Early Hawks Blogathon: Scarface (1932)

This post is part of the Early Howard Hawks Blogathon over at Only the Cinema. Enjoy and check out the interesting posts there.

Firstly I'm gonna list the Howard Hawks films that I have seen, and then I'm gonna start discussing Scarface, which I caught the other day. Incidentally, I like all of these films, although I'd say that they get worse throughout the chronological list:-

Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Only Angels Have Wings (1939)
His Girl Friday (1940)
To Have and Have Not (1944)
I Was a Male War Bride (1949)
Monkey Business (1952)

It's incredibly poignant that Scarface should end with a closeup of the slogan "The World Is Yours", a statement displayed on the lit sign of a travel company. Howard Hawks' 1932 original tells the story of a man who thought the world was his, Tony Camonte, played here by Paul Muni and later most famously by Al Pacino. It's clear throughout the 90-minute wave of death and corruption that Tony has an obsession with obtaining more and more power, respect, authority -- he seems most proud of his "possessions" (guns, women, bulletproof vehicles, steel window covers), which collectively encourage him to buy into his own invincible aura. The aforementioned slogan takes pride of place in view of Tony's apartment and, as far as he's concerned, he owns that as well. In fact, he owns the world. Hence the slogan.

But this isn't the only reason why the slogan emerges as one of the most resonant features of Scarface, a film that Howard Hawks frames with messages in order to hammer a point home about crime and social problems in post-depression era America. It begins with a preface about these problems, and as such proceeds to address them, but the lingering directness and clear purpose of its style did surprise me as the Hawks films that I've seen feel a lot freer in theme. The screwball comedy was to an extent formulaic but I suppose a lot easier to manage, given the responsibility that Scarface seems to pose as both a spectacle and a statement. Tying in with that idea is the IMDB listing of The Shame of a Nation as an alternatively used title for the film, which brazenly wraps both the drama and the message into one.

The plot itself is very repetitive; that familiar pattern of brotherhood, betrayal, and death rearing its ugly head on more than one occasion, much like we've come to expect from imitations such as The Godfather etc. Scarface isn't as together, grand, or epic in scope as Coppola's film (this was 1932, so really, how could it be?) but the legacy it has created is plain for all to see. Having said that (and in part because of such imitations) it often feels a little too predictable and melodramatic, and the absence of sound for large pockets does hurt the effect of Scarface and make its violent sequences feel more cheeky than pulpy. Still, the stolid rules about blood etc. on screen makes the film often feel more visually enthralling in that it forces Hawks to think of new ways to capture death. Much to do with light and shade (like silent films), but you can't really beat a good silhouette murder, can you? There's just something wonderfully gothic and clever about watching someone's shadow disappear.

Amongst all the burly men vying for control Tony has a couple of women to consider. His mother, whom we actually don't see a lot of (and he doesn't seem that bothered about her, honestly), his 18 year-old sister Cesca, whom he is fiercely protective of, and love interest Poppy, who begins the film romantically involved with Tony's boss but switches allegiances when it's clear who the top dog is going to be. By far the most interesting of these relationships is his love for Cesca, which extends to turfing her out of every social event she dares to attend, giving her money to stay away from men, and murdering those men that she does take a fancy to. Although never overtly addressed (again, this is 1932) there's a hint of incestuousness on the part of Tony, as he seems to revere her and keep her to himself in a way that perhaps surpasses brotherly love. In one heated scene she accuses him of not treating her like a sister and "more like a...". If we're supposed to fill in the blank, my vote goes to "mistress", or something of that ilk. It feels it to me anyway. But regardless of their tempestuous relationship a scene towards the end demonstrates their affection for each other, and reminded me a lot of Bonnie and Clyde.

Hawks wants a little too desperately at times for us (or 30's America) to see the world's failures. Sometimes it's distracting but largely it's more than a preface and a closing remark. We're encouraged to see the world through Tony's eyes; expansive, a commodity, rather than looking on at his actions and shaking our heads in disapproval. If Scarface was all about the message then Muni's leading man wouldn't feel so close-to-the-heart and irretrievable. He wants the world to do what Tony can't -- wake up before it's past the point of no return.

My Dinner With... Sofia Coppola

So this is a cute lil' dream scenario. A fantasy dinner with the movie figure, past or present, of your choice. This has been doing the rounds on the blogosphere, and yesterday Dave at Victim of the Time tagged me. He wants to dine with the legendary Jeanne Moreau (a very admirable choice, she RULES in Jules et Jim). I didn't have to think about my choice too long. It's the filmmaker I most admire at the moment, and whose films I simply couldn't live without.

