Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

The Scarface Mob Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 27, 2024

The landscape of television in the late fifties may not have been the "vast wasteland" Newton Minnow would go on to complain about in a couple more years, but it certainly wasn't a model of innovation. In fact, that era of t.v. was defined by a number of seemingly immutable genres: the sitcom, typically family oriented; the variety show, frequently featuring a comedian or singer as host or hostess; westerns, which were probably "the" genre of this particular timeframe; and "law and order" outings which tended to feature either attorneys or some kind of policemen as their focal subjects. (Rather interestingly, another "career" staple of television series, namely doctor shows, were in a bit of a pardon the pun remission in the late fifties and wouldn't start showing up again for another few years.) One sidebar "genre", if it can be called that, was the dramatic anthology series, as probably best exemplified by the legendary Playhouse 90 and/or Studio One, though there were any number of other similar series, including some hosted by stars who would at least occasionally appear in various episodes, as in The Loretta Young Show . Desi Arnaz was the guiding light behind another anthology series, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, and it was on that particular anthology series that the long running series The Untouchables was born. This "back door pilot" strategy may actually not have been an actual strategy, since it seems like the overwhelming success of the two part Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse airings of The Scarface Mob evidently took several people by surprise, leading to the greenlighting of an actual series, though one way or the other this shows that the tendency a decade or so later to "sneak" pilots on air courtesy of "new, improved" series like ABC's Movie of the Week or any of the many NBC World Premiere properties was, kind of like late fifties television itself, hardly anything innovative.

It's perhaps funny and sad in equal proportions to look back on efforts like The Untouchables series or a later production that was supposed to be a "world premiere" made for television event, the 1964 version of The Killers, and kind of marvel at how what seems relatively tame these days shocked either audiences or studio honchos. In the case of The Killers, the violence displayed was deemed "too intense" for small screen viewers, and so an actual theatrical exhibition followed. In the case of both The Scarface Mob and the series which followed, early outcries about violence and depictions of Italian Americans were perhaps surprisingly intense, at least given modern day perceptions about the tame, conformist and far from "woke" (in the contemporary vernacular) Eisenhower era.

Somewhat hilariously since The Scarface Mob documented the supposedly biggest "get" in the career of Eliot Ness (Robert Stack), namely the imprisonment of Al Capone (Neville Brand), when The Untouchables went to series, a whole new "mob boss" had to be created and as the series progressed through its four seasons, its already tenuous connection to the historical record became more and more questionable, to the point that The Untouchables kind of became "just another cop show". In that regard, however, as is made abundantly clear in some of the supplements included on this disc, the very positing of Ness as some kind of superhero lawman was dubious to begin with, and even his connection to Capone was transitory at best, something made obvious by the fact that Capone was ultimately arrested and sent to prison on tax evasion charges that had nothing to do with what Ness as a Prohibition investigator had been looking into.

While The Scarface Mob was evidently rather lavishly budgeted for a television production, its small screen genesis can't help but be noted, with a cast of character actors who would have been more than familiar to t.v. viewers of the era. Kind of interestingly as is gotten into in some of the supplements, Stack, who would later probably be almost exclusively associated with his portrayal of Ness (at least until the likes of Airplane! and/or Unsolved Mysteries came along), was actually the third (and perhaps desperate) choice to play the role after deals with Van Heflin and Van Johnson fell through.

The Scarface Mob Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Scarface Mob is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. Arrow's insert booklet provides only the following fairly generic information on the transfer:

The Scarface Mob is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 with original mono audio. The master for this release was supplied by Paramount Pictures.

You can feel director Philip Karlson and cinematographer Charles Straumer aiming for noir territory, albeit a kind of "cleaned up" version suitable for general late fifties television audiences. This transfer offers some nicely deep blacks and generally secure contrast that help to offer the near chiaroscuro techniques rather evocative, with detail levels on things like costumes and props remaining mostly secure even in some less than fulsome lighting conditions. There are a number of montages scattered throughout the story, and those understandably can show spikes in grain as well as a loss of fine detail. There are some kind of perplexing signs of age related wear and tear in that some of them at least seem easily remedied (note the tiny scratch directly to the left of Neville Brand in screenshot 3), though others, like what looks like a big chemical blotch in the emulsion, may have presented too much of a restoration hurdle to overcome. That said, damage is rather minor overall, and the element utilized is in generally great shape.

The Scarface Mob Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Scarface Mob features an LPCM 2.0 Mono track that is nicely spry and robust, though some sound effects like the ever popular firing of guns can sound just slightly boxy at times. Television trivia fiends will know that one of the most memorable things about The Untouchables was its theme music by Nelson Riddle, but The Scarface Mob instead offers a rather bombastic score by Wilbur Hatch, whose name should instantly ring a bell with Desilu aficionados since Hatch scored (and led the Arnaz band in several episodes of) I Love Lucy. Hatch does a lot of impressive work with brass in particular here, and the track provides ample support for some clashing sonorities. Dialogue, including punchy narration from Walter Winchell, is rendered cleanly and clearly, though as is addressed in some of the supplements Brand was encouraged to (or at least not stopped from) use a questionable and historically inaccurate Italian accent for Capone. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Scarface Mob Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Gang Busters (HD; 23:10) is a well done video essay by David Cairns, who almost always finds interesting points to make in his pieces. This offers some background on both Ness and the production.


• Philip Kemp on The Scarface Mob (HD; 19:05) is another video essay by Philip Kemp which focuses a bit more on Ness and his depictions in various media, none of which really have much to do with his ultimately kind of sad real life.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:37)


• Image Galleries are courtesy of archivist Kelly Lynch.

  Posters (HD)

  
  

  Stills, Lobby Cards and Publicity Photos (HD)

Additionally, Arrow provides a nicely appointed insert booklet with some very interesting writing by Barry Forshaw and what are called "liner notes" by archivists Dan and Kelly Lynch. The keepcase features a reversible sleeve and encloses a folded mini poster and six postcard sized lobby card reproductions. Packaging also features a slipcover.

The Scarface Mob Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Scarface Mob is frankly "hooey" in terms of actual history, and what was evidently shocking violence in 1959 probably will seem downright quaint to modern day eyes, but this kinda sorta film is in its own was a historical curio itself for any number of reasons. Trivia buffs may know that Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse also gave birth to another venerable series, namely The Twilight Zone, which may indicate as well as anything how broad Desi Arnaz's production acumen was. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements very enjoyable and informative for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.