Scarface Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray release of "Scarface" presents a commendable 1080p video transfer. The film maintains its original 4x3 aspect ratio, preserving the authentic theatrical experience with vertical black bars on modern 1.78:1 displays. Despite the inherently challenging source material, the picture quality is impressive. Clarity is consistently high, with well-defined grain structure that enhances the filmic aesthetic. Close-up shots display notable skin and clothing texture detail, though medium shots fall short of tack-sharp resolution. Some scenes exhibit a dreamy, soft-focus look, characteristic of the film's intended hazy visual style. The grayscale is robust, offering deep blacks that refrain from crushing important details and vibrant brights that enhance the overall visual depth.

Universal's meticulous remastering effort is evident, with negligible scratches or dirt throughout the print, ensuring a pristine presentation. The encoding process effectively preserves the grain and handles the contrast beautifully. Occasionally, the contrast appears overly aggressive, resulting in slight clipping on brightly lit faces, where even eyes can appear slightly bleached. Nonetheless, shadows are rendered with excellent depth and preservation of detail, resonating with the film's noir style. Despite a few smudgy shots and limited definition in some scenes, this Blu-ray transfer significantly improves upon the DVD version, providing a rich and engaging viewing experience for "Scarface" enthusiasts.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack on the Blu Ray of "Scarface" showcases an aural experience reflective of its era. The opening title music, while harsh and lacking in precise sonic definition, effectively sets the mood within the context of a track recorded nearly 90 years ago. There's an underlying scratchiness and hiss to dialogue, though the spoken word images nicely enough to the center channel. The foundational front-side extension is commendable for such an aged track, enhancing scenes with bustling environments like newspaper offices with modest location immersion.

Notably, gunfire spreads across the front channels as necessary, delivering a serviceable punch and pop, especially in extended sound output sequences featuring machine gun fire. However, listeners will notice a troubled score struggling with warping treble and mild static beneath the dialogue. The audio capture reflects the limitations of hidden microphones of the era, with a natural echo from studio sets. Despite these limitations, the sound retains a pure, analog richness that enhances the viewing experience. It’s worth noting that the Alternate Censored Version includes only English audio, with no Spanish track availability.

Universal's Blu-ray release of the 1932 "Scarface" includes two cuts: the Original Theatrical Version and an Alternate Censored Version. Additionally, viewers can enjoy an insightful introduction by Turner Classic Movies Host Robert Osborne, who delves into the film's history, writer Ben Hecht, and its tussles with censors. An alternate ending, presented in high-quality 1080p resolution, serves as an appeasement for censors but notably lacks involvement from star Paul Muni. Despite these features being part of a limited edition bundled with the 1983 version of "Scarface," it is slightly disappointing that the packaging does not provide a separate case for each film, nor does the digital copy code apply to both versions.

Extras included in this disc:

• Introduction by Robert Osborne: Overview of the film’s background and censorship issues.
• Alternate Ending: A different conclusion intended to satisfy censor requirements.

Universal has finally released the 1932 version of 'Scarface' to Blu-ray; the film was previously included with older Blu-ray releases as a bonus feature presented in standard definition. The long-awaited release, which is on its own disc, is currently only available as part of a Limited Edition bundle with the 1983 film on both 4K UHD and remastered Blu-ray, in addition to a large statue replica. The new presentation looks and sounds quite good and includes two cuts: theatrical and alternate censored. A full film and Blu-ray review appears below.

Tony Camonte (Paul Muni) is a midlevel gangster but knows that he's destined to run the whole works. Do it first, do it yourself, and keep on doing it, he proclaims, vocalizing the violent, cold-hearted nature of the criminal underworld and his self-determined drive to rise to the top. He sets out on his own violent spree, outside his boss Johnny Lovo's (Osgood Perkins) orders and authority, to expand the empire for his own personal gain and satisfaction. He wants everything, including Johnny's girl, Poppy (Karen Morley). As Tony's empire expands and as his greed grows, the target on his back becomes increasingly large. It's only a question of how big he can grow before it all comes crumbling down.

The film opens with the following text: This picture is an indictment of gang rule in America and the callous indifference of the government to this constantly increasing menace to our safety and liberty. Every incident in this picture is the reproduction of an actual occurrence, and the purpose of this picture is to demand of the government: 'what are you going to do about it?' The government is your government. What are you going to do about it? The film's battles with censor boards are well chronicled across the Internet and those battles are a focal point for the brief introduction that accompanies the film's home video release. The film is very violent, albeit more suggestively than gruesomely. Gunfire abounds and erupts with ferocity at several key points during the movie, and the lead character seems to almost thrive on it as he climbs the corpses to the top of his world.

Tony's desire for more power is insatiable. He frequently disobeys orders and works on his own authority and for his own gain to expand his own stature and growing empire. When he survives a shooting and comes into possession of a handheld machine gun, he almost gleefully takes it out for a spin to suddenly, violently, and mercilessly take control of more territory by instilling fear in his enemies and gunning a bunch of them down to get the point across. But he knows the dangers in his line of work, dangers which are exacerbated by his recklessness and desire to gain more: more power, more territory, more money, more sense of self. He brags to Poppy about the safety nets he's building around him: a car with bullet proof glass and a reinforced body, steel shutters on his home's windows. He's not a stupid man by any measure, but he's certainly driven more by his animalistic instincts rather than any sort of moral compass or code. It's not a novel characteristic -- though certainly in 1932 it was more shocking than it is today (which is why De Palma's film pushes the violence further to more deeply explore the mental measures of that film's Scarface) -- but it's explored with striking efficiency by Writer Ben Hecht and Actor Paul Muni, who is brilliant as the title character.

Tony's story is a portrait of a life ascending to incredible heights and just as quickly falling into a death spiral. Both his upward climb and downward fall are defined by bullets and blood and striking coldness to the damages he deals to life and property along the way. He is not a character to be admired, obviously. But he is an interesting point of psychology as a man with enormous drive and no risk aversion or serious consideration for his long term future. He plans a defense, yes, but the character is absolutely blinded by avarice and drowns in his own thirst for power. This is a very effective film, shot and acted extremely well and not shying away from the psychotic tendencies and violent repercussions of Tony's tour to life's bloody top and plummet from the literal peak and metaphorical high that drives him.

The Blu-ray release of "Scarface" (1983) is a compelling addition to any film aficionado's collection. The high-definition transfer ensures an exceptional visual experience, showcasing the film's rich, often gritty cinematography with remarkable clarity. Director Brian De Palma's masterful use of vibrant colors and intense lighting is particularly well-rendered, bringing a fresh level of immersion to this classic. Audio quality also meets a high standard, with a robust DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 soundtrack that delivers powerful soundscapes, superior dialogue clarity, and impactful sound effects.

The packaging includes the 1932 original film, presented on Blu-ray for the first time. This inclusion is not merely a bonus but a critical context-provider for appreciating the thematic and stylistic evolution from Howard Hawks' original vision to De Palma's reimagining. However, it should be noted that the set is exclusively available in a more expensive boxed collection, and disc organization could be more user-friendly, as both versions of "Scarface" share the same case.

In conclusion, 1932's "Scarface" stands out as essential viewing for audiences wishing to thoroughly appreciate the 1983 remake immortalized by Al Pacino. Despite its slim range of supplements, Universal’s Blu-ray presentation delivers formidable video and audio quality, firmly placing both versions among must-have titles for discerning fans of the gangster genre. Highly recommended.