Why Chicago’s most notorious gangster epic was held hostage by 1930s film censors
In short: Released in 1932, Howard Hawks’s Scarface is a cornerstone of the gangster genre. Yet, the film was nearly buried before it reached theaters. Producers Howard Hughes and Hawks spent months battling censors who feared the movie glorified crime, forcing significant narrative changes and a title addition to appease the authorities.
The film presents the rise of Tony Camonte, a character loosely modeled after Al Capone. Director Howard Hawks envisioned the story as a modern retelling of the Borgias set within the brutal landscape of Chicago. The screenplay, written by journalist Ben Hecht in just 11 days, depicts Camonte’s violent ascent through the underworld, fueled by his obsession with power and his own sister. Alongside films like Little Caesar and The Public Enemy, Scarface is considered one of the most influential works of the early gangster era.
The production faced intense scrutiny from the Hays Office, which argued that the film’s depiction of violence and criminal life was dangerously celebratory. To secure approval, the filmmakers were required to add a prologue condemning gangsterism and film an alternate ending that provided a clearer moral judgment on Camonte’s actions. These modifications delayed the release by a year. While some modern screenings restore the original vision, many versions still include the censor-mandated changes, and the film was even pulled from circulation entirely for decades after being banned in various cities.
Hawks’s directorial style is famously distinctive, characterized by eye-level camera work and a restrained use of close-ups. For Scarface, however, the extra scenes shot to satisfy censors were lit with a more elaborate, exquisite style by cinematographer Lee Garmes, creating a visual contrast to Hawks’s typical unadorned aesthetic. The film’s legacy remains secure; in 1994, the Library of Congress chose it for inclusion in the National Film Registry, and it continues to be studied as a definitive example of the genre’s evolution.
The film’s impact has transcended its original era, most notably through Brian De Palma’s 1983 remake, which swapped Prohibition-era alcohol for the cocaine trade. Despite the initial controversy and the struggle for artistic control, Scarface remains a landmark of American cinema, reflecting the tension between creative ambition and the rigid moral codes of the early 20th-century film industry.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Scarface: The Shame of a Nation | crime drama, gangster film, Howard Hawks | Britannica
- Also: Scarface (1932 film)
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