Hays Code – Ben V

Under several sections of the Hays Code it describes that crime should not be displayed and that “the courts of the land should not be presented unjust”. The movie Scarface did both by portrayed gangsters committing murder, as well as showing court and government officals dining with them (In the origional script). The censorship of Scarface was just under the pretense of the Hays Code. The changes to the movie helped viewers see the government in a more positive light. The corruption takes backstage to the integrity and perserverence of the police force as well as the ability of the courts to determine actual guilt at the end. The changes also made the movie more of a political film to prevent Camonte from appearing as a hero. The editor’s room scene shows that the general public did not like what Camonte was doing, and that it was not for the publics good.

Hays Code – Aliyah Gaskins

Even though under Hays Code, Scarface is considered a dangerous movie, the scenes did not need to be changed. Hays Office was all about high moral standards and that good would always prevail over evil. Hays Code went against the morals of the first amendment in order for these scenes to change. The alterations were harmful to the film and it didn’t necessarily make the movie the better as it intended.

Under the “Reasons Supporting the General Principles” section of the Hay’s Code, it states “the courts of the land should not be presented as unjust.”  So the censored version had Camonte being caught by the cops, taken to trial and the scene ends with him being hung. It was made to make Camonte look like a coward and afraid of losing his life. It displayed the justice system in a positive light. This scene should not have been changed because it is inconsistent with the personality of Camonte. I think the uncensored ending glorifies Camonte a lot more than him accepting his capture while he still is alive and shows that he will never give up.   In a way the alternative ending makes the government seem powerful and able to stop corruption. Editing the scene seem pointless because it points at the fact that the government are weak in the sense that it took many murders before they could catch Tony.  Howard Hawks had to please Hays Office by giving the government some power at the end because for the whole movie they pretty much seemed helpless. Due to that fact throughout the film Camonte was unstoppable.

Hays Code-Baha A

Under one of the Hays code principles was that crime were not to be explicitly displayed. I still believe in Scarface crime and violence was still displayed but in a ribald way. Under the “Reasons Supporting the General Principles” section of the Hay’s Code there are a few senses that were taken place in Scarface. First, “the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrong-doing, evil, or sin.” The Hays Office didn’t want criminals to be shown as heroes to the viewers. They didn’t want the lifestyle of gangsters to appear attractive to viewers.

Hays Code

I think the Hays Office censored the film Scarface in an attmept to promote a high standard of living and level of moral and to avoid encouraging or glorifying a gangster lifestyle as is basically stated in the Hays Code. The Hays Code states that “The motion pictures… have their moral quality from the intention of the minds which produce them and from their effects on the moral lives and reactions of their audience.” The Hays Office wanted to make clear right from wrong and certainly did not want the audience feeling bad for or sympathizing with the gangster Tony Camonte. I think they were especially worried that the film would “inspire potential criminals with a desire for imitation,” and that people would begin replicating the lifestyle and methods the gangsters portrayed in the film.  There was also a fear of presenting “impure love” to American culture so the incestuous relationship between Tony and Cesca in the original script was downplayed to only mere implications or suggestions, but never blatantly portrayed.

Hays Code – Mike H

I personally think that the sections of the Hays Code that are most relevant to helping the class learn about the censorship of  Scarface were the sections on crime can not be portrayed in a way that would lower morals and the section that allowed crimes, but said that any crimes shown could only be shown in a certain way. I think that the section on crimes being portrayed in a way that glorified or made others want to imitate it was very relevant because a large debate about the movie was whether or not it glorified the life of the gangster or condemned it. There are several scenes in the movie where the audience would be put on the edge of their seat almost wanting to see the next crime that Tony Camonte would commit. This was something that the Hays Office was strictly against, the office was all about high moral standards and that good would always prevail over evil. This was not always the theme in Scarface.

