Touch Of Evil (50th Anniversary Edition)
by Orson Welles
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Actor: Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Marlene Dietrich, Mercedes McCambridge, Orson WellesDirector: Orson Welles
Brand: Universal Studios
Cinematographer: Russell Metty
Composer: Henry Mancini
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Restored, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 95 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-10-07
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Reviews of Touch Of Evil (50th Anniversary Edition)
DVD Review: A stunning portrait of corruption and abuse of power.
Summary: 5 Stars
Touch of Evil was an excellent black and white classic noir film by Orson Welles. I heard about how great this film was and how it had the best cinematography and lighting in any film ever made and yes they weren't kidding. Off course this film from every technical aspect whether it was the acting or the direction or the great script and fantastic storyline was just perfect but the only slight problem I had with this film was probably the casting of Charlton Heston as a Mexican police officer, but this is only a slight problem but I still think he was miscast. Touch of Evil opens with what must be one of the finest sequences ever, a bomb is planted in a car on the Mexican side of the U.S./Mexico border and in one flawlessly conceived shot is followed as it makes its way into the U.S. only to erupt into a ball of flames, taking a rich American developer and his mistress with it. Meanwhile Mexican police officer Mike Vargas (Charlton Heston) and his bride (Janet Leigh) have just ended their honeymoon in the same border town when they become involved in the murder investigation that just took place. Also on the case is a veteran American cop named Hank played by Orson Wells who has a habit of winning convictions by planting evidence. Hank was the despicable, corrupt and racist police captain and Welles does a terrific job portraying this character. As a star, Wells is bloated and repellent police captain and the villain you love to hate; as the director though he's very creative and surprising.
How much you like this movie depends on how much you like the film noir genre. This is a typical hard-bitten crime story filmed mostly at night or in deep shadows in shabby locations with terse dialogue and no-nonsense characters. Although Heston isn't convincing as a Mexican, he was still dynamic and sincere. Janet Leigh who had a broken arm for most of the filming was great as the American wife who's obsessed with solving the crime, it was pretty interesting to see the ways the cast on her arm was hidden. Just like the beginning of the film, the finale once again combines Welles mastery of both sight and sound. After effectively ratcheting up the tension throughout the film it unwinds in a satisfying ending. The final scene is famous and spectacular. This fifty-year anniversary edition includes three editions of the film. The Restored Version (111 minutes) which was released in 2000, is the definitive cut of the film restored to Orson Welles' vision based on his detailed 58-page memo to the Universal studio. This is on disc one and rated PG-13, because of some violence and drug content.
Disc two includes the two other releases which are not rated. The Preview Version (109 min) includes some of Welles' requests and was discovered by Universal in 1976. This actually includes some of Universal's post-production re-shoot footage - Welles' was out of the country at the time and had no idea. It famously includes Henry Mancini's score incorporated into the beginning as well as more emphasis placed on the capture of Susan in the motel room, which suggest gang rape. After a Hollywood screening to the public, a viewer walked up to a studio executive and said the film was one of the dirtiest films she'd ever seen and smacked him with her handbag. After the assault, the studio decided to re-edit it before presenting it to the public!.
The film was eventually snipped down to 96 minutes and is included as the Theatrical Version seen by U.S. audiences in 1958 (off course back in those days everything was more strict and conservative), which still includes Mancini's score at the beginning. This version is also on disc two. brilliant filmmaking at it's best. The film was a stunning portrait of corruption and abuse of power and it really does grab your attention. I highly recommend this to fans of Orson Welles and 50's classic noir films. Each of the three films is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic video with all displaying consistent quality. The sound is as good as 2.0 mono can get, and is clean and pristine. In Welles' memo, he specifically had ideas on the soundtrack, such as the music that played over the infamous long opening shot. While the studio insisted on some generic Henry Mancini stuff, Welles wanted different music blaring from each individual nightclub Vargas and his wife passed, something that is genuine to the environment. I personally liked this better since I really like Latin music and the soundtrack was fantastic. The Restored Version features two audio commentaries. The first is by restoration producer Rick Schmidlin and actors Janet Leigh and Charlton Heston. There are some good featurettes and these include Bringing Evil To Life (21 minutes), Evil Lost and Found and Welles' famous 58-page memo is included in paper booklet form and finally a trailer. Touch of Evil is brilliant filmmaking at it's best, it was truly a groundbreaking film in terms of technique, style and storytelling. The rich story about political corruption across national boundaries and the interwoven plots certainly warrant re-watching, I highly recommend this and two thumbs up!.
Description of Touch Of Evil (50th Anniversary Edition)
Experience director Orson Welles? masterpiece Touch of Evil like never before in an all-new 50th Anniversary Edition DVD! Starring Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh and Orson Welles himself, this exceptional film noir portrait of corruption and morally compromised obsessions tells the story of a crooked police chief who frames a Mexican youth as part of an intricate criminal plot.Now for the first time ever, see all three versions of the film ? the preview version, the theatrical version and the restored version based on Orson Welles? vision. The Touch of Evil 50th Anniversary Edition commemorates a true cinematic achievement and is an essential addition to the very movie lover?s library!
Considered by many to be the greatest B movie ever made, the original-release version of Orson Welles's film noir masterpiece Touch of Evil was, ironically, never intended as a B movie at all--it merely suffered that fate after it was taken away from writer-director Welles, then reedited and released in 1958 as the second half of a double feature. Time and critical acclaim would eventually elevate the film to classic status (and Welles's original vision was meticulously followed for the film's 1998 restoration), but for four decades this original version stood as a testament to Welles's directorial genius. From its astonishing, miraculously choreographed opening shot (lasting over three minutes) to Marlene Dietrich's classic final line of dialogue, this sordid tale of murder and police corruption is like a valentine for the cinematic medium, with Welles as its love-struck suitor. As the corpulent cop who may be involved in a border-town murder, Welles faces opposition from a narcotics officer (Charlton Heston) whose wife (Janet Leigh) is abducted and held as the pawn in a struggle between Heston's quest for truth and Welles's control of carefully hidden secrets. The twisting plot is wildly entertaining (even though it's harder to follow in this original version), but even greater pleasure is found in the pulpy dialogue and the sheer exuberance of the dazzling directorial style. --Jeff Shannon
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