Engl 302-H31
Spring 2008
Paper #1
For Tues Feb 5th, write a 2-4 page (typed and double spaced) description and analysis of two or more changes made by the film makers (Hawks and Hughes) to get the film approved for release by the Hays Office (the film industry censorship group). You should review carefully Black, Hollywood Censored, pp. 125-32 and pick two or more cuts, changes or additions to describe and analyze. You will exchange papers in class and fill out a paper editing sheet.
You can write on two or more of the following: the text prologue, Mrs. Camonte's attitude toward Tony, the handling of the incest plot, the meeting in the newspaper editor's office, the condemnation of gangsters by the Chief, or Camonte's relationship with Epstein and the District Attorney. The clips and images below may prove helpful in refreshing your memory on some of the relevant scenes. It's very important that you do a detailed analysis of these or other scenes to support your ideas.
If you have forgotten the user id and password to access these clips listed above, email me. You will also need QuickTime installed on your computer to view the video. You can download a free QuickTime reader at: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/. After you download the QuickTime installer (note where you save it), click on the file to install the program.
In a later paper you will use revise what you are writing now and include it in a larger argument about whether you think censorship of the kind practiced by the Hays Office was a good thing. But for now all I am asking you to do is describe the changes in detail. You can draw on Hollywood Censored and the film (a VHS copy is the J.C. Library) as well as our class discussion and my lectures. Keep in mind, that some changes were cuts (Camonte's partying with the District Attorney), some were changes in attitude (the mother on Camonte), some were shifts in how explicitly an issue was handled (the incest plot or corruption in the judicial system), and some were additions (the text at the beginning, the publishers speech, and the chief’s condemnation of gangsters). We haven’t watched the two filmed endings or discussed the original script ending yet in class. Consequently, unless you own a copy of the Scarface DVD which has the alternate ending (the library only has the VHS) you will have to wait till class on Feb 5th to watch the two filmed endings and write on these changes in your blog posting.
Note: one way to introduce the paper would be to talk about the Hays Office’s role in the production and release of the film. You can draw on Black and your notes from class for that. To cite Black, use the basic in-text citation format for MLA I went over in class. The in-text citation format is also covered in Hacker, pp. 128-135. I am not requiring that you include a works cited page at this point.