Scarface (1932)

Introducing one of cinema's history's most notorious, Machiavellian monsters in the perverted Horatio Alger myth that lies at the heart of every gangster film, Scarface stands as the peak of its genre. And it's a telling sign that Brian DePalm's 1983 version of the film, despite all the accolades accorded it, does nothing to diminish the power of Howard Hawk's original. On the contrary, like Shakespeare at his best, the film's seductive combination of fascination and revulsion with its corrupted protagonist and his equally corrupted world makes up the very fabric of the drama.

Completed before Hollywood's conservative Production Code became more rigidly enforced in 1934, Ben Hecht's screenplay uses the Al Capone legend as source material to shoe Prohibition-era Chicago as a modern Sodom and Gomorrah. Amorality is rampant: Cops are brutal and on the take, journalists are cynical muckrakers. In contrast, the Capone-like protagonist Tony "Scarface" Camonte (Paul Muni) is at least frank in his greedy quest for power and the almighty dollar.

The ultimate irony of Scarface is that everything goes well as long as Tony treats his killing spree as purely business. The moment his emotions come into play, he's doomed. Much can be made of the strange twist in the plot when Tony starts losing control because of his violent jealousy concerning the love affair between his sister Cesca (Ann Dvorak) and his best friend Guino Rinaldo (George Raft). This could stem from incestuous feelings for his sister, or indicate a repressed homosexual bond with his friend. Hawks effectively underlines Tony's road to ruin with heavy symbolism, achieved via expressive lighting and street signs. The gangster is initially seen as a Nosferatu-like silhouette on the wall as he commits murder. At the end, his final showdown is marked by cross-shaped shadows and his dead body lying in the gutter under a travel sign that reads, ironically, "The world is yours."

Quote of the Day - Tony Camonte - "Listen, Little Boy, in this business there's only one law you gotta follow to keep out of trouble: Do it first, do it yourself, and keep on doing it."

Tomorrow: Bringing Up Baby (1938)