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Scarface

FILM · 1983 · USA

Scarface

Directed by
Brian De Palma
Runtime
170 min
Studio
Universal Pictures, Martin Bregman Productions

14 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026

After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands in his way, Tony eventually becomes the biggest drug lord in the state, controlling nearly all the cocaine that comes through Miami. But increased pressure from the police, wars with Colombian drug cartels and his own drug-fueled paranoia…

  • Scarface — production image

14 Interesting Facts About Scarface

Interesting Facts (1)

  1. #001

    For all the title, Tony Montana is only called “Scarface” once in the whole film, and in Spanish at that: “Cara cicatriz.”

    Scarface (1983) — A large black-and-white graffiti portrait of Tony Montana's face on a wall, with shop signs depicted beside it.
    Scarface (1983): Tony Montana graffiti portraitImage: Wikimedia Commons · By redleaf, CC BY-SA 2.0

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Production Story (6)

  1. #002

    Brian De Palma's first submission to the MPAA came back with an “X.” He trimmed the film and sent it in again, and got another “X” (partly, it seems, because Octavio the Clown was shot too many times). A third round of cuts produced the same result, and De Palma refused to cut any further to reach an R. He and producer Martin Bregman then requested a hearing with the MPAA and brought in a panel of experts, real narcotics officers among them, who testified that the film was not only an accurate picture of the drug underworld but at heart an anti-drug film that deserved a wide audience. The arbitrators were persuaded and gave the third cut an R by a vote of 18-2. De Palma argued that if the third cut was an R, the first should have been too; the MPAA disagreed. Convinced that studio executives would never notice the differences between the versions, he released the first cut to theaters anyway and only admitted it after the home video came out several months later.

    Scarface (1983) — in a black-and-white scene, a man and a woman are embracing each other, shown in a close-up shot.
    Scarface (1983): a scene frame from ScarfaceImage: Wikimedia Commons · United Artists, Public domain

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  2. #003

    Steven Bauer never had to audition. Casting director Alixe Gordin took one look at him during the casting process and knew he was Manny, and both Brian De Palma and Martin Bregman agreed.

    Scarface (1983) — A close-up portrait of Steven Bauer, looking at the camera in a suit and tie.
    Scarface (1983): Portrait of Steven BauerImage: IMDb

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  3. #004

    Brian De Palma loved the script enough to walk away from Flashdance (1983) so he could make this instead.

    Scarface (1983) — Brian De Palma directs with a gun in his hand while Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio stands beside him; a behind-the-scenes moment.
    Scarface (1983): Brian De Palma and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio on setImage: IMDb

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  4. #005

    John Travolta reportedly sat down with Al Pacino in New York in 1981 to talk about joining this movie.

    Scarface (1983) — A black-and-white frame showing Steven Spielberg, Brian De Palma and John A. Alonzo standing together on the film set.
    Scarface (1983): Spielberg, De Palma and Alonzo on the Scarface setImage: IMDb

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  5. #006

    Oliver Stone's $300,000 fee for the screenplay made him, at the time, the best-paid screenwriter in history.

    Scarface (1983) — Brian De Palma stands beside Oliver Stone on set while Stone holds script pages in his hand.
    Scarface (1983): Oliver Stone and Brian De Palma on setImage: IMDb

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  6. #007

    In Turkey the film went out as “The Sicilian,” though there isn't a single Sicilian character anywhere in it.

    Scarface (1983) — A director and crew standing behind a film camera, shooting on the set.
    Scarface (1983): Behind the scenes on the Scarface setImage: IMDb

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Behind the Scenes (3)

  1. #008

    In the scene where Tony and Elvira sit in a Cadillac at the car dealership, Al Pacino quietly put on Michelle Pfeiffer's hat while she was looking away, something that wasn't in the script. Her amused reaction when she turned back is real, and to her credit she stayed in character and improvised a line. Brian De Palma kept the moment because it showed Elvira slowly warming to Montana.

    Scarface (1983) — Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer walk side by side in white outfits in a car showroom.
    Scarface (1983): Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer in a car showroomImage: IMDb

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  2. #009

    Tony Montana calls cocaine “yeyo,” a word Al Pacino picked up while working on his Cuban accent and slipped in on the spot during the chainsaw scene. Brian De Palma liked it so much that it stayed in the film from then on.

    Scarface (1983) — an exterior staircase of a building in Miami Beach and a 728 Ocean Drive sign are visible.
    Scarface (1983): Scarface stairs, Ocean DriveImage: Wikimedia Commons · Spudgun67, CC0

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  3. #010

    To build the physique he wanted, Al Pacino trained with knife-fighting experts, coaches and boxer Roberto Duran, who also fed into the character; according to Pacino, Tony had “a certain lion in him.” Steven Bauer and a dialect coach helped him with Cuban Spanish and its pronunciation.

    Scarface (1983) — Al Pacino and Steven Bauer appear side by side inside a car, sweaty and tense.
    Scarface (1983): Al Pacino and Steven Bauer in the carImage: IMDb

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Characters & Cast (2)

  1. #011

    Al Pacino has reportedly counted Tony Montana among his favorite roles.

    Scarface (1983) — A close-up of a face resembling Tony Montana, painted in black and white on a concrete wall.
    Scarface (1983): Tony Montana Mural (Close-Up)Image: Wikimedia Commons · By redleaf, CC BY-SA 2.0

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  2. #012

    Only four years separated Al Pacino from the actress cast as Tony's mother.

    Scarface (1983) — Two men on a red-curtained stage, one sitting in a black polo shirt and white trousers, the other in a black suit and scarf.
    Scarface (1983): Al Pacino and F. Murray Abraham at the eventImage: IMDb

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Easter Eggs & References (1)

  1. #013

    In the bathtub scene after Manny and Elvira walk out, Tony mutters “Fly away, pelican,” although the birds on the TV are obviously flamingos.

    Scarface (1983) — Al Pacino, in a patterned shirt, talks with three men; office windows are in the background.
    Scarface (1983): Al Pacino and officersImage: IMDb

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Life & Family (1)

  1. #014

    Tammy Lynn Leppert, the blonde in the blue bikini during the chainsaw sequence, vanished under suspicious circumstances on 6 July 1983 and has never been heard from since. During the shoot she broke down on set while watching a violent scene, and once she was taken to her trailer she confided to a family friend that she was frightened about alleged money laundering and about people who supposedly wanted her dead. She left the production shortly afterward. Her disappearance came a little more than five months before the film opened in theaters in the United States, and it was covered in Unsolved Mysteries Episode #5.1 (1992) on 16 September 1992, with an interview with her mother, who died a few years later. Tammy's sister is still looking for her.

    Scarface (1983) — Steven Bauer in an open convertible, with Tammy Lynn Leppert in a blue bikini leaning toward him.
    Scarface (1983): Tammy Lynn Leppert and Steven BauerImage: IMDb

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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • Wikipedia English Wikipedia article
  • IMDb IMDb title page (trivia)

Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work