Nov 03 2008
A Video Compilation Portraying the Evolution of Al Pacino’s Yelling and Speaking Voice
I think we can all agree that Al Pacino has a reputation for being a yeller on film. But when did this reputation become so in tact? At what point were all the comedians imitating his on screen outbursts? When can we conclusively say that if you’re a director and you want to hire a guy who screams a lot that you call Al Pacino? In fact there’s even an article that teaches you how to yell like Pacino!
Granted Pacino yelled in his early days, I don’t think he really developed his signature “almost to be made fun of” yelling style until Scent of a Woman. However I think that Sea of Love and Glengarry Glen Ross really began this train of “automatic” outbursts on film. But then something really weird started happening to his “s” pronunciation as he got much older. And now he just sounds strange. It’s like he’s impersonating himself.
The proof is in Two for the Money and Ocean’s Thirteen and it’s very disturbing. There’s also hints of it in The Insider (where I think the “s” stuff originated). In any event, here is a compilation of videos that display how Pacino’s voice has developed over the years. It’s truly remarkable.
Al Pacino’s Trials for Godfather
A young, soft sounding Pacino. We sure as hell don’t notice that yelling nature this early in his career. Just a calm natured guy. No yelling. Boo.
Serpico
It’s high pitched but it just isn’t quite “hoo hah” now is it?
Godfather 2 Slap Scene
Here’s the crazy yelling baby! It might be just one line but man that’s a taste of the future right there.
Scarface
Pick a scene, any scene. Still though, the voice is kind of high. And here’s where we take the turn…
Sea of Love
1989 baby. This is when Pacino started to get a little older and that voice became even more dominant. And wait until we get to Scent of a Woman but not before….
Glengarry Glen Ross
Great outburst here.
Scent of a Woman
This is a weird version with sound effects but damnet if Pacino isn’t 100% Pacino right here.
Heat
This one’s just funny. Great ass!
The Devil’s Advocate
Pacino is just full blown yelling machine at this point in his career.
The Insider
His “s” is starting to change. The age is starting to show.
Any Give Sunday – Peace by Inches
One of the better sports movie speeches. But still, listen to that “s.” Even his “p’s” have something strange to them as compared to his early days.
Two for the Money
It’s almost as if he was Al Pacino impersonation Al Pacino at this point. This is pretty much embarrassing.
Ocean’s Thirteen
Come on Al! Just yell dude.
* I refuse to show anything from Righteous Kill
More Unreal Posts
- Eight Actors Who Can Yell With the Best of Them
- 10 Classic Yelling Scenes In Movies Without Al Pacino
- A 70 Minute Analysis of Why The Phanton Menace Sucked
- Eight of the Very Best Celebrity Soundboard Prank Calls
- 10 Scenes in Sports Movies That Really Jack You Up
[...] Here are a bunch of Al Pacino videos to help us find out. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. [...]
Wow… this must’ve taken a lot of lonely, womanless nights to compile.
The movie Pacino’s yelling streak began was Dick Tracy, I have done extensive discussions on the topic with my non girlfriend having geek friends on this subject. Great article, but yeah, it began with ” I want Dick Tracy DEAD!!” Good read.
Great call on Dick Tracy JD.
Actually the article took 30 min.
Doesn’t he yell in Dog Day Afternoon?
I… I liked Righteous Kill.
pointless? why, just why?
I can’t believe you left out one of his most throaty speeches from “And Justice for All”….”…I’m out of order, I’m out of order…You’re out of order, this whole court room is out of order…”
[...] 2 – Proof that Al Pacino just screams everything at the top of his voice these days – Unrealitymag [...]
MacDude is 100% correct. Pacino’s over-the-top hollerin’ began way back during the 1979 drama …AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. I worked at a theater which was showing that movie, and I saw it over and over in stunned disbelief during its short run.
Check out the several instances of Pacino’s yowling in the trailer for …AND JUSTICE FOR ALL, which is posted on trailerfan.com.
Here’s a link: http://www.trailerfan.com/movie/and_justice_for_all/trailer
[...] this guy has put together a comprehensive history of Pacino’s transition from cool, menacing Michael [...]
Автору респект, жду еще чего нибудь по этой теме
[...] won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Scent of a Woman, he must have decided that screaming his lines at the top of his lungs equated to a great performance. He was unbelievable when he was younger (Serpico, Scarface, The [...]
Does the screamed phrase, “Attica, AT TIC CAH!” mean anything to you youngsters?
No its wrong, off he is getting old and voice is changing but he is also changing his voice , he is acthing different voice every movie…
[...] on screen outbursts?” – fragt Unreality Magazine und gibt die Antwort in einem Video-Feature: The Evolution of Pacinos Yelling. (via The House Next [...]
[...] an interesting chronicle of Al Pacino’s yelling throughout his illustrious [...]
City Hall
“I choose, to FIGHT!” etc…
[...] to a friggin’ computer, and the results are often hilarious. The best prank calls come from over-the-top Al Pacino, but there’s some pretty good ones out there of other actors, too. After the jump, enjoy [...]
i love al pacino………………….he’s the best….scarface is his best movie.
Занятно! Вообще, поразительно наблюдать то, как в считанные часы совершенно практически без повода из пальца высасывается подобный “новостной сюжет” и начинает широко гулять по блогам.
[...] is a compilation of videos that display how Pacino’s voice has developed over the years. It’s truly remarkable. No TweetBacks yet. (Be the first to Tweet this post) Similar Posts:None [...]
[...] of all time. Clearly Al Pacino deserves to be on this list. Hell I wrote a whole article on the evolution of his yelling voice. In particular you can really get his flavor in Devil’s Advocate, Scent of a Woman, and [...]
His cameo in Gigli (worst ending in history tagged onto a decent film) seems written specifically for his yell.
You are absolutely right. Pacino used to be soft spoken with selective yelling crescendos but in Scent of a Woman he changed acting styles completely and became a full time yeller. It would be interesting to know what precipitated this sudden shift.
no no no no no!!! his best and throatiest film is carlitos way (carlito braganti) easy his best film without a doubt.
Good theory but I think he’s always had it.
Look at 1979′s ” …And Justice For All” right here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sOeY6ZVG2U
[...] been a while but perhaps you guys might remember us doing a post called “The Evolution of Al Pacino’s Voice.” It’s been a hell of a road for the actor now most famous for his screaming antics [...]