Scarface Flashcards
Scarface, Armitage Trail, 1932
Tony Guarino destined to be the greatEST of ALL america’s notorious gang leaders, was eighteen when he committed his first serious crimes
The cross on the window
every time you have a murder you have a cross : here it isn’t shown 1st screen & 2nd screen.
Barbershop scene
Mise en abyme : theatrical scene : everybody is watching outside = the public
3 characters :
♦ The barber : he hides the gun ⇒ he is part of the gang, organised crime. If the boss is arrested he will have trouble.
♦ Man in the background : doesn’t speak, only makes gestures, plays with the coin, probably lieutenant. He is ready to help but refrain from doing it to avoid getting in trouble.
♦ The main character : he is ++ self-confident : lights the cigarette on the sheriff’s star = gesture of lack of respect and provocation. ⇒ Typical dual : good guy / bad guy
+ The way he moves : the way he tilts the match. He is animal like : the way he holds the cigarette = monkey thing.
Barbershop scene
→ laundry
→ Hitchock
→ looking back
After the fight just behind them there is the gun : the policeman is very close to the gun // HItchcock MacGuffin the thing the public is very interested in.
Laundry ⇒ refers to money laundering (blanchiment d’argent)
He is ready to fight but refuse to do so : doesn’t use the gun.
After, he is looking at the back and ignoring what the sheriff is asking : he has to look in the back to succeed in an environment : He is going to look in his back because he knows he is against him
Posture of sheriff typical dual, ready to fight : main dans les poches
He puts his cloth back : without saying anything barber etc know what to do : bring his coat ⇒ he is the boss and controls people.
Everybody is interested and wants to know = throwback to the scene with the press and idea that everybody wants to know what’s going on.
Importance of facial expression,
they smile at each other. Silent discussion btw Tony & his strong arm. They’re very cool, like if they were having a talk at the bar.
Meeting btw several characters
Tony Camonte aliases Rooney Joe Back. Assault, carrying brass knuckles and sap, dw disturbing peace street robbery on 3 counts loft burglary violation volstead act. Indicted for murder of buck kempner. Member 5 points gang. Came from New York 1920. At present bodyguard & strong arm for Louie Costillo. Bodyguard for Costillo, eh ? pretty smart boy. I suppose you didn’t kill Louie Costillo.
“Big Louie well like this”
: suggest that he killed me. + gesture that looks like a gun = dramatic irony.
“Can I slap him out chief?
suggest the use of violence : coerced confession : ++ common at the time because no lawyer beginning at the beginning vs one at the end. ⇒ He is about to have a coerced confession.
Tony’s accent
: sounds Italian & makes ++ mistakes especially when he gets angry.
“Where were you ? I was having my beauty sleep
: but he was killing.
“Well, the lady there, you want her name? Phone number?”
he suggest that he, Tony is also in control of prostitution.
“I don’t know nothing I don’t see nothing but when I do I don’t tell the cops” :
Another face : ++ direct, no implicit “I don’t know nothing I don’t see nothing but when I do I don’t tell the cops” : he says that he is a gangster and that they know that.
“Let’s play ball I’m gonna give you a chance”
“Let’s play ball I’m gonna give you a chance” : Tony refuses strong separation btw law & illegal activities : part of tragedy : you know the end.
“Come on Tony we’ll take a look at the goldfish”
: he is going to beat him. Doesn’t mean anything. He is going to beat him and have coerce confession
HABEAS CORPUS :
A rite of HABEAS CORPUS : from latin : to have the body. You cannot arrest anybody without telling him why.
“You do you give you this rit ? Fleming
“Hey I don’t know who is this guy”
“You do you give you this rit ? Fleming” : Fleming is probably the District Attorney. It suggests that the DA (which is an honourable job) is in fact part of organised crime.
“Hey I don’t know who is this guy” : he is the boss, he should know but you can see that he doesn’t know the rit of habeas corpus is a rit to be free ⇒ Tony doesn’t have education, doesn’t know about the system + strong accent italian.
At that time being a gangster was a disease. Here producer suggest that gangster have no education
“Maybe me I’m different”
“the world is yours”
“Maybe me I’m different” = part of the hubris.
1st image : “the world is yours” = part of the self-made man.
monkey trial
Many people says that he walks like a monkey, defiant gesture, animal-like gesture. If we come from the monkey we’re no human so the gangster has to be portrayed like a monkey, he is like an animal
//
→ 1926 : The monkey trial in Dayton concerning bible & biology because a teacher accused to teach Darwin’s theory of evolutionism against the bible
In these movies : a lot of unsaid, implicit.
