Scarface

Say Hello To My Little Friend...
//Brian De Palma's "Scarface"(1983) Analysis//

When it was first released in 1983, "Scarface" initially garnered mixed reviews from critics and moviegoers, with the main source of complaint being the excessive portrayal of violence and drugs. However, as moviegoers and critics became more and more accustomed to stylized violence in films, "Scarface" quickly gained the recognition it deserved. Today, Brain De Palma's Gangster epic/tragedy is considered one of the greatest and most iconic gangster films of all time. "Scarface" tells the story of Antonio Montana, a Cuban immigrant, and his pursuit of a very twisted version of the American dream. The plot is linear, and follows Tony's rise to the top of the Miami drug empire, and his eventual demise, establishing the themes: "what goes up, must come down", "money can't buy happiness", and "greed is bad". The tone is realistic, brash and bold.

Scarface is an action-drama filled with dark and violent topics and violent characters, and one would expect lighting in a drama like this to be dark and ominous; with low key lighting to portray the evils and duality of mankind, and to intensify…well, //drama//. However, Scarface does not adhere to the stereotypical lighting of drama films. The lighting in Scarface was directed to give the film a more soft-lit and natural look, with some scenes lit through practical methods (sunlight, lamps, disco lights etc.), and most artificially lit scenes seemed to involve fill lights. The overall lighting of the film is very high key (low contrast), which highlights the gritty realism and the bold harshness of the film’s tone. The realistic lighting also assists in the preaching of the film’s theme, revealing that demise-by-greed can be all too real.
 * __Lighting__**


 * __Cinematography__**

Cinematography in Scarface is uncomplicated yet effective. There are no fancy camera movements, no outlandish Dutch angles or cants (as seen in Donnie Darko), just your standard use of wide shots, medium shots, and close-ups. The simple cinematography successfully reveals the realistic and bold tone of the film; this is film not a plot-twisty mystery/noir, nor is it a suspenseful science-fiction thriller, this is an honest and gritty portrayal of the rise and fall of one man. So the uncomplicated cinematography helps establish the tone. However, the chainsaw scene is notable for its establishment of an extremely suspenseful and horrifying tone through extreme close-ups of Angel’s eyes as the chainsaw tears through his limbs, and close-ups of Tony grimacing. The protagonist, Tony Montana, is often portrayed extensively in wide shots, which not only establishes the setting, but also puts Tony’s amassed wealth and power into perspective. Showing his power. The final shot of the film is perhaps the greatest portrayal of the film’s scene: The camera starts at a bird’s eye angle with a full shot, showing the aftermath of the shooting, and then **descends** (via crane), following the assassin down the stairs. This shot, paired with the image of Tony's corpse floating in the “The World Is Yours” fountain, establishes the themes of “greed is bad” and “what goes up must come down”.

Scarface is a prime example of continuity editing; where the editing is so seamless it is barely noticeable. Characters’ eyes and the object of their focus are linked seamlessly together with eye line matches, and movements and actions are matched with action match cuts (lots of match cuts). The continuity editing attracts viewers to the plot, and does not distract them from the story. Once again, the seamless and unnoticeable editing contributes to the realistic and honest tones, and makes viewers feel completely involved in the plot. The montage of Tony’s rise to the top of the drug trafficking business is perhaps one of the greatest examples of a montage (“Push it to the Limit”). It depicts Tony’s quick rise to the top and the escalation of his wealth by cross cutting between the money-counter counting dollar bills and Tony establishing his business and empire. The montage condenses years of Tony’s effort into two minutes or so, but after the montage, the film begins to delve into Tony’s lack of happiness. The juxtaposition of the montage right before the revealing of his unsuccessful marriage and unhappiness serves to portray the themes of “what goes up must come down” and “money can’t buy happiness”.
 * __Editing__**