a character. Many other actresses turned down the role including Jodie Foster, Melanie Griffith, Kim Basinger and Kathleen Turner. The role of Elvira Hancock/Montana was ultimately given to Michelle Pheiffer whom was a relative unknown as her starring role in Grease 2 had yet to be released at the time of Scarface casting. Another unknown by the name of Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was cast as Gina Montana, Tony’s sister and Manny’s love interest. Mastrantonio had yet to act on television or in film prior to her casting, but De Palma thought she fit perfectly into the role of the woman who would eventually bring Tony into a mental state that would result in his demise. Filming began in 1982 and no one in the young cast knew that what they were creating would be a gangster film that would rank as one of the best of the genre. But getting to the big screen wasn’t going to be easy. De Palma was faced with an ‘X-Rating’ when he originally submitted the print to the MPAA. They cut the film three separate times and each submission to the board kept garnishing the film the unmarketable X-Rating. Eventually, De Palma met with the MPAA and brought cops and narcotic officers along with him to speak on the films realism and its importance in portraying the characters and the drug world as not without consequence. From the chainsawed associate of Tony’s to the then unprecedented rate of 1.32 ‘fucks’ per minute on average, Scarface had became a classic. But in 1983, it was hardly considered anything but average. With a production budget of $25 million, it opened in December raking in only $4.5 million in domestic receipts. Scarface went on to make a total of $45 million dollars, but it thrived on VHS and DVD where it has since made double its theatrical haul. Thanks to the film being studied in Universities around the world and the DVD commentaries, features and countless books written on the title, we have learned some interesting and downright fascinating tidbits about the film. How Steven Spielberg directed a scene in the film. How the character was actually named after Joe Montana, the San Francisco 49’er quarterback who was one of Oliver Stone’s favorites. And how the film is now the favorite of many famous rappers include Sean P. Diddy Combs. Today, Scarface stands on a pedestal in the eyes of many film historians. Violent and vulgar, Scarface has given us pop culture references and lines that can be recalled by memory by anyone over the age of 30. “In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women.”, and “I kill a communist for fun, but for a green card, I gonna carve him up real nice”. Many of those attached with the production went on to varying degrees of successes and failures. Pacino followed up his Tony Montana role with the lead in Revolution. That film was panned by critics so harshly that Pacino quit acting for four years before reappearing again in 1989’s Sea of Love. Steven Bauer received a Golden Globe nomination for his role as MannyRibera and was married to Melanie Griffith. Steven has over 111 titles to his acting credit, but nothing came close to being as memorable as his supporting role in Scarface. Mastrantonio used Scarface to launch her career and next starred alongside Tom Cruise and Paul Newman in The Color of Money. And Michelle Pfeiffer eventually landed roles in The Witches of Eastwick and Tequilla Sunrise. Brian De Palma went on direct Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible and Kevin Costner in The Untouchables. But it was his direction of Scarface that stands alongside Carrie as his masterpieces. The World is Yours Want to comment on this article? You can do so by visiting our message board!