1932: Scarface - Defining the American Gangster Film

Рет қаралды 59,412

Күн бұрын

Thanks for watching One Hundred Years Of Cinema,
You can support me on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/onehundredyearsofcinema
or follow me on twitter here: / 100yearscinema
Buy Scarface on DVD: amzn.to/2BB2k8A
Watch on VOD: amzn.to/2BAyIs7
Cinema is littered with gangster and organised crime; stylish anti-heroes that crave wealth and power, they play by their own rules and stop at nothing to get what they want.
Although crime has been the topic of films since the very beginning, the rules, conventions and ideology of the Gangster film as a genre didn’t emerge and solidify until the beginning of the sound era, and they started largely with three films, Little Caesar and The Public Enemy from 1931 and Scarface from 1932.
The films take influence from real world events like Prohibition, the wall street crash and the rise of real world gangsters like Al Capone.
Thanks for watching One Hundred Years of Cinema, I will be writing a video essay about at least one film each year from 1915 onwards to track the evolution of film over the last century. Please subscribe and share! Thank you!

Пікірлер: 122

@theashtubereviews 2 жыл бұрын

Watched all 3 in the last few days. Scarface is shockingly violent in comparison to the other 2, it is too me anyways on another level. Little Ceasar is fun but mostly for Rico. Public Enemy was pretty good, really great cast

@genuinesaucy Ай бұрын

The stunt at the end of the car chase where Tony crashes himself and the assassins off a 15-foot drop must have been ridiculously dangerous to film at the time. Badass.

@SOCCERADDICT91 6 жыл бұрын

I loved how you talked about Little Caesar and The Public Enemey as being very important to the shaping of the gangster image, I found the Public Enemy as being in the same vain as Scarface except Scarface being more brutal and really showing how no matter how much power and goods a man can obtained by illegal means, it would never be enough nor could he escape his doom forever. I find that most people enjoy watching gangsters and the lifestyle that comes with it, but how often people are also happy to seem them get their just due in the end. We may celebrate the bad guy but we also don't want them getting off scot free in the end.

@filmnobelpreis 4 жыл бұрын

Fun Fact: They were concerned that Tony in Scarface seemed too much like a likeable character by being a caring brother tho Hawks and his writers clearly intended to give hints of an incestuous relationship between the two.

@PyroGothNerd 2 ай бұрын

Wait, it was supposed to be incest? I thought they were just trying to humanize him and set her up as a symbol of him losing everything that really mattered (family) to his life of crime.

@thiccboss4780 5 жыл бұрын

Finally found myself ready for this Gangster Trilogy , seen Caesar a couple times before but never as thoroughly now and with non-stop binges of Public Enemy and Scarface for the first time. i was hooked on the thriller , seeing each character ark one after another , spotting evolving trends in the narrative , and my oblivious Al Capone knowledge being enlightened by the grizzly reenactments in the films. Felt like watching Breaking Bad for the first time but instead of a Egotistical scientist and a Tragic junkie revolving around meth, a passionate 2-bit gangster turned kingpin , two misguided brothers , and a womanizing homicidal maniac with perfect line deliveries. All Striving , Quipping , and Killing for Booze Gotta say i'm glad i always kept this video in mind for when i finally tackled these movies , i now feel liberated to see or watch any other gangster picture or crime thriller out of order , now that the core essentials are embedded in my mind. Guess i'll watch Alain Delon's Samourai and Borsalino films after rewatching Little Caesar,Public Enemy and Scarface. Thanks Charlie !

@bikimbrown1545 4 жыл бұрын

I actually saw this movie like 15 years ago. I was amazed.

@JacksMovieReviews 7 жыл бұрын

Man I love this series! Great video as always!

@WenBilson 7 жыл бұрын

Truly one of the best channels on cinema out there. You're not so bad yourself Jack :) xx

@thiccboss4780 5 жыл бұрын

Charlie is so underrated

@TheSouthpaw217 7 жыл бұрын

Love the gangster genre. Can't wait for the next episode!

