Brian DePalma’s 1983 film Scarface was not immediately embraced as a classic. Critics gave the film decidedly mixed reviews, with some vehement detractors citing the pervasive violence and profanity as yet another sign of the decline of Western Civilization.
However, after 40 years, Scarface has gained much respect from critics and movie buffs everywhere (including some of those self same critics who initially led the crusade against it).
In honor of the 40th anniversary of DePalma’s Scarface, Nat Segaloff peels back the curtain on all aspects of the infamous film, and even reaches back to the past to examine the original film that DePalma took his inspiration from, in his new book Say Hello to My Little Friend: A Century of Scarface.
Even before Segaloff begins his examination of the controversial legacy of the original 1932 Scarface and its Cocaine-dusted sequel, the author first examines the original glorification of “the bad guy” with a chapter on Al Capone and other gangsters who imprinted themselves on the imagination of the public. This historical context helps with the “art imitating life” aspects of both films and how Hollywood’s infatuation with organized crime began.
Say Hello to My Little Friend is arranged in a mostly chronological fashion, with chapters on the original film and multiple aspects of the DePalma film discussed throughout. Similar to Segaloff’s recent Exorcist book, he also inserts helpful (and funny) sidebar chapters (think really extensive footnotes) on topics such as “Bending the Code”, “The Maestro and Me”, “How did Tony get his scar?” and naturally, “The F-word”.
While there have been plenty of commentaries on Scarface in this past, Segaloff spends time on ancillary subjects such as the novelization of the film, which have rarely (if ever) been touched on before. Chapters like these, and the cultural influence on the hip-hop community, set Say Hello to My Little Friend apart from the rest.
There are also plenty of behind-the-scenes anecdotes regarding Al Pacino with his Cuban accent, the casting process, and the real-life eccentric characters who helped get the film made.
As an added bonus, the foreword is written by none other than that girl-crazy partner of Tony’s, Manny, otherwise known as actor Steven Bauer (who the Segaloff cites as “…a great resource, and great to work with, on the book”).
Say Hello to My Little Friend: A Century of Scarface is sure to impress even the biggest fans of the 1983 film, with added material and knowledge that may make those die-hard fans even more wild about Scarface.
Say Hello to My Little Friend: A Century of Scarface and The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear are both currently available at finer bookstores everywhere.