1. Pick a single person past or present who works in the film industry who you'd like to have dinner with and tell us why you chose this person.

When I sat down to watch The Godfather Part III I certainly wasn’t expecting to fall in love with Mary, the naïve daughter of mafia boss Michael Corleone. As a lovesick teenager, Sofia Coppola, daughter of director Francis Ford Coppola, gives Mary a touching resonance, her performance an accomplished, intuitive and incredibly effective one.

OK, so I’m not that deluded. But the fact that I can comment in a rather throwaway fashion about Sofia Coppola’s involvement in the film, a complete failure in casting and acting – and the only reason prior to 1999, aside from her familial connections, that anyone in film circles would refer to her -- is testament to how she has evolved into such a seminal creative figure in current cinema, and why she would unquestionably be my dream dinner date.

Her vision as a writer and director and the common themes and attributes of her films (youth, adolescence, women perplexed about the world and its expectation of them, avant-garde 80’s music to match her unique style) marks her as more auteurial than even her father, who despite having a definite visual style, enjoyed success in a diverse array of films. She may still have some way to go before eclipsing her father’s hugely impressive filmography, but the products of her fascinating mind thus far: the sinister yet luscious The Virgin Suicides (1999), the ravishing tale of a girl who happened to be a queen, Marie Antoinette (2006), and the life-changing (at least for me) encounter between two lost souls in a Tokyo hotel, Lost In Translation (2003), an on-screen relationship that remains one of the richest and most honest I’ve ever seen; are enough to ensure that she has inherited the filmic intelligence and desire of he before her.

2. Set the table for your dinner. What would you eat? Would it be in a home or at a restaurant? And what would you wear? Feel free to elaborate on the details.

If Sofia has had even an ounce of the Italian upbringing her name suggests, then I imagine she's had enough home cooking to last a lifetime. I also wouldn't bestow an Italian meal upon her, and I think she could be someone that values fresh ingredients and such, so I wouldn't thrust in her face anything English like Fish and Chips. In the end I'd probably opt to take her somewhere that serves lovely light, fresh meals, which would require me to do some research, since there's little hope of that where I live. I'm thinking chicken, salad etc. The dinner would take place around 6 or 7pm and we'd definitely drink cocktails. I'm thinking mojitos primarily.

I'd probably wear something pretty tight (why change the habit of a lifetime?) and would try to be a little unpredictable, or at least unorthodox, since that's a big thing behind my love for Sofia in the first place.

3. List five thoughtful questions you would ask this person during dinner.

1. What does Bob whisper to Charlotte at the end of Lost In Translation? I know that this really is whatever you want, or need him to say. The beauty of not knowing is that you can interpret it for yourself, so maybe the question should be, What do you want him to say to Charlotte?

2. Which do you prefer? The Godfather Part I or II? I actually think The Conversation is a masterpiece, and the best film her father did, but separating the first two Godfather installments was a difficult one for me. I'm swayed by the ending of the second, which is so powerfully written and composed. We can safely say she's not gonna say the 3rd, right?

3. Disconnection and discontentment feature in all of your films. Is it fair to say that, having worked in various fields, and seemingly non-committal about which aspect of film you want to focus on -- whether it be writing, producing, directing, composing or otherwise -- you're a restless person?

4. You have such an amazing and diverse taste in music. Which artists working now are likely to find themselves in a Coppola film of the future?

5. It's been three and a half years since I've seen Lost In Translation, and although I've matured and changed a hell of a lot in that time, I think I'd have to ask her what Charlotte asks Bob: does it get easier?

4. When all is said and done, select six bloggers to pass this Meme along to. Link back to Lazy Eye Theatre, so that people know the mastermind behind this Meme.

Goatdog, Pete, Yaseen, Tim, Rural Juror and Zed are all getting tagged, although they shouldn't really need an incentive to participate in such a fun activity as this ;-)

The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn Is To Link, and Be Linked In Return

On my vague memorised list of blogging New Year's resolutions (the non-blogging ones were less interesting and far too focused on drinking and spending less - boo!) was that I simply must link more. There are so many witty and insightful posts on witty, insightful blogs that both entertain me and motivate me to write more. So it's time I appreciate that. I'm gonna lengthen my list of favourite blogs (on the sidebar) too, because I'm discovering new blogging troves of goodness on a regular basis. ModFab, the cultural haven, points out in an unabashedly rousing post, that nobody links to his blog -- a crime of which I am an offender -- and thus proceeds to unite the blogosphere in an almost Mahatma Gandhi/Martin Luther King-esque fashion (Yes, I just did). Well, it worked, although I'd like to stress that this is one of my resolutions, so I was gonna do this anyway! :-P I'm not so easily influenced, although I could be persuaded by Romulo Arantes Neto (third times always a charm ModFab). I'd happily kidnap this guy, except that that's kind of a role reversal for me... perhaps I could bribe him to kidnap me?

