Mise-en-scene and Cinematography of the original(1932) "Scareface"

For my paper I have decided to view the original "Scarface" which was directed by Howard Hawks. This film stars Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak and George Raft. This film was made in 1932 and was in black and white. The film was to take place in Chicago and show a realization of the prohibition era. This was about the organized crime in Chicago and loosely base on the life of Al Capone. This film is a …

…realistic. This film was and still is a great example of low-key lighting and a classic gangster film of it's time. Many directors today could view this film and learn many things from it. This film has influenced many other films about gangsters and organized crime. I believe the way Howard Hawks moves the camera, the pans over the domino effect of violence, the expressive close-ups all add to the overall effect of this film.