Brian DePalma’s 1983 film Scarface is one of the most well-known drug and crime films in the history of popular culture. Everyone knows Tony Montana’s famous line, “say hello to my little friend” (DePalma, Scarface), regardless of whether they have even seen the film or not. However, what many people do not realize about the film are the many racial undertones and stereotypes that occur within the layers of context. The film is based around the conflict between Cubans and Americans, beginning with the importation of Cuban refugees to the United States to the escalation of the issues of organized crime and drug trafficking in Miami in the 1980’s. At the head of this drug trafficking ring are the Cubans, with whom Tony is working his way up the chain of command. The film uses subtle hints, such as camera angles, editing, and direction, in order to represent the difference between the white Americans and the Hispanic Cubans in the context of the film. The basis of these stereotypes is that the Cubans are the bad drug dealers and the Americans are the cops and the “good guys.” In Scarface, racism is reflected through the use of stereotypes when portraying people of all races, including Cubans and Americans, through various elements of film.
The Cuban people in beginning of the film are stereotyped and portrayed as sheep being herded from one destination to another. In the very first scenes of the film, an establishing shot is used to show Cuban people sitting on a bus, being transported to a location they do not want to go. They are being transported by Americans who are using their superiority to control them, as if they are not nearly as good or worthy as the Americans because they come from Cuba. None of these Cubans appear to be happy or excited, and most are expressionless and concerned about their fate. This establishing shot is done in order to establish the racial overtones of the film. It is meant to show the audience that these people are unhappy and impoverished, with very slim chances to succeed in their lives. Another establishing shot, that takes place one month later, shows a crowd of Cuban refugees causing a scene and rioting with baseball bats, and a subtitle explains that they have been attacking the guards (DePalma, Scarface). They are seen tearing up their beds, feathers flying everywhere, and yelling and screaming (DePalma, Scarface). This makes them appear as if they are animals contained in a cage, with the guards acting as if they are the zookeepers. This allows the audience to come under the impression that the Cubans are restless criminals who should not be considered equal to the Americans, who try to control them and get them to settle down. This shot is meant to establish to the audience that the Cubans are going to be the criminals or the “bad guys” of the film, and sets them up to be associated with the organized crime theme. Hispanic people in general are seen to be in charge of organized crime and are not unwilling to kill other people in order to further their own agendas, white the Americans are shown as cops and law keepers.
When Tony and the others arrive in Miami, the contrast in diegesis between the two places is very distinct. Each setting and world is completely different and is filmed differently in order to showcase this divide. The world in Cuba is dismal and grim, while the world in Miami is bright and optimistic. In Cuba, the setting is dirty. Buildings are decaying, people are sweaty and appear as if they have not showered, and the roads are hardly paved. Where is a close-up shot on Tony that shows his dirty skin with sweat dripping down his face, symbolising the dirty low-class nature of these people. The refugee camp sits on dirt and everything appears to be dirty, shown through the lack of grass that is present in the establishing shots. Meanwhile, when they get to Miami, everything is bright and clean. Beautiful Caucasian people are walking down near the beach, particularly white women in bikinis. The buildings are whitewashed with colorful accents including pale green and yellow.
