Touch Of Evil (50th Anniversary Edition)

This restored version of "Touch of Evil" is well worth getting. It is an intriging film-noir that keeps you guessing as to whats going on.

Welles himself is made to look huge. He was already a bit overweight anyway, but the camera angles used and make-up only serve to emphasis his bulk. He plays Hank Quinlan a crooked plice chief. The other main characters are Charlton Heston as Vargas a Mexican Policeman and Janet Leigh is his wife Susan Vargas. Both are excellent. From the famous oprning tracking shot, which lasts over 3 minutes, through to the ending this is a dark tale of corruption and drugs. The story is set right on the border between the U.S and Mexico so you are continually unsure about jurisdiction. You will have to concentrate when watching this!

The extras are reasonable, and particularly interesting is the memo (58 pages!) from Welles explaining how the film should be re-edited. This version of the film attempts to restore the film to the vision of Welles memo. In terms of its length and the re-editing it undoubtably suceeds. However the original film was not widescreen and to make it so they must have topped and tailed it. Effectively this is the reverse of panning and scanning. So it still isn't a perfect version but its dam close!

This is the first time I've ever seen the film. If this is the restored version, I can understand why the theatrical version was so poorly received when it was originally released. Even this restored format barely holds up as being mediocre.

I love Orson Welles' films but this one, as a whole, lacks the overall brilliance of his previous work. Yes, we all know that Welles was not able to exercise full artistic freedom by the studio heads, but he created better films under those very same conditions. Even The Lady from Shanghai towers over this one.

However, I recommend this movie to everyone who is a fan of Orson Welles' unique genius in film-making. In spite of everything, the film is more an A- than a B movie. The absolute best aspect of the film is the way that Welles inserts Hitchcock-caliber suspense into the classic film noir genre. It truly stands apart from any standard Hollywood genre and that alone gives it distinction. The content of the film, however, does not.

Welles' performance is the best, probably because it partly mirrored his own life at the time. Charleston Heston doesn't fit well in the environment as a Mexican cop and it comes across as if he's trying too hard to be convincing. Janet Leigh is miscast in her role as Heston's wife. Each times she appears, the movie is reduced from thriller to soap opera; but to be fair, Welles didn't exactly write the most flattering script for the female lead in this movie. Zsa Gabor looks great in her cameo as a saloon girl. Marlene Dietrich is the dark horse character in this film. With dark hair, she looks more beautiful than ever. Her brief appearances in the film as a gypsy saloon owner steals the show.

As you can tell, I honestly have mixed feelings over the quality of the movie, but I'm pleased to own it. If you appreciate Welles, you'll appreciate this movie, but realize in advance, you've already seen better.

Also, some sort of commentary or featurette would have been nice. Seeing a copy of Welles' letter to the studio was nice, but film buffs want history and backstories.

"It is not supposed to be easy. Only in a police state being a policeman is easy". If there ever was a story about crime and corruption, this one takes the cake. A very unique & avant-garde film with surreal characters in a super-real world. Outrageous Akim Tamiroff as 'Uncle Joe' at his best and unforgettable.

Orson Welles, as Hank Quinlin, offers his own view of film noir. Of course, at the beginning of the film, it states that those editing it wished to stay as close to what Orson intended, in it's making. TO me, Orson takes a page from righ out of his character, Will Varner, in The Long Hot Summer. His acting skill as a crude, clever, bawdy, worn out Detective, who wants to run all of those in whom he runs into, in his course of administrative sleuthing is unmatched. To me this is the style character Orson was made for. And I must say that the film had a good cast - with other leading stars of the day - like Charleton Heston and Janet Leigh. Charleton Heston's Character running into Orson's - as Ole Hank, reminds me of what Forest Gump said in getting a box of chocolates, "you never know what you're going to get." I highly recommend this film, but I must admit I am a great fan of Orson Welles, and anything he acts in. Great stuff!

The director's original version is restored for this DVD, to powerful effect. Welles creates a desolate night-time world in the dirty town of Los Robles, a forgotten speck on the map where everyone seems to carry a nasty secret. Lurid, almost surreal atmosphere is complemented by uniformly first-rate performances, with Heston and Leigh never better, Welles himself a bloated symbol of moral decay, and Akim Tamiroff memorably slimy as a local crime boss. Don't miss Marlene Dietrich playing a gypsy- as you might guess, she gets the final word. A cult movie with a capital "C".