@WenBilson 7 жыл бұрын

This series needs more viewership, especially if you're a lover of the cinematic form. It brings many classics to the forefront of our thinking and reminds us of the roots of cinema. It's both interesting and incredibly important to look at history of films, because it informs us as to where cinema might go and inspires future film creators. Keep up the excellent work OHYOC, you're a star. xx

@bird10498 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for explaining the alternate ending of Scarface. Saved me from having to dig for that info. Great vid.

@ForelliBoy 2 ай бұрын

I just realized that Tony being enamored by the first machine gun attempt on his life gets referenced in Lord of War 2005 when Nicolas Cage's character witnesses an attempted mob hit that inspires him to go into arms dealing

@guytemam1151 5 жыл бұрын

Nothing does it like ... the gangsters films of the thirties, and the beginning of the forties !!!

@randyacuna3248 5 жыл бұрын

Guy Temam the Pacino scarface is not the classic the original is .

@guytemam1151 5 жыл бұрын

Randy Acuna When did I write that the Al Pacino Scarface was the classic ?.. On the contrary, I always wrote that the original Scarface, directed by Howard Hawks, screenwriter Ben Hecht, is the best gangster film of all time !!! Each sequence is a masterpiece ! No time to rest...

@randyacuna3248 5 жыл бұрын

Guy Temam we definitely are on the same page, yes the muni version is a timeless classic.

@necceccess 7 жыл бұрын

You get better and better with each video

@WINGGULLSEAGULL 4 жыл бұрын

All 3 of the early gangster films showed the rise & fall of all who live by the sword. Little Caesar defined & captured a gangsters ruthless drive, ambition & greed to dominate & money was secondary to power. Public Enemy first showed the womanizing bootlegging gangster & Scarface was the most violent & brutal of the early '30's gangster movies & set the tone for modern gangster films.

@MrNerdista 7 жыл бұрын

Another terrific instalment. Absolutely adore this series.

@oobrocks 2 жыл бұрын

These movies work due to Great actors...1 of my favorite films is 1983's Scarface

@tonycorleone3663 4 жыл бұрын

JUST FINISHED WATCHING THIS CLASSIC FOR THE FIRST TIME AND I LOVED PAUL MUNIS FUNNY SIDE WHE HE WAS TALKING TO THE DETECTIVE HE SAID SHES VERY NICE AND DOES THE CURVEY SIGNS WITH HIS HANDS LOL AND ALSO LOVED HIS SERIOUS EXPRESSIONS CLOSE UP LOOK IN HIS EYES HE IS COLD HIS TEMPER CAN TURN ON IN ANY SECOND JUST LIKE ME THE WORLD IS YOURS GEV SCARFACE.

@Spaethon 4 жыл бұрын

Fantastic video. Interesting how Hollywood always reverts back to the early 20th century Gangster. I point out because Le Costra Nostra was highly secret during those days and in recent decades, the public understands the true inner-workings of the gangster life. That meeting in the country where gangsters ran all over when cops busted their meeting in Pennsylvania (I think)...that was where the first real domino fell.

@johnballantyne3458 6 жыл бұрын

This is quality content. Well done, sir. Subscribed.

@bottre73 7 жыл бұрын

This is the best yet!

@gerardd33 7 жыл бұрын

Just discovered this channel by accident and I'm amazed. I've watched all the videos so far at once and it will definitely become one of my favourite channels on YT. Can't wait for new videos. Keep it up!

@thiccboss4780 7 жыл бұрын

just receive a blu-ray copy of Les Tontons Flingueurs AKA Crooks in Clover AKA Monsieur Gangster , can't wait to watch it so i can get a bigger scope on the gangster scene in film history. Yet another Stupendous video Charlie, iv'e expected nothing less, could you give us a verbal teaser of what the next one'll be?

@stevenosorio6818 7 жыл бұрын

Amazingly informative like always. Thank you so much!

@StevenJBosch Жыл бұрын

One of my favorite scenes in Little Caesar is the testimonial dinner given by Rico's hoodlums. Rico gets up but he can't frame a cogent sentence. He hems and haws and receives the clock the guys have stolen from a jeweler's shop.

@thiccboss4780 4 жыл бұрын

Just watched Goodfellas, what a ride! also made sure to beforehand watch I Walk Alone and Force of Evil by Scorsese's recommendation. while throwing in White Heat for good measure for your video. overall i think i was very well mentally and academically prepared to watch it, i think i should still watch it a few more times until i fully fathom it but otherwise, i've finally experienced it!