The Cubans in America stick out like a sore thumb and are distinctly set apart from everything else. It is very obvious that they do not belong there, from their clothes to the zebra-print seats in their car. The way they dress makes them stand out, as no one on the streets seems to be wearing this type of clothing. In the first violent scene, during the encounter where the drug deal goes wrong and Tony chases his enemy out to the streets, everyone watching the incident is wearing casual clothing and beach-style shirts (DePalma, Scarface). This contrasts the brightly patterned clothing that Tony and the others are wearing. The choice in costume is meant to set their characters apart and display the concept that they do not quite fit in yet within the society of Caucasian Miami. When they start to make more money they wear flashy outfits, making them stand out as Cubans, who are all associated with the drug trade. When Tony and Manny enter a disco after their initial fall-out with Frank, they see a man dancing in the crowd, and instantly recognize that he is another part of the crime ring. They can tell this because he is wearing a flashy outfit similar to theirs, consisting of a bright orange open dress shirt, a white scarf, and a blazer (DePalma, Scarface). The open dress shirt is a symbol of the Cuban people, as Tony and Manny always wear open dress shirts, exposing the hair on their chests, which creates a distinction from the clean shaven white characters in the film. The fact that they can recognize him based on his outfit means that this is an association for the Cuban community in the diegesis of the film. In addition, stereotyping occurs within Miami as the cocaine business is all organized and controlled by Cuban people. When Tony goes to visit his mother and sister, his mother is suspicious of him and where he is getting his money from. She accuses him of being like the other Cubans, telling him that “animals” like him are the reason that their people are given a bad name (DePalma, Scarface). Since the drug business and organized crime are being controlled by Cubans, it is making them appear to be the worse people.
The superiority of Caucasians and white people in the film is also used as a type of benign racism, one that appears to be a positive stereotype but still remains a stereotype. The beautiful people in the film are considered the Caucasians. About a third of the way through the film, in an establishing shot of Miami Beach, it is notable that every single person in the shot is Caucasian (DePalma, Scarface). The fact that not a single person of another race can be seen in these establishing shots means that the representation of Caucasians is overwhelmingly used to make a point that the Cubans are the bad people. In addition, all of the women in the film who the men are interested in, including Elvira, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, are tall, blond and beautiful. Elvira in particular is used to portray a trophy wife, who is tall, blond, beautiful, and most importantly, white. They admire these white women and show no signs of finding a woman who is of their own race, or another race, which implies that these foreigners believe that white women are better than any other race. Tony eventually marries Elvira, showing the idea that he is not overly concerned about finding a Cuban woman. In addition, the stereotype for the white American women is different than the one for the Cuban women, because it makes it appear as if American women can be bought off and paid to be obedient wives. When Tony tries to make amends and give money to his Cuban mother, she gets mad and tells him he cannot buy her off with clothes, cars, or money, and that it does not excuse what he has done in neglecting his family (DePalma, Scarface). She tells him that she works for a living and that she is proud of it (DePalma, Scarface). Meanwhile, Elvira is loyal and obedient to Frank and manages to sit back without having to worry about finances or working.
Stereotypes are also used against the Americans. In the beginning of the film, Tony is being questioned and he tells the police officer that his father was American, and that he “was a lot like you” because he was a “Yankee” (DePalma, Scarface). He is implying that as a Cuban, he believes that all Americans, or Yankees, look the same and act the same. Off the bat, the Americans are being rude and superior to Tony. The camera angle revolves around a close-up of Tony’s face, while the American guards stand around him at a distance. This angle is used to distance the Americans from Tony, and show their superiority and their power over him. This angle also establishes the militant stature of the American police.
In Brian DePalma’s Scarface (1983), race is represented through the subtle and obvious incorporation of stereotypes for both white Americans and Hispanic Cubans. There are stereotypes that are obvious, such as the Cuban people being the ones who run the organized and drug-related crime, with more subtle ones, such as the idea that the white women are delicate but the Hispanic women are hardworking and tough. Many of the different uses of camera angles within the film showcase the differentiation between the races, which symbolizes superiority and racism. Therefore, Scarface can be seen as a racial project that attempts to showcase the dynamics between Americans and Cubans in the 1980’s, when tensions were tight between these two groups. By racializing both groups, the film aims to represent and encompass all angles related to racism and crime, as well as showcase the ideas that were circling around each race at the time. Crime was largely associated with Cubans as the refugee crisis was going on with the bordering states, and Americans were well aware of this situation. Therefore, both groups used stereotypes regarding one another, and the film showcases these experiences.
Works Cited
Scarface. Dir. Brian DePalma. Perfs. Al Pacino, Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Shenar,
and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Universal Pictures, 1983. DVD.