Another of my favourite bloggers, and my ultimate favourite film critic, is Nick Davis. His site NicksFlickPicks just celebrated its 10th anniversary. A major milestone. I surf his site regularly, whether it's to read one of his countless, mind-numbing, and incredibly deep reviews, or to search out a grade for some random 1956 film I've just seen. I was dying to know his thoughts on Come Back, Little Sheba, a film I absoloutely loved. He didn't have a grade up for it, so I e-mailed him and he promptly responded with his thoughts. He's not keen on the film actually but that isn't the point. Haha. A classy, lovely guy. And SO cute.

Also, I simply must single out Nathaniel, who, had I not stumbled upon his brilliant site The Film Experience, back when I was searching out Oscar commentary on 2003's Cold Mountain snub, and way before I even knew about critics awards and precursors, I wouldn't know any of the other bloggers mentioned in this post, and probably wouldn't even have a blog. His podcast with Marisa Tomei endears the pair of them to me, and the SAG dicussion afterwards is great. I don't really have any Oscar obsessives to chat with here in North-East England (cue the violins), and it's kind of comforting to listen to people discuss awards in the way that you see them write about them. If you know what I mean.

So here come a flurry of links that will transport you to a host of beautiful and intelligent people scattered all around the globe...

All About My Movies: Distresses me with her weird infatuation with Peter Crouch, though I do admire your dedication to the sport Emma.

Canadian Ken On...: Actually liked Elizabeth: The Golden Age?! The first person I've seen admit to doing so. Ballsy.

The Cellar Door: Clearly loves this year in film. No quabble with the SAG results and none of Oscar's BP lineup scores lower than an A- grade.

Cutting Room Reviews : Completely trods all over Little Children (pun unintentional) with his brilliant review. I know that's SO last year, but it's the thing I remember most about this neat blog.

The Gilded Moose: Hilariously offensive about John McCains wife. Harsh but he is a republican.

The Glorious Diatribe: Has an in-depth look at next year's possible Supporting Actor candidates. It never ends, does it?

Goatdogblog: Can't begrudge proclaiming 300 as the year's pinnacle in Visual Effects. I feel the same way, however much its aesthetic obsession repelled me.

In The Mood For Blog: Didn't like 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days! Anything to be different.

Joe's Movie Corner: Incorrectly predicted that Cate Blanchett would win the SAG. But then that's no crime. The crime here is who actually did win it (sorry, I did warn of Dee-dissing this month -- I don't care how legendary she is).

Low Resolution: LOVES Anna Faris. And why shouldn't he? Is there anyone better at playing the bimbo?

Mainly Movies: Reminds me how good Sam Rockwell was in Jesse James, with his sixth-place Supporting Actors. One of them is totally making my five (wait till the end of February).

Pink Is The New Blog: Manages to capture Kylie looking fabulous and Mika looking awful. Way to go.

Queering The Apparatus: Finds himself puzzled about some of the Oscar nominations (aren't we all?) and also has a cute boyfriend. I officially hate him.

Rural Juror: Is a bloggie nominee! Awards, Awards, Awards, Awards, Awards. Congrats!

Stale Popcorn: Owes me an apology for depressingly bringing up one of the biggest Oscar injustices ever, the 2003 Supporting Actress gong (and I even like Cold Mountain (which I'm now gonna have to add to the labels seen as I've mentioned it twice already in this post) .. maybe time for a repeat viewing?)

StinkyLulu: Has a wonderful write-up of Atonement's sole nominated Actor, Saoirse Ronan. And thanks again Bri for letting me take part in a Supporting Actress Smackdown. Was great fun!

Strange Culture: Was in the same room as Daniel Day-Lewis. Jealousy is a vast understatement.

Victim of the Time: Makes me ashamed for having not seen Sense and Sensibility, and seems to agree with me about The Kite Runner, a review of which I'll post tomorrow. Hint: It's awful.

O.K. I think that's it. I hope I haven't forgotten anyone. If there's anyone I haven't mentioned that links to this blog I'd be more than happy to exercise some more linkage. I'll be adding all these to the sidebar and making a point of linking more often. Signing out...