@steventremino5623 4 жыл бұрын

The way you described that "throwing in for good measure" was like you were making the perfect meal or in this case the ingredients to a perfect movie.

@thiccboss4780 4 жыл бұрын

yeah, always expanding a perspective on a specific genre or movement is essential when understanding the over-arching context of a body of work. all these films are kinda like sequals to the same.............idea.........or at least scenario. it's like if you tried watching Irishman without ever watching Goodfellas, Once Upon a Time in America, or any of the classics that were the progenitors of this.......criminal phenomenon. -think of it as making sure you watch every Kurosawa film before seeing Eastwood westerns-

@steventremino5623 4 жыл бұрын

@@thiccboss4780 perfectly summed up. I have always looked at the classics as a sequel to a progressing genre in movies, all the way back to scarface (1932).

@thiccboss4780 4 жыл бұрын

without them, the legacy of these other films would be unimaginable Even Scorsese himself mentioned them kzfaq.info/get/bejne/brGmm6iC0q3RqIU.html

@goldendreams3437 6 жыл бұрын

This video was so cool I'm so glad I found you! I'm a fan of classic movies, so much so that I'm gonna be a film director and game developer, keep up the good work, and do some war movies! Hell Angles, WINGS! Etc.

@ballsmckenzie 6 жыл бұрын

That video was as entertaining as it was informative, hope to see more content from your channel.

@thesmilingman7576 3 жыл бұрын

0:40 say hello to my little friend

@PyroGothNerd 2 ай бұрын

This deserves way more views

@yonathanasefaw9001 3 жыл бұрын

Brilliant series! Way to go 👏

@vegamonge123 5 жыл бұрын

Great stuff!

@susannabasso1711 7 жыл бұрын

WOW your work is amazing!!

@cyborgchicken3502 2 жыл бұрын

It'd be cool to see how East Asian gangster films about the Triads and Yakuza from the 60s to the 80s would fit into shaping the modern gangster film, I know some Directors like Tarantino took a lot of inspiration from Hong Kong movies like City on Fire.

@kuroihemlock 6 жыл бұрын

Sorry for having to say this, but Scarface was made by Universal not Warner Bros. That's why Boris Karloff is in the movie, I think he was under contact with Universal at that time because of Frankenstein.

@olive6405 5 жыл бұрын

I once heard that because Karloff didn't even billing until the very end of FRANKENSTEIN most people who saw SCARFACE didn't evan relieze that was the monster.

@Nestalgba92023 5 жыл бұрын

Wasn't it's made by MGM?

@randyacuna3248 5 жыл бұрын

Karloff made scarface months before Frankenstein. He was still an unknown, plus scarface was filmed around 1930 and released in1932 by United artists..

@az25123 7 жыл бұрын

Great video!

@ericgarcia5729 Жыл бұрын

Bro good job dope video

@VxSWrestling 7 ай бұрын

Best channel ever yo!

@thiccboss4780 5 жыл бұрын

I was watching Billy Wilder's One , Two , Three just now and i completely lost my shit when James Cagney (Who played Tom Powers in Public Enemy) quoted a line from Little Caesar "Mother of Mercy , is this the end of little Rico?" (word little added) even imitating Edward G. Robinson's voice in the delivery . That one moment and my awareness of it made me so happy it practically feels like a Gangster Cinematic Universe. But if it was't for your video i would never have associated these three films with the actors in them . Thank You Very Much for creating this very enjoyable perspective of mine. and Good Luck with the next essay !!

@ChristinLazar 6 жыл бұрын

great series!

@kevinceniceros1690 3 жыл бұрын

If you all noticed any x marks in the movie. In example: the hospital room where the man gets shot. That is because those scenes depict actual incidents that really happened.

@MisuqExcellence 7 жыл бұрын

Nice video ;)

@kute940 7 жыл бұрын

Verry good 😊

@stathieb7275 2 жыл бұрын

Scareface '83) with Al Pachino has some of the same plots as the 32 'scareface. Thanks for the info....

