September 2024

Scarface: Noir No More

This article originally appeared in AC Dec. 1983. Scarface is more than a remake and update of a 50-year-old classic, with cocaine substituted for rumrunning to give it a contemporary theme. On other levels, it is the story of a man who cannot accommodate new wealth — no matter its source — a man who is overwhelmed by his creation. Visually, the film is a study of contrasts — from the seedy life of the new immigrant to the extravagant opulence of the drug dealer. This is in no small way due to the work of John A. Alonzo, ASC, the director of photography. Alonzo, whose previous work includes this year’s Blue Thunder and Cross Creek, as well as such films as Chinatown, Norma Rae, Lady Sings The Blues, Harold and Maude and Sounder is a...more