Scarface (novel)
Scarface is a novel written by Armitage Trail in 1929 and published in 1930. The 1932 and 1983 films were loosely based on it. The twenty-eight-year-old author died suddenly of a heart attack nine months after the novel was published.[1]
| Author | Armitage Trail |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Crime fiction |
| Published | New York City |
| Publisher | A. L. Burt Co. |
Publication date | 1930 |
Published in English | January 1, 1930 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover, paperback) |
| Pages | 286 |
| ISBN | 978-1558801196 |
| OCLC | 1801693 |
| LC Class | PZ3.T679 Sc |
Plot
The book's storyline is heavily inspired by the real life gangster Al Capone whose nickname was also "Scarface". It concerns the rise and fall of Tony "Scarface" Guarino, who after performing a hit on mob leader Al Springola, moves in to take over the illegal alcohol business in Chicago during the Prohibition Era. He is ultimately shot dead by his brother (who concurrently rises in the ranks of Chicago PD), who fails to recognise him due to the family believing him to have died in World War I.
Adaptations
1932 film
Scarface (also known as Scarface: The Shame of the Nation and The Shame of a Nation) is a 1932 American pre-Code gangster film starring Paul Muni as Antonio "Tony" Camonte. It was produced by Howard Hughes & Howard Hawks, directed by Hawks (with Hughes adding two moralistic scenes directed by Richard Rosson).[2] The story is based on Armitage Trail's 1929 novel of the same name, which is loosely based on the rise and fall of Al Capone.[3] The film features Ann Dvorak as Camonte's sister, and also stars Karen Morley, Osgood Perkins, and Boris Karloff. The plot centers on gang warfare and police intervention when rival gangs fight over control of Chicago. A version of the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre is also depicted.
1983 film
Scarface is a 1983 American crime film directed by Brian De Palma and written by Oliver Stone. The film tells the story of Cuban refugee Tony Montana (Al Pacino) who arrives in 1980s to Miami with nothing and rises to become a powerful drug kingpin. Rather than being a new adaptation based on the novel, the film is primarily a remake and major modernization of the 1932 film. The cast also features Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Steven Bauer, and Michelle Pfeiffer.[4]
References
- Gettell, Oliver (March 18, 2015). "'Scarface' remake says hello to 'Straight Outta Compton' screenwriter". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- "Scareface (1932)". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- Trail, Armitage (1930). Scarface. New York City: A. L. Burt Co. ISBN 978-1558801196.
- "Scareface (1983)". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved January 12, 2017.