@antoniobotello4996 Ай бұрын

I have to see SCARFACE 1932 version 😊

@dinyardastoor6464 4 жыл бұрын

Grt work. Grt research.

@DIYTFY 2 жыл бұрын

Grt.

@padraick5257 6 жыл бұрын

Great stuff - it s great to see someone showing where film came from and in some cases - has lost. Going to have a good look at all your videos and embedding them in my website wikguidefilmvideo.com as I am trying promote people who love cinema and visuals. And your is so original in your approach. I used to work in a film college and it was a shock to me how few of the students less genuine passion for film than over their ego. You probably have come across James Monaco's book "How to read a film" and his other "connoisseurs guide to the movies". To me - they are like a road map to what we need more of in cinema today even though there is some great stuff out there. I should add i worked mainly in Irish and Finnish film industry. Looking forward to seeing what you do in the future as i know all the hard work you are putting into these videos.Thanks for putting them together :)

@zherean42069 2 жыл бұрын

yes

@PatrickWDunne 3 жыл бұрын

I hope to see a video on Bonnie and Clyde in the future

@exbcso1 3 жыл бұрын

Organized crime outfits operate exactly like most governments, just on a smaller scale. Sometimes.

@anotheryoutubeaccount5259 2 жыл бұрын

Uhhh not really but whatever

@joesalad69 Жыл бұрын

There's always that one idiot lmao

@jasmineangie4652 3 жыл бұрын

Has anyone ever seen the movie Johnny Dangerously? I love it!

@nicholasreid1836 2 жыл бұрын

Good presentation. Don't mean to be picky, but your thumbnail signature on line says "ganster" films. Please correct.

@hamburgareable 3 жыл бұрын

Good job. I like this movie. So much. 👍 👍

@thiccboss4780 6 жыл бұрын

just watched It Happened One Night, so that's what screwball comedy is all about eh? meanwhile, it's been awhile since your last upload, god knows procrastination and quality anxiety is the bread and butter of creation but i really do hope you pull it off and upload soon heres to your channel and another great episode, *hopefully soon* _but not to rush_

@francescomanzo3939 7 жыл бұрын

Great series! Are you going to talk about european and asian films as well?

@onehundredyearsofcinema 7 жыл бұрын

Absolutely, there are some great Japanese films coming up real soon!

@agdgdgwngo Жыл бұрын

From what I've seen of this film, it seems to celebrate the character in an almost comedic way, makes for a very cathartic if somewhat hilarious viewing.

@SinAndreww 7 жыл бұрын

This is some serious dedication, well done

@user-vg7jc7hy6z 3 жыл бұрын

All us abandon greed shall make food for all

@novelenterprise 2 жыл бұрын

Whats the name of the author of FEAR & BLOOD i looked up the title and cant find it anywhere

@michaelkaminski8339 3 жыл бұрын

The Hayes Code actually stayed in place until the 60's when Bonnie and Clyde was made. I can't recall the first time the bad guys got away, perhaps The Wild Bunch in 1969 - of course part of The Hays Code was: 'Commit a crime, must do the time'.

@williamfitch1408 Ай бұрын

A fedora hat, a V8, and a Tommy Gun. That's me.

@user-vg7jc7hy6z 3 жыл бұрын

Audience secretly want bad behavior through cinema Forbidden in real life

@thesmilingman7576 3 жыл бұрын

6:38 that was not intentional

@peterraab3411 4 жыл бұрын

I shall Live by the Sword and Die by it , Deus Vault!

@deadpan80 4 жыл бұрын

4:45 Fun fact. Real bullets.

@fredtheilig2710 7 жыл бұрын

So, Freaks or Island of Lost Souls next? The theme could be Taking Horror Maybe a Little Too Far.

@tobi2731 7 жыл бұрын

They're both 1932, aren't they? So probably not as 1933 will come next. Ophüls Liebelei would be really cool but I somehow doubt that that's the plan.

@fredtheilig2710 7 жыл бұрын

tobi2731 He will do multiple from the same year, but if he goes to 1933, then I'd be surprised if it's not King Kong.

