10 Most Controversial Films Of The Classical Hollywood Era

8. Scarface (1932)

When Brian De Palma unleashed Scarface onto audiences in 1983, it stirred up a wave of controversy over the graphic violence, the heavy swearing, and graphic drug usage. As it turns out, history was merely repeating itself as the original 1932 version of Scarface also faced its own controversies and garnered quite the notorious reputation. The 1932 version of Scarface was also viewed as excessively violent by 1930's standards and censors freaked out a bit. On top of the excessive violence, the censors weren't too happy at how the film glorified violence and how blasé it was in its portrayal of gangsters. The film also portrayed the protagonist, Tony Camonte, as a charismatic anti-hero rather than a murdering psychopath which added more to the controversy basket. Despite considerable censorship issues (and the subsequent ignoring of these issues by the director and producer), Scarface still managed to become a massive hit, proving that controversy can be a good thing. Proving that time is not only the flattest circle in existence but also has a wry sense of humor, Scarface is going to be remade again, despite all of the controversy surrounding the first 2 versions. So expect to see the new version ride another wave of outrage over excessive cocaine usage, swearing, and violence to box office success in the near future.