The movie was adapted by Ben Hecht, Fred Pasley, (uncredited), Seton I. Miller, John Lee Mahin, W.R. Burnett and Howard Hawks (uncredited) from the novel by Armitage Trail.
The film is loosely based upon the life of Al Capone. Capone was rumored to have liked the film so much that he had his own copy of it.
Scarface was remade in 1983 by Brian De Palma. The original film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.