Scarface Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Scarface Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 23, 2019

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 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Scarface Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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.
• Alternate Ending (1080p, 10:38).

Scarface Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.