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Why was the release of Scarface: The Shame of a Nation delayed?
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Howard Hawks
Howard Hawks (right) directing (from left to right) John Wayne, Dean Martin, and Ricky Nelson in Rio Bravo (1959).
The release of the 1932 film Scarface: The Shame of a Nation was delayed for several months due to extensive battles with censors.12
Censors argued that the film glorified its central character, a gangster modeled after Al Capone. To resolve these conflicts, director Howard Hawks and producer Howard Hughes were forced to make placatory edits to the film. These changes included the addition of the film’s damning subtitle and the shooting of extra scenes to satisfy censorship requirements.21