Touch of Evil (1998 restored edit)

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Film Description

Set in a squalid Mexican border town, Welles plays Hank Quinlan, a crooked police chief who frames a youth as part of a criminal plot. Heston is the upright Mexican narcotics investigator who smells a rat. However, he's also on his honeymoon with an inquisitive wife (Janet Leigh) whose tight-sweatered appearance arouses the interest of the local mob. Dietrich has a wonderful entrance as the enigmatic gypsy, and there are cameos from Mercedes McCambridge and Zsa Zsa Gabor (among others). In places, the film's influence on Hitchcock's Psycho - Janet Leigh's role, the out of town motel setting, the motel's night man - is immediately apparent. This version of the film was restored based on Welles' own notes after his original cut was reshot and re-edited by the studio in his absence. Welles' Directors Cut has been lost forever, but this 1998 edit is thought to adhere closest to his original vision.

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Review by Tim Lathe on 13th January 2004

In 1956 when Charlton Heston was at the height of his popularity, Universal offered him a part in a film called Badge of Evil along with Orson Welles. No director had been appointed and Heston, who had director approval, suggested Welles himself. Somewhat reluctantly Universal agreed and the stage was set for one of the greatest films noir of all time. Welles rewrote the script in 17 days and changed the title to Touch of Evil. Filming at night in Venice, California, he managed to create an atmosphere of intense seediness and moral decay.
The story of Hank Quinlan (Welles) as a corrupt policeman and Mike Vargas (Heston) as a narcotics investigator trying to establish who blew up a car at the Mexican border is rife with moral ambiguity. The film opens with a virtuoso 3-minute crane shot. A figure is seen placing a bomb under a car which then drives away towards the check point of the Texas/ Mexico border. The female passenger says 'My watch is awfully loud, there's a ticking in my head'. And then there’s a massive explosion. On the first two takes, the actor playing the frontier guard forgot his line and instead of mouthing some words, held his head in his hands. Three takes were needed before the shot was satisfactorily completed.
With filming completed Welles left for other projects and the the original release was butchered by the studio. The film was not well received when first shown, but rapidly gained a strong critical following and in its new form is hailed as one the greatest films of the American cinema. Thankfully, the film now available is the one closest to that envisaged by the director.
There are many marvellous cameos, including Dennis Weaver as a deranged motel proprietor and Akim Tamiroff as the drug boss. None, