From the Collection: Scarface (1932)
Howard Hawks’ 1932 gangster classic Scarface was recently added to the Criterion Collection.
Blazing across the screen in a spray of bullets, the gangster-film sensation Scarface helped set the standard for the genre for decades to come. Swaggering, scary, and unexpectedly charming, Paul Muni gives an iconic portrayal of criminal sociopathy as Tony Camonte, the ruthless, machine-gun-toting mobster who rises through the ranks of a bootlegging empire atop an ever-increasing body count, but whose possessive relationship with his wild-child sister (Ann Dvorak) threatens to be his undoing. With superb command of editing and dialogue, and his trademark panache, director Howard Hawks creates an unstoppable sense of dynamism while pushing on-screen violence to new heights of brutality.
Here’s What the Disc Includes:
- New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Alternate ending, from the censored version of the film
- New conversation with author Megan Abbott and actor Bill Hader
- New interview with film scholar Lea Jacobs on director Howard Hawks’s innovative use of sound and editing
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by critic Imogen Sara Smith
- New cover by Mark Chiarello
One of the most influential gangster movies of all time gets new life with Criterion’s 4k release. The picture is outstanding, and I loved the decision to utilize the monaural soundtrack, making it feel authentic to the 1932 release date. The special features are fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the conversation between author Megan Abbott and actor Bill Hader. Criterion has once again taken an iconic film and elevated it with incredible extra features.
I remember seeing Scarface for the first time when I was in college and was blown away by it. I have watched the film several times since and it’s an all-time gangster movie. Its influence on Hollywood still lives on, I love reading about the history of the film and its relationship to legendary gangster Al Capone, Hawkes’ masterful filmmaking, and Muni’s unbelievable performance. It is all just as impressive now as they were when I watched the film the first time. Scarface is as important now as it was in 1932 and a great addition to the Criterion Collection.
You can pick up Scarface at the Criterion Collection website or anywhere Criterion Collection movies are sold.
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From the Collection is an analysis piece of non-new-release movies, whether seen on DVD, streaming, or in a theater, and includes a brief history of the film, a review of the film, and content about the experience of seeing the film and/or the contents of the film’s DVD.
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