The Scarface Mob appears in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The movie came with a largely solid transfer that only suffered from a few concerns.
My only complaints connected to print flaws, as sporadic examples of small specks, spots and lines manifested. Honestly, these remained pretty modest, but I’ve become so accustomed to defect-free scans that any issues turn into a surprise.
Sharpness mainly satisfied, as most of the film offered strong accuracy. Occasional shots could veer a little soft, but the majority of the movie boasted positive delineation.
Neither jagged edges nor moiré effects manifested themselves, and I saw no edge haloes. With a nice layer of grain, I didn’t suspect issues with digital noise reduction either.
Blacks looked deep and dark, and the image brought us appealing contrast and whites. Low-light shots seemed smooth and well-depicted. Outside of the minor print flaws and the sporadic soft elements, this was a good presentation.
As for the film’s LPCM monaural soundtrack, it seemed acceptable for its era. Dialogue became the main component, and it worked reasonably well. The lines could seem a bit reedy and edgy, but they remained intelligible.
Music appeared fairly full most of the time, though the score could become a little harsh. Effects came across as acceptably accurate, albeit with some roughness at times as well. This wound up as a workable soundtrack for something from 1959.
A smattering of extras appear here, and Gang Busters offers a “video essay”. It goes for 23 minutes, 10 seconds and provides comments from critic David Cairns.
“Busters” looks at how Eliot Ness’s semi-fictionalized life came to media as well as notes about Mob director Phil Karlson, the production of Mob and elements of the Untouchables TV series. Cairns brings an informative overview.
Philip Kemp on The Scarface Mob goes for 19 minutes, five seconds. This provides another video essay, with information from critic Kemp.
We get info about the nature of Prohibition and related crimes as well as notes about the real Eliot Ness and adapted versions of his life and career. Kemp’s piece offers a good complement to Cairns’ and fills out the subject matter nicely.
In addition to the film’s trailer, we find Image Galleries for “Posters” (27 elements) and “Stills, Lobby Cards and Publicity Photos” (61). Both compilations add value.
As essentially the pilot for the Untouchables TV series, The Scarface Mob offers an intriguing historical curiosity. It proves only sporadically successful as a film, however. The Blu-ray comes with generally good picture, adequate audio and a smattering of bonus features. I’m glad I got a look at this early iteration of Untouchables but I can’t say it exists as a terrific movie.