‘Scarface’ Opened In Theaters 29 Years Ago Today: ‘Say Hello To My Little Friend’
There isn’t a film lover alive who doesn’t look forward to the winter holiday season. Every year, from Thanksgiving to Christmas, Hollywood releases one blockbuster after the other and this year is no exception. Breaking Dawn Part 2, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, On The Road, and Les Miserables are just a few of the new films that movie goers will enjoy during the month of December. We thought it would be fun to roll back the years and take another look at a famous film that made its debut in theaters 29 years ago today. On December 9, 1983, Scarface, starring Al Pacino, opened in American movie houses and gangster films were changed forever.
Brian De Palma, the filmmaker who created one of the all time horror classics, Carrie, directed Scarface and Oliver Stone wrote the script. Stone is an outstanding director in his own right, having made JFK, Platoon, The Doors,Natural Born Killers, and many other highly praised films.
The 1983 version of Scarface is a modern update of the Howard Hawks classic film from 1932 starring Paul Muni and George Raft as two hard nosed gangsters clawing their way to the top of the rackets in a bloody gang war.
Both films shared many common themes including the lifelong friendship between the principal bad guys; the boss and his trust worthy enforcer. The two versions of Scarface feature a secret love affair between the boss’ sister and his loyal underling that leads to tragedy.
Pacino was riding a major winning streak after appearing in such outstanding roles as the sad heroin addict in Panic In Needle Park, Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part One and Part Two, the hero cop in Serpico and a confused real life bank robber in Dog Day Afternoon. He sunk his teeth into the role of Cuban American gangster Tony Montana with such gusto he virtually chewed up the scenery in a performance so incredibly over the top that it made Pacino a film icon.
Scarface is not only a terrific motion picture, but it generated one of the greatest lines in the history of the movies. No film buff will ever forget Al Pacino as the crazed Tony Montana, diving face first into a huge mound of cocaine, then jumping up, rocket launching machine gun in hand, and opening fire on a small army of would be assassins while screaming “Say hello to to my little friend.”
We know you are looking forward to all the great new films coming out in the next few weeks, but if you want a wonderful evening’s entertainment, pickup a copy of Brain De Palma’s Scarface, pop some popcorn and settle down on the sofa for a non stop thrill ride. You may even be tempted to duck when Tony Montana points his machine gun at the camera and opens fire.
