Say Hello to My Little Friend: A Century of Scarface

In 1983, the movie remake Scarface premiered in theaters only to be met with a fierce critical backlash. The nearly three-hour saga was blasted for excessive violence and the “glorification” of its protagonist, Tony Montana. The revised film, directed by Brian De Palma and penned by Oliver Stone, shared a few characteristics with its original 1932 inspiration in its controversies.

The infamous gangster Al “Scarface” Capone served as a loose inspiration for the Ben Hecht-Howard Hawks collaboration, which tangled with censors before the movie hit the screens. Producer Howard Hughes fought with the Motion Pictures Producers and Distributors of America to get the movie released with little substantive changes. Brian De Palma was equally resistant to the MPAA’s demands to water down the latter film’s content. The legacy of both movies resides in the performances and the audiences’ loving embrace.

Say Hello to My Little Friend deftly explores the lasting impact and relevance of Scarface along with its predecessor. Author Nat Segaloff delivers a well-researched and written analysis of the films along with the intricacies of the two Hollywoods that both films had to contend with. This is a must-read for cinephiles along with Scarface fans.