The World Is Yours (Scarface) by Mark Davies

I will be honest, I’m a bit of a big girls’ blouse when it comes to blood and guts in movies, I used to look away when watching ‘Casualty’ on TV as a kid, embarrassing eh! Luckily, it seems that the earlier films were a bit easier to stomach, the effects were not as brutal as what they are now so I could just about deal with it, proper ‘gangsta’ me!

Just like the ‘Godfather’ movies, I knew so much about ‘Scarface’ but had never actually watched it in full. So, when I came to finally getting down to watching the movie, cushion at the ready, I had to do more research than normal as I needed to really understand the narrative. So, when I kept seeing ‘chainsaw scene’ pop up on web pages, I started to feel a twitch! The initial plan was to release this piece purely in my ’VHS’ format and for it to be driven by the 1980s Miami setting, yet even at the initial research stage and before even watching the film, there was something that really struck me with Tony Montana’s office. The scale of the lamps, the colours, the backdrop – there was something that kept making me go back to it.

However, despite getting that buzz knowing that something special could come from this, I sat down and watched the film and the ‘Pacino’ masterclass. What a movie, a shining example of how greed really does breed monsters. I loved it, absolutely loved it and my mind was well and truly made up on the chosen direction for this piece. I instead chose to lead with a full scene image that was set within Tony’s office and mimic the composition from my 2021 ‘Godfather’ piece ‘Vendetta’ that took you inside ‘Don Corleone’s’ office and right in front of the main man himself. Powerful.  So, what you now see is Montana sat at his desk, looking to his right slightly. The ideal scenario would be that collectors who had ‘Vendetta’ could then hang ‘The World Is Yours’ adjacent to it so that Tony is half looking towards the Don, a subtle nod of respect.

The end result is one that I feel so bloody excited about, the impact is dramatic, whilst the sense of accomplishment is right up there, as I pieced the office together from scratch as I did with ‘Vendetta’. I love a challenge and even more when that seed grows and manifests into something really special. There are so many cracking references for you to seek out, have you spotted that the interior fabric of his open briefcase matches that iconic tropical red shirt that he wore in the film? Study this piece whilst listening to ‘Tony’s theme from the movie soundtrack and it is so powerful. So, you can simply enjoy as a cracking tribute to the film or for those that have an obsession over it, I have added some really subtle links.

Like I have said before, I spend so much time researching, looking into fan theories as well as professional interpretations and movie trivia. I was particularly drawn to the use of violet throughout the film, it features heavily and is suggested that it is due to the fact that the colour represents death. I made sure to bring this into my piece and centre mainly behind Montana. Now it links to the other key element, the blackened bird that has flown in through the open doors and is rising up behind him whilst his back is turned. As with ‘Vendetta’ and the ‘Godfather’ movie where the use of oranges was often placed to suggest death is close by, the Raven is representing how his enemies are rising up behind him, none more so than we saw in the epic final scene where he goes down in a ‘Yeyo’ fuelled blaze of glory by being picked off by ‘The Skull’.

So, for a ‘late starter’ I hope I have done this incredible movie justice as I know how people really love the film. The great thing is that the key element from the piece has translated so well into the VHS format as an alternative option for lovers of those smaller collectible artworks. Say hello to my little friend!

MARK DAVIES