Universal Pictures released Scarface in December 1983, a Brian De Palma crime epic that reimagined the 1932 Howard Hawks original through the cocaine trade of Miami's rise as a drug capital. Oliver Stone's screenplay and Al Pacino's lead performance turned the film into a defining statement of excess and ambition for the decade, and though critical reception was divided on release, the picture grew into one of the most quoted and merchandised crime films ever made, its iconography now inseparable from hip hop culture, fashion, and home decor worldwide.
This cell comes from the trailer reel, the footage cut together to sell audiences on the film before release, and it centers on Tony Montana, the Cuban immigrant turned Miami kingpin played by Al Pacino. Montana is the single most sought after figure from this production, the character whose name and silhouette collectors chase above any other element of Scarface memorabilia. A trailer cell carries the added appeal of promotional history, representing the marketing campaign itself rather than a frame from the finished feature, making it a distinct category of collectible tied to how the film was introduced to its first audiences.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release trailer print of Scarface (1983).
Gauge
Four perforations per frame along both edges, which reads as 35mm; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, with rounded-rectangle holes that look cleanly punched and undamaged.
Soundtrack
Two thin white parallel lines run along the lower edge inside the perforations, consistent with a variable-area optical track; no Dolby, DTS or SDDS data is visible.
Edge print
Partial text reads 'STMAN' followed by '1' and a code (mirrored); the strip is cut so the full line is not visible.
Base & colour
Base is clear with a slightly warm, cream-tinted margin; the dye image looks saturated, with no obvious red shift or fading.
Projection history
No scratches, splices or cue marks seen at this size; the soundtrack lines show small irregular nicks along their edges.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames repeat one identical shot, so they are not consecutive motion, and the strip matches a trailer for the film on record.
Era check
A single optical track, Eastman-style edge print and warm-toned positive stock are consistent with an early-1980s release or trailer print.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000070189
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
