Computer Games: Anthony C

I have been playing computer games ever since I could remember and I do agree with Steve Johnson that games can provide you with many obstacles that can improve your problem solving skills and many others.  Most of my time when I was younger was spent trying to figure out many role playing games (mostly an MMORPG Dark Age of Camelot) which interfered with my reading and school work.  I eventually stopped playing because I felt like it was a waste of time but Johnson opened my eyes to see that I was constantly reading and thinking out ways to be more efficient in my game playing.  Even though I believe that games can bring knowledge to a person, my mom disagrees by terminating the account I was playing on!

Anthony C: Rewriting Mutual

The censorship organizations will approve films with an educational, moral lesson, or “good” character that is contained within the film.  No complaints will be given to the film if it contains these qualities.  No matter how educational or entertaining a film is, there is no way of telling exactly how it will affect people and if the film contains evil underneath the good and educational qualities it may possess.

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.

1st Amendment: Anthony C

“Congress shall make no law…”.  I believe that these words contained in the first amendment alone, express the views of what the founding fathers wanted for the future Americans.  This amendment not only protects freedom of speech, but also regulates it.  I don’t believe there is any scene in the movie that is violated by the first amendment for the sole reason that the Hay’s Office is not a government agency.  The regulation of speech is determined by private agencies, like the Hay’s Office.  This is brilliant in a film’s situation because most agencies want to attract a very broad audience so they censor parts of the script that would not be suitable for all audiences.  This is what happened with Scarface and the first amendment was never violated.

Scarface Endings: Anthony C

The original ending of Scarface had Camonte fighting off the cops until he had run out of bullets.  In my opinion, this was the ending that should have stuck with the film.  Yes it did glorify gangsters and promoted violence but it is the only ending that really fit Camonte.  Tony is very emotional and changes personalities drastically throughout the movie but I believe his character should have stayed alive in the last scene especailly to fight back for his sister’s death.  Again, it would make him seem like more of a hero and I understand why it was censoned but it would have fit the story perfectly.  The other two endings were similar but definitely changed views on Camonte and the government.   In the first one, Camonte is shot down after trying to slip by the police one last time.  This makes Tony’s character stay consistant with his overall role in the film, he is insane and very sly when it comes to being caught by the police.  I think that this ending glorifies Tony a lot more than him accepting his capture while he still is alive and shows that he will never give up.  The last ending just showed Camonte getting caught, put on trail, and sentenced to death.  In a way this makes the governemt seem powerful and able to stop corruption but then it also points at the fact that they are weak in the sense that it took many murders before they could catch Tony.  I believe this is another one of Howard Hawks’ tatics.  He pleased the Hays Office by giving the government some power at the end because for the whole movie they pretty much seemed helpless.  They could not stop Camonte.  The judge also seems to put an emphasis on the list of all the criminal activities Camonte has done and then goes on to say “There’s no place in this country, for your type”.  Ok, so does that mean that American’s can get away with some of the things Camonte did just not all at once?  It is a real bizzare way to look at it but wasn’t Camonte’s “type” just someone trying to excell in the society that was failing finacially?  In his defense, he did what he had to do to make a living.  I don’t know if I really believe this was what Hawks intentions were, but its something to think about.  With all the hidden meanings beneath the film, this could have been another scene where Hawks did not let censorship take away from the details and ideas he wanted to express.

Production History: Anthony C

Howard Hawks was an incredibly powerful and wealthy director that used force and manipulation to get his way around the censors of his films.  If he could not pay off the censors, Hawks used techniques that would imply the message he wants to get across, rather than just shooting the exact events that he wants the viewers to see.  An example of this is when Motion Pictures Producers and MPPDA had a problem with the corrupt state attorney Benson.  To compromise, Hawks dropped the character but made another character similar to this role sporadic and not as draw out.  Howard Hawks was very passionate about his films and that is what made them creative and incredible to watch.

Intro Text: Anthony C

The intro texts that were shown before the film contained very strong statements concerning the government and gang rule in America.  Because gangs test the role of the government in everyday life, they provide unsafe situations to those outside the gangs living in the society.  The second text is from the view of the gangsters where they express feelings of power over the government.  The last text then questions the people what they want their government to be like and how it will function, when faced with the gangster or “menace to safety and liberty”.

Camonte: Anthony C

Tony Camonte is the main character in Scarface, which is a film that visualizes the gangster lifestyle and their relationship with society.  The first scene Tony is in, he is at a barbershop when suddenly the police arrive.  He quickly has the barber conceal his firearm and greets the officer with a tone of disrespect.  The officer explains how they are taking him to the precinct where he will be interrogated.  Tony continues his disrespectful acts, which adds to the humor in his character.  Before they leave, Tony lights a match off the officer’s badge to show how he is a wise guy and doesn’t care much for the law.  When the officer retaliates to this, Tony seems to be short tempered because when he gets back on his feet he clenches his fist really tight and then holds back.
The next scene he is at the police station being interrogated and he continues to crack jokes in spite of the law.  The only time he gets serious is when he is accused of many unlawful acts but he just snaps at the officer and then quickly goes back to being laid back and calm.  Tony then sees his boss and doesn’t care too much about what he is saying but gives more attention to Poppy  (boss’s girlfriend).  He makes many jokes of his boss’s wealth making him seem in control of his situation in the gang rather than his boss.  Tony makes a comment of taking control of the “north side” and his boss quickly stops him and explains that he calls the shots, not Tony.  Tony looks serious for a moment but once again smiles and makes light of the subject.
Tony Camonte is a funny but very laid-back character.  He believes the business of being in a gang is just easy earned cash.  At the same time he seems to be short tempered when he is confronted by authority but has enough self-control to not let it get to him.  He cares very much for his family even though his mother believes he is drifting away into the gangster mindset.  She doesn’t want the rest of the family to be dragged into his situation and tries to explain this to her daughter when Tony gave her money he made while participating in gang affairs.  His humor is seen in his disobedience toward the law and those who enforce it.  He also is very aggressive about gaining the respect of others and following his own orders.  Although Tony is a gangster and is played out to be a menace to society, his humor and flirtatious acts make him an enjoyable character to watch.

After further watching the film Scarface, my views have changed slightly about the main character Tony Camonte.  He suddenly becomes more aggressive after gaining power from killing off the competition of distributing illegal alcohol and other things like weapons.  His humor has faded because he is more serious about the task at hand and his obsession with Poppy.  His continuation of disrespect towards his family also contributes to my disliking him.  How he treats his sister is selfish and very unappealing.  He has still maintained his leadership characteristics and has proven to the gang that he can get the job done.  As I assumed, he took over the gang which shows his courage and control over himself and others.  At the same time, he cannot control his feelings for his sister and is very short tempered when she is around him while out with the gang.  I respect him for not wanted to drag her into his business but he should do it in a more calm and loving way.

Intro Text: Anthony C

Hello Everyone,

My name is Anthony Cuozzo and I am a freshman Music Education Major.  I am from Long Island, New York and have family members all throughout the east coast.   I listening to all different kinds of music but my favorite genre is classic rock.  I play many instruments and was on many sports teams in highschool.  Currently I cannot participate in GMU sports because a month before I arrived on the GMU campus, I was in a severe car accident.  I am still recovering so I spend a lot of my time in physical therapy and hopefully I will be 100% soon.