De Palma vs. Hawks
Added 2021-08-10 00:43:39 +0000 UTCI'm reviewing the Scarface remake as you might have guessed. By any chance, has anyone seen the original film by Howard Hawks? Part of me prefers aspects of the original more, actually. I wondered what your thoughts were, if you have any.
Comments
Never seen both versions, but I've somehow got the feeling the 1983 "Scarface" is the De Palma movie any idiot can enjoy...
Manuel Johnen
2021-08-10 14:03:52 +0000 UTCIts been awhile since I've seen the original Scarface, but I remember struggling with it due some of the corny acting which in general came from a lot of the early "talkie" movies. Additionally I remember being impressed by how Hawks directed some of the action scenes, he was definitely ahead of his time. So overall I've always enjoyed the remake over the original by default but it wouldn't surprise me if I rewatched it today and liked it a lot more.
Stephen
2021-08-10 04:37:38 +0000 UTCBut I do like Scarface. I think it’s telling that De Palma’s better films are the ones that don’t originate from himself, like Carrie. He’s a gifted filmmaker, and he’s at his best when he uses his talents to bring forth the sensibilities of others, whether it be Stephen King or David Mamet or, in this case, Oliver Stone. He makes a hell of a crazy, wild-ass rise-and-fall gangster story in Scarface. Ironically though, in terms of style, this is probably the most atypical of De Palma films. Sure, there are set pieces, but there’s none of the usual flair to them. No split-screen, no dazzling tracking shots, no riffs on other films. Maybe a few crane shots, but that’s it. Maybe De Palma thought that the story and subject matter would be visceral enough. If so, he was right. He evokes a vivid, neon-tinged 1980s Miami, awash in blood and cocaine. And though he tamps down his flair, De Palma can still create a hell of a sequence, especially the infamous chainsaw scene, as well as the operatic final shootout. But what brings it all home is Pacino, who gives a mesmerizing, live-wire performance. It’s not the most layered role he’s ever played, but I found him to be believably Cuban (some might disagree), giving Tony a great Latin swagger. When he’s coked out of his mind and starts going over-the-top, he soars. And so does the movie.
Bennett Oliver
2021-08-10 03:27:43 +0000 UTCI haven’t seen the original, so I can’t make comparisons, but I’ve said before that I’m not really a fan of De Palma. I gave rather half-baked reasons in a previous post, but I guess it boils down to a matter of taste. I don’t particularly respond well to the films he writes himself (the sole exception being the so-ridiculous-it’s-fun Femme Fatale), not even Blow Out, where he tamps down on his luridness as well as his Hitchcockian riffs. I find him to be a cold filmmaker driven by technique. Sure, the same could be said of Hitchcock, but what separates him from De Palma, what makes him a better filmmaker, is that Hitch has the soul and drive of an entertainer. He takes delight in the effects his technique has on his audience, and that delight comes through in his films. De Palma doesn’t have that. I get the feeling he thinks he’s above the various goings-on in his films, that everything being played out is all so silly (and for the most part, he’s right). He provides no sincerity to anything in his films. No belief in character, no belief in story, no belief in anything but the effect. I think he uses elements as an excuse to get from one set piece to the next, the only aspect of filmmaking he really cares about. Like I said though, maybe it’s a matter of taste.
Bennett Oliver
2021-08-10 03:04:45 +0000 UTCMaggie, which is your favorite gangster film between Scarface '83 or Goodfellas?
Tony Moro
2021-08-10 02:56:48 +0000 UTCI've never seen either film. 😬😬😬😬🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
Tony Moro
2021-08-10 02:24:29 +0000 UTCIn a film class, we watched the original and when the teacher asked for opinions, one student found Paul Muni to be bland. The teacher then said she was the first he heard to call a Paul Muni performance bland. Muni is one of the best actors of the Depression era. That same student thought De Palma's Snake Eyes was the best film we saw all semester. A class that showed Now, Voyager, Bringing up Baby, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Snake Eyes is easily the worst De Palma film I've seen. Everyone was laughing and having a blast while I was the only one who hated it. Anyway, the Howard Hawks version is great although a bit dated in some parts. I find most 1930s films to age poorly to some extent. The remake does better to expand on the original like Tony's relationship with his sister and illegal immigration in southern America which is still relevant today. The original is more of an old fashioned gangster drama. I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang which also stars Muni and came out the same year holds up way better imo.
Wolfman Brandon
2021-08-10 01:01:02 +0000 UTC
