“Scarface” (1938) was produced by Howard Hughes and Howard Hawks. This film has been pivotal in the gangster genre as a whole. It addressed prohibition and organized crime in our society during the 1920’s through re-enacting the stories of the characters in a novel called Armitage trail who mirrored a real life gangster known as Al-Capone. To avoid issues with censorship, there were alternate endings where the police killed the main character. This was to help viewers understand that crime will lead them to prison.
The scene below takes place in a café with Tony and Johnny’s girl Poppy right before he gets rundown. Johnny is Tony’s boss, but as he moves up in rank he tries to take his boss’ girlfriend who he had been pining after since their first encounter. This scene is the perfect example of the blend of romance and danger that exists in films within the gangster genre.
See scene below. If you cannot see the clip, click this link. Scarface 1932 Cafe Scene
This film helped to set the blueprint for the many films in the gangster genre that followed. It had drama, violence, romance, misogyny, and a hint of comedy to keep movie goers at the edge of their seats while wondering what was going to happen next. A classic scene in Scarface is when Tony and Guino go into the hospital to shoot and kill someone they had already put in the hospital. Scenes like this make this film not only a classic, but the epitome of gangster.
FILM CLASSICS 