Scarface
Although it ’s billed as a remake of the 1932 Howard Hawks - direct gangster classic of the same name , Brian De Palma’sScarfaceis its own beast . It ’s almost twice the length of the pilot . De Palma and his screenwriter Oliver Stone took the basic rise - and - fall structure of Hawks ’ film and transplanted it into modern time .
Whereas the 30s original was about how Prohibition create the Mafia , the 1983 remaking is about how anti - drug law are creating drug noble . Al Pacino principal as Tony Montana , a Cuban immigrant who builds a cocaine imperium in Miami . Here are 10 Behind - The - Scenes Facts AboutScarface .
The Prop Cocaine Permanently Damaged Al Pacino’s Nose
In the years sinceScarfacewas released , there ’s been a far-flung rumor that the cocaine snorted in the movie was real . This is just a myth ; prop cocaine was used . However , it ’s never been revealed what the digest - in was .
It looks like fine-grained milk , but it could ’ve been anything . Whatever it was , it permanently damaged Al Pacino ’s pinched passages . He may not have been snort actual cocaine , but he was snorting the property cocaine — he was n’t pretending — and , according to Pacino,“For eld after , I have had things up in there . I do n’t have sex what materialize to my olfactory organ , but it ’s changed . ”
The Actress Who Played Tony Montana’s Mom Was Only Four Years His Senior
Scarfaceis one of those intimate gangster film in which we get to meet the lead fictitious character ’s mother . Tony Montana ’s female parent in the motion picture is credit simply as “ Mama Montana , ” and she was played by Miriam Colon .
In real life , Colon was only four years older than Al Pacino , who was hypothesise to be play her boy . Colon ’s storied career spanned seven decennium , and , in 2014 , she was awarded the National Medal of Arts by then - President Barack Obama for her contributions to the amusement industriousness . Sadly , Aspinwall passed aside in 2017 at the years of 80 due to complication from a pulmonary contagion .
Brian De Palma Secretly Released An Uncensored Cut
When director Brian De Palma first submittedScarfaceto the MPAA so as to get it rated , the board give it an hug drug paygrade , which is box office poisonous substance , so De Palma had to make some cut and feed back the photographic film in the hopes of get a more box office - favorable R military rating .
However , after three submissions , the X rating run . De Palma really did n’t want to make any more cuts , so producer Marty Bregman get up a hearing with the MPAA in which genuine narcotics officers praised the film ’s realism . The MPAA finally relented and gave the third cut an R rating for its realistic portrayal of real - world issues . De Palma figured that if the third cut was acceptable for that cause , the first one would be , too . The studio told him he could n’t release the first cut , but , since the executives could n’t tell much of a departure between the snub , he did anyway .
The Prop Guns Were Synced With The Cameras
In most natural action movies have gunslinger violence , you ’ll see that the gag flash rarely line up with when the actor are firing the airplane propeller guns . This is because , after shooting these scenes from various different angles with a caboodle of camera that are n’t always on and then cutting the whole thing together , it can be hard to keep the muzzle flashes consistent .
The output squad working onScarfacemanaged to make their muzzle flashes more in - sync than most flick by fitting the prop guns with electronic synchronizing devices , which meant they would only fire when the television camera shutter was open .
The Film Was Protested In Miami, So It Was Mostly Shot In L.A.
WhenScarfacewas announced as the tale of a Cuban immigrant becoming a drug kingpin in Miami , Miami ’s Cuban community was intelligibly outraged . As a upshot , most of the movie was spud in Los Angeles as match to Miami . In Miami , there was a city - wide public debate over whether or not the bunch should be allowed to take there , and the Miami Tourist Board finally decide not to let them . So , L.A. was used as a double for Miami . Some of L.A. ’s street and buildings had to be clothe up by the bunch to cheer the look and feel of Miami .
Al Pacino Was Extremely Committed To His Role
Al Pacino has said that Tony Montana isone of his favorite character reference he ’s played . He was really committed to the role while he was making the movie . In ordering to stay in character , the actor told John A. Alonzo , the celluloid ’s director of photography , to only talk to him in Spanish . This helped him to stay in the mentality of his Cuban character . oddly enough , despite the fact that the movie is namedScarface , Tony is only ever actually come to to by that moniker once in the whole three - hour runtime , and it ’s in Spanish , no less ( “ Cara de cicatriz ” ) .
Steven Spielberg Co-Directed The Final Shootout
Steven Spielberg and Brian De Palma are part of a socio-economic class of film pupil that took Hollywood cinema by tempest when they graduated in the 1970s ( the grouping also includes George Lucas , Martin Scorsese , and John Milius ) , and , ever since they assemble , the two directors had need to get together on a project .
De Palma invited Spielberg to set ofScarfacewhile he was shooting the climactic gunplay at Tony ’s mansion , and that succession terminate up becoming the project they would collaborate on . Spielberg co - point the shot with De Palma but decided not to take credit , as he wantedScarfaceto be De Palma ’s picture show .
Glenn Close And Carrie Fisher Were Considered For The Role Of Elvira
The part of Tony Montana ’s remote wife Elvira inScarfacewas play brightly by Michelle Pfeiffer , whoturned out to have the consummate portmanteau of mystery and gaiety to do the character Justice Department . However , Pfeiffer was not the producer ’ first alternative for the role . Glenn Close was their top option , but the studio vetoed the decision as they did n’t feel she had the right look . After Close was interdict and before Pfeiffer was cast , such huge names as Sigourney Weaver , Geena Davis , Sylvia Kristel , Sharon Stone ( whowould go on to play a mob married woman inCasino ) , Kelly McGillis , and Carrie Fisher .
Scarface Once Held The Record For Most F-Bombs In A Movie
For years , the Family Media Guide has kept cut of all the profanity , furiousness , and sexuality have in Hollywood movies . WhenScarfacewas released , the Family Media Guide announce it to have the most F - bomb of any movie in history . The film bear 207 utilization of the F - word and its variants , which work out at around 1.21 F - word per minute of runtime .
This total has since been topped by such gloriously profanity - laden motion picture asThe Wolf of Wall Street , Straight Outta Compton , andPulp Fiction . The current record - holder isSwearnet : The Movie , which has a whopping 935 America of the F - word .
Oliver Stone Battled His Own Cocaine Addiction While Writing The Script
Screenwriter Oliver Stone was able to depict from his own experience while he was writing the tale of Tony Montana ’s pillow slip into cocain addiction because he was battling such an dependance of his own . He started off write the motion-picture show in Florida and the Caribbean , interviewing cop and crook to get a rounded view of the illegal business deal that he was portraying in the playscript .
However , this was only fueling his addiction , so he go out to Paris to get a change of scenery and nail down the hand . While he was there , he kick his coke habit and wield to write the script“totally f*****g moth-eaten sober . ”
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