The other part of the Code that I feel is very relevant to understanding how the movie was censored was the part that said crimes could be shown in movies, but only in certain ways. The one that stood out the most was the excerpt about murder. It stated that brutal murder could not be shown on screen or in a way that would make anyone want to imitate it. Scarface pushed the limit on this note, they showed murder that by today’s standards would not be considered brutal, but by the Hays Office standards could be considered very brutal in nature. This section was also very important because it is rather vague in wording. What would classify a murder as brutal by the Hays Office standards? It is very open to interpretation byt the reader, one could think Scarface is the most brutal film to hit the big screen while other could think of it as mild violence. This is why I felt that this section of the code was relevant to understanding why the movie was censored.

Even though the Hays Code was set to be a strict guideline for directors in what they were allowed to put in their movies, several directors always pushed the limits in their movies on several aspects of the Code. This is why determining whether or not a movie should be censored by the Hays Office is so difficult.

Hay’s Code – Cara S.

Under the “Reasons Supporting the General Principles” section of the Hay’s Code there are a few points that apply to Scarface. First, “the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrong-doing, evil, or sin.” Censors did not want viewers siding with criminals, however in the case of Scarface Hawks makes this difficult by giving Tony a sense of humor and a few other likeable qualities. The second point is that “evil is not presented alluringly.” The Hay’s Office cut an entire scene from the movie showing Tony and Poppy living it up on a yacht with politicians and the like for this very reason. They didn’t want the lifestyle of gangsters to appear attractive to moviegoers. And the third point is that “the courts of the land should not be presented as unjust.” There are a few illusions to corrupt authorities in Scarface but not much is said outright. Also when censors forced the hanging ending to be shot and shown it was because it presented the justice system in a positive light.

Hays Code- Feda E

Under reasons supporting the general principles it was stated that “the courts of the land should not be presented as unjust”. The Hays Office did follow this part of the code which is indicated by a scene which was censored. The scene which was censored is the one in which the state attorney general Benson parties with gangsters in private while denouncing them to the gullible public. This shows that this part of the code was taken seriously and that officials in the court shouldn’t be portrayed as bad people because it might affect the reputation of the court system of the country.

Hays Code- Aarti V.

There are multiple sections of the Hays Code that apply to Scarface. For example, the restriction placed on Cesca living with Guino without marriage was unbareable. The code states, “Pictures shall not imply that low forms of sex relationship are the accepted or common thing.” As well the use of liquor in “American Life” was banned. This fully applies to the film- restriciting it from fully expressing concept behind the ‘gangster business.’  Additionally, and possibly one of the biggest code principles was that methods of crime were not to be explicitly displayed. This was difficult to work around. Although, in my eyes, methods of crime were still being displayed in a vulgar way.

Hays Code- Aldrin J.

Many scenes in the movie Scarface actually violated the Hays Code. In the Hays Code in the part where it talks about Crimes Against the Law, it states that the treatment of crimes against the law must not make criminals seem heroic and justified.  In the original script of Scarface, at the end of the movie, Tony actually was suppose to run towards Guino and try to shoot him but he ran out of bullets, then he is immediately gunned down. The Hays Office believed this scene to portray an act of heroism and wanted the whole ending to be changed. I understand why the Hays Office wanted this scene to be changed.  It makes Tony look brave and admirable and that is something that they don’t want the people viewing this film to see.

Hays Code: Anthony C

The draft of the Hays Code goes right into the topic of film entertainment.  It breaks entertainment into two parts: entertainment which tends to improve the race and that of which tends to degrade human beings.  The Hays Office might have used this part of the code in their censoring of  Scarface because they believed Camonte portrayed a character of a crazed gangster which would ultimately “lower the moral ideals of a race” in this case humans. 

When Lord-Quigley’s code presents the idea of the ”courts of the land should not be presented as unjust”, I feel Hays had a different opinion.  Lord-Quigley is explaining that it is ok to have an unjust politician or unjust single court system if it does not affect the court system of the country.  Hays on the other hand, would not let any presentation of an unjust court system in films.  This difference in opinion is definitely seen in Scarface.