Scarface (1932 film)

Rare card · No. 33418

Scarface (also known as Scarface: The Shame of the Nation and The Shame of a Nation) is a 1932 American pre-Code gangster film directed by Howard Hawks and produced by Hawks and Howard Hughes. The screenplay is based loosely on the 1930 novel by Armitage Trail, which in turn was inspired by the life of Al Capone. The film stars Paul Muni as Italian immigrant gangster Antonio "Tony" Camonte who violently rises through the Chicago gangland, with a supporting cast that includes George Raft and Boris Karloff. Camonte's rise to power dovetails with his relentless pursuit of his boss's mistress while his sister pursues his best hitman. In an overt tie to the life of Capone, a version of the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre is depicted. After purchasing the rights to Trail's novel, Hughes quickly selected Hawks to direct and Hecht to write the film's screenplay. Beginning in January 1931, Hecht wrote the script in 11 days. Scarface was produced before the introduction of the Production Code in 1934...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Illustrator unknown, likely a work-for-hire on behalf of the film's American distributor United Artists. Printed by M. R. Litho Co. in New York, per the credit seen on the bottom-left corner., Public domain