“Nobody was fond of it”: The “eviscerated” movie Al Pacino called a “miracle”
It sometimes takes a while for a movie to gain the appreciation it deserves, initially debuting to mixed reception before eventually gaining classic status later down the line. You only have to look at Citizen Kane, which is now heralded as one of the greatest movies ever made, but upon its release in 1941, polarised critics, some of whom thought it was “amateurish”.
While some people did like Citizen Kane a lot, it wasn’t as unanimously praised as it is now, which is certainly interesting to consider when you think about how highly Orson Welles’ film is held as the benchmark for brilliance. Sometimes a film is just too ahead of its time, with later audiences better suited for the content of a movie compared to its contemporary viewers.
This was the case for a certain Al Pacino movie, which he calls one of his “favourites”, and not just because he got to dive into a world of opulence and ridiculous violence to film it. Scarface emerged in 1983 from Brian De Palma, who had come about when Pacino watched the original 1932 film and decided that a modernised version, with more grit and bloodshed, was exactly what Hollywood needed.
So, with his manager, Martin Bregman, on board to produce, the film got underway, transplanting the story of excess and greed into 1980s Miami, where Pacino’s Tony Montana becomes a powerful drug lord, rising from nothing to everything before eventually crumbling under the weight of his newfound lifestyle.
It’s a cautionary tale of what happens when you let yourself get blinded by the shiniest jewels and sweetest drinks, forgetting that addiction, violence, and betrayal are the natural byproducts of living so lavishly. Few people can keep up with such a lifestyle, and Tony inevitably falls victim. Pacino thought it was a wonderfully executed story, really enticing you into this dramatic world with him.
Sadly, when it was released, many critics were quick to tear the film apart, mainly criticising the incredible levels of violence that are apparent from the very beginning. Pacino knows that this is just part and parcel of making films, though, and he actually came to appreciate how the movie’s reception changed over the years.
Revealing his love of the film during a party celebrating its Blu-Ray release, Pacino said, “It’s one of my favorites because of its whole evolution. It was sort of eviscerated after it opened by the press. Nobody was fond of it, except it had good audience participation.”
Despite the fact that the film didn’t become instantly acclaimed, Pacino doesn’t seem to mind. In the years since, it has become one of De Palma’s most popular movies and easily one of the actor’s most recognisable roles. With quotable lines like “Say hello to my little friend,” you can easily find Scarface posters printed on T-shirts and hoodies in your local Urban Outfitters, with the film becoming a staple entry to the gangster genre.
Pacino says “it’s almost a miracle” that the film has continued to find popularity, with many younger audiences falling headfirst into the crime-filled landscape that has been referenced countless times since in popular music and movies. Scarface might not have succeeded straight away, but it got there in the end.