@tobi2731 7 жыл бұрын

+Fred Theilig - You're right, I forgot about that. If he does another one for there's actually a lot he could do, Trouble in Paradise (and the Lubitsch touch), Renoir's Bodou - saved from drowning, Cocteau's The Blood of a Poet or even Ozu's I was born but... But you may actually be right about it being about horror. In that case I hope he also includes Vampyr. Now that you're saying it, King Kong is of course the obvious one for '33, didn't think about that.

@SnakePlaysHD 7 жыл бұрын

Sorry to be that guy but the whole orange thing from the godfather is a myth. The production team just wanted to mix up the mostly monotone colour palette of the film. Great video though.

@onehundredyearsofcinema 7 жыл бұрын

Cool thanks. If that's true, it says something really interesting about how we as the audience read symbolism in film. I am not sure if I can think of a single thing that would link oranges and death outside of the proximity of the two, so I can totally buy that idea.

@Treblaine 4 жыл бұрын

The important thing about colour theory is Orange is literally bright brown. Orange is the exact same ratio of red green and blue as brown but relatively lower intensity. So in a film where the overwhelming colour scheme is different shades of brown (possibly to give a sort of black and white feel without being a black and white film) the logical way to brighten a scene is with things that are orange in colour. Something that's bright red or bright purple might stand out too much.

@marymarysmarket3508 Жыл бұрын

@@Treblaineinteresting but theory after all

@Treblaine Жыл бұрын

@@marymarysmarket3508 colour theory is "but a theory" like the theory of gravity is "but a theory". I am not proposing a theory as a theory is falsifiable. It's just an idea.

@AnthonySmith-ty7ij 6 жыл бұрын

Of these three classic films, which one would be the definitive gangster film?

@TheHeater90 6 жыл бұрын

Of the three, which are all amazing, The Public Enemy is probably the best over all. Although Little Ceasar is pretty dang iconic and has some absolutely fantastic acting by Edward G.

@elchoya8770 6 жыл бұрын

scarface was a united artist film,not universal or warner bros.howard hughes produced it.

@randyacuna3248 5 жыл бұрын

EL CHOYA TONIO correct, how could the narrator miss the opening credits where it does say United artists?

@benderbendingrofriguez3300 6 жыл бұрын

didn't the Hays code started dicline in the late 50s?

@karlkarlos3545 5 жыл бұрын

More like late 60s. Bonnie and Clyde (1967) was the first american film where they showed a man shot in the face without a cut.

@filmnobelpreis 4 жыл бұрын

@@karlkarlos3545 Late 50's is correct tho.

@Kuudere-Kun 5 жыл бұрын

I thought this movie was Universal not Warner?

@hamburgareable 2 жыл бұрын

Correct, it was Universal that distributed this movie. 👍

@mac2phin 3 жыл бұрын

Public Enemy, Little Caesar and Scarface have subtopics which for the 1930s were very progressive.

@AH-mq2zu 7 жыл бұрын

notification squad!

@HappiAcrossCultures 2 жыл бұрын

It’s amazing how bugs bunny captured these gangster figures for generations to come~~~

@myname7056 4 жыл бұрын

Why start at 1915? Why not go back to Louis LePrince’s Roundhay garden scene?

@onehundredyearsofcinema 4 жыл бұрын

In the first video I did I go from 1988 to 1915. I chose 1915 because A Birth Of A Nation is thought of as one of the first films that was put together like a modern film as we know them. (It wasn't really the first though)

@camillerobin1596 6 жыл бұрын

+1 abonné lol

@yusefedwardsproductions2148 6 жыл бұрын

HI HI HI HI HI

@Biblicalgiants 3 жыл бұрын

Hollywood created the gangster image.

@lew306 3 жыл бұрын

I think there's a case to be made in the other direction. Figures of organized crime often bumped shoulders with Hollywood socialites and in turn, adopted the lavish styles, and got just as much coverage in the tabloids.

@user-vg7jc7hy6z 3 жыл бұрын

Bible is a reference only Bible is not absolute Creator is only absolute

@64retrogamer11 3 жыл бұрын

6:37 no dude, that scene of the oranges from the Godfather was unintentional from Francis because the production would mostly afford oranges for each scene, it wasn't a foreshadowing of his death but rather a coincidence.