Join us at the Pickwick Theatre on April 24 when we screen the gangster classic Scarface. Author Christina Rice will be with us to introduce the film and talk about the life of Ann Dvorak.
For more about the Ann Dvorak Book Tour in Chicago, be sure to visit Christina’s website on all things Dvorak! Click Here!
Scarface
Howard Hawks, 1932, 90 min.
One of the most potent crime films of the 1930s, Scarface: The Shame of the Nation became a landmark of its genre. Paul Muni plays the Capone-like Tony Camonte, a gangster determined to take over the North Side of Prohibition-era Chicago. His fatal flaw– almost Shakespearian in dimension– is his over-protection and obsession for his sister, Cesca (Ann Dvorak, in her breakthrough role). This riveting pre-Code masterpiece, shot in an expressionistic style, offered Muni one of his most iconic roles. “Get out of my way, Johnny, I’m gonna spit,” he says as he handles a submachine gun. Due to battles with the Hays Office over the film’s content, there were multiple versions shot. Ultimately, producer Howard Hughes stopped listening to the censors and released it in its original form. George Raft portrays Tony’s coin-flipping best friend, Rinaldo. With Karen Morley and Boris Karloff (bowling a final strike). Written by Ben Hecht and later remade in 1983 with Al Pacino.
Here is TCM’s Robert Osbourne introducing the film…