The Gangster Film and the American Dream Part II

Dillinger, the Depression and Scarface

The gangsters portrayed in the films since the 60s have been more explicitly presented as heroes than the gangsters in the classics of the genre produced during the 30s. Typically, the gangsters of today's movies meet their deaths in highly stylized, very entertaining bloodbaths, but before getting their comeuppance they are consistently shown to be rich, sexy and cool. What is perhaps less known about the earliest gangsters in cinematic history is that many of them actually began life on paper as much more attractive individuals themselves.

The original version of Scarface faced delays in release while director Howard Hakws had to edit and reshoot certain scenes in order to make sure his gangster "hero' Tony Camonte was dealt a more sufficient payback for his criminal success. Although it would certainly be interesting to see what the original cut looked like, the truth is that even with the editing Paul Muni's performance rises to the same delirious heights of enthusiastic glee over amoral behavior that made Al Pacino's character in the remake of this movie an icon for disaffected black youth today. The intention of the call for cuts may have been to make him less attractive in the eyes of the public, but that intention was quite obviously not met.