Can you believe it’s been over thirty years since Scarface was released? It’s been a movie that changed the face of cinema forever and has been referenced so many times that it’d be hard to know how often. Al Pacino as Tony Montana has become one of the most important icons of pop culture throughout the years and has helped to shape the landscape of film in a way that many people don’t seem to understand but can’t deny is there. The brutality and sheer energy of Scarface was enough during it’s time to be seen as highly controversial and even dangerous when representing a single culture, but it was also something that helped to advance movie lore in a way that hadn’t been seen as of yet in that era.
Seriously, who just buries their face in a small mountain of cocaine and then goes to war with an army of hired assassins? Tony Montana, that’s who. You wanna play rough, okay!
10. This was a remake of a 1932 film.
It was Al Pacino’s idea to remake this film, and he pushed as hard as he could to get it made and to be the star.
9. Robert DeNiro turned down the role Tony Montana, and John Travolta almost played Manny.
Even in his younger years DeNiro didn’t seem to be a right fit. And Travolta doesn’t seem like he could have pulled off the role of Manny.
8. Much of the film was shot in LA.
Despite looking as though it was shot in Miami a lot of the film was actually shot in Los Angeles.
7. Steven Bauer, the guy that played Manny, was the only actual Cuban in the bunch.
He didn’t have much acting experience and yet he was chosen because he fit the appearance that was needed.
6. The original cut received an X-rating, but the director showed the uncut version without the film board’s knowledge.
Had the film board found out at the time Oliver Stone could have been in some deep trouble, and the movie could have been squashed.
5. Michelle Pfeiffer was not the first choice for Elvira.
Al Pacino wanted to go with someone like Geena Davis, Glenn Close, Sharon Stone, or several others that came to mind.
4. The rehearsals were so long that Pacino and Bauer had their lines memorized.
The lengthy rehearsals took a heavy toll on the cast and crew but allowed some of the cast a better chance to memorize their lines.
3. The film received horrible reviews due to its excessive violence and other controversial content.
Scarface was a movie that was definitely ahead of its time when it came to the content.
2. The F word and its many variations is used around 266 times in this film.
That’s a little over 1 F word per minute when you really look at it. That means that there was really no filter on this film.
1. Oliver Stone was battling a cocaine addiction while filming this movie.
Despite the cocaine being fake in the movie the sight of it and the idea of how much was being moved around had a definite affect on him.
Watch Scarface at least once after reading this. You might find a new respect for the film.
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