Scarface (1983 film) favor of releasing the film with a less restrictive R rating. In response, De Palma argued that, if the latest version of the film was now considered an R, then his original version would also be rated R, rationalizing that the edits which he made were minor. The MPAA told De Palma that only his latest edit would be certified as an R. De Palma believed that the changes were so slight that no one would notice if he released his original version anyway, which he ultimately did. "Scarface" premiered on December 1, 1983 in New York City, where it
Brian De Palma in 1963 but remained unreleased until 1969, when De Palma's star had risen sufficiently within the Greenwich Village filmmaking scene. De Niro was unknown at the time; the credits mistakenly display his name as "Robert ." The film is noteworthy for its invocation of silent film techniques and an insistence on the jump-cut for effect. De Palma followed this style with various small films for the NAACP and The Treasury Department. During the 1960s, De Palma began making a living producing documentary films, notably "The Responsive Eye", a 1966 movie about "The Responsive Eye" op-art exhibit curated by William Seitz