Hawks’ Schema of Filmography and Cinematic

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Analysis of Howard’s Scarface (1932)
Plot Overview
Scarface is one of the 21st Century films that depict themes relevant in contemporary society, particularly in history, education, and entertainment sectors. The movie is set in 1920s Chicago, and the protagonist, Tony, is an Italian migrant who uses violence to gain wealth and power. Tony and his boss, Jonny Lovo, are selling illegal liquor. Jonny orders Tony and Guino to attack the South gangs but warns them not to start a war with the Irish gangs under O’Hara’s leadership. The duo is involved in a shooting spree that kills several gang members, resulting in the death of innocent civilians. Tony also ignores Lovo’s directive and attacks and shoots O’Hara alongside some gang members. The sounds used in the film include screams, gunshots, human conversations, and music to bring the movie to life. The film utilizes a feminist perspective to elaborate on the role of individuals in society. Howard uses sound effects, camera movements, filming, actors’ body movement, characterization to enhance visual and auditory storytelling to bring out various themes throughout the movie.
Hawks’ Schema of Filmography and Cinematic
Scarface was released in 1932 when the film industry was undergoing a significant transition from the silent era film. The silent films were majorly produced between 1894 and 1929 (Kracauer 35). The film informs the viewers of the director’s quest to use sound to enhance the process of storytelling. However, Hawks did not synchronize sound and audio in this era because the technology was not yet advanced. Synchronizing audio and motion pictures was a daunting task in the 1930s because of a lack of efficient technologies. For instance, in the nightclub scene at “Paradise Dining and Dancing,” where Tony’s Younger sister dances to the music played at the club, her moves are not effectively synchronized to the music. The characters’ mouth movements do not match their words as they speak.
On some occasions, the sounds of gunshots were heard before a gun was fired by its holder. Images were filmed and edited to convey a simple message to the audience. A script explaining the successive shots was then placed between frames and scenes explaining the action. Scarface had been produced three years into the early sound film era that involved synchronizing images and the characters’ voices. Scarface was among the first films in the sound era to set the production tone for other films. Auditory storytelling using synchronized films and audio remains integral to filmmaking in Hollywood and other contemporary movie industries.
The use of sound in films profoundly impacted and transformed the film industry in the 1930s. Howard Hawks directed and produced silent films between 1925 and 1929. His two films, Honesty – The Best Policy (1926) and Underworld (1927), are among the first two films to address the issue of organized crimes and gangs. However, the popular gangster films are comprised of silent motion pictures. Scarface attracted more attention because it utilized moving images and sound, unlike its predecessors. Many people became interested in wat...