Where to watch Scarface (1983)

Trivia & production notes

• Al Pacino saw the original 1932 Scarface at the Tiffany Theater in Los Angeles and immediately pitched the idea of remaking it to his manager Martin Bregman.
• Sidney Lumet left the project over creative differences, wanting a more political story that blamed the presidential administration for cocaine trafficking, while producer Bregman disagreed with that approach.
• Oliver Stone initially turned down the writing job after seeing the 1932 Scarface and disliking it, but changed his mind after speaking with Sidney Lumet about transforming it into a contemporary story about Cuban immigrants.
• Oliver Stone moved to Paris to write the script because he believed he could not overcome his cocaine addiction while remaining in the United States.
• The villain character Alejandro Sosa was based on Bolivian drug lord Roberto Suárez Gómez, known as the "King of Cocaine."
• Michelle Pfeiffer was virtually unknown at the time, best known for her role in Grease 2, and both Al Pacino and director Brian De Palma opposed her casting until producer Martin Bregman advocated for her.
• Boxer Roberto Durán helped Al Pacino achieve the physical appearance he wanted for Tony Montana and also influenced aspects of the character itself.
• Steven Bauer, the only actual Cuban in the principal cast, was cast as Manny Ribera without auditioning after the casting director saw him and immediately knew he was right for the role.
• The Miami Tourist Board refused to let the production film in Miami because they feared the film's drug and gangster themes would harm tourism, forcing most of the shoot to take place in Los Angeles.
• Steven Spielberg visited the set and directed the single camera shot used in the final gunfight scene of the film.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Scarface (1983 film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.