Live Life Team
Since retiring, I have been able to spend more time on a favourite pastime I have enjoyed since the 1950’s, watching gangsters movies. There are many great films in this genre, but one of my favourites has to be Brian De Plama’s ‘Scarface’.
As a Cuban refugee of the early 1960’s I was drawn to view it in 1983 when it debuted and have seen it many times since. This film is a loose adaptation of Howard Hawks and Ben Hecht‘s 1932 release of a film with same name. It is a work of fiction, based on actual events and contains some footage of actual events. ‘Scarface’ is written in the mode of a Modern Greek tragedy and chronicles the life of a Cuban refugee and his family, who come to Miami to escape the tyranny of Cuba in 1980, during the opening of Mariel Bay. At that time the country’s ruler released over 100,000 people, many of them criminals, into the United States.
Starring, Al Pacino, in the lead role of Tony Montana, it is the sordid tale of his rise and subsequent fall from power. It is a story of corruption and greed, mixed with addictions and sex, with violence as its ever-constant backdrop.
Even though the film received mixed reviews from the critics it was destined to become a cult classic and has spawned such famous lines as, “say hello to my little friend” and has the dubious honour of having the most profanity of any film of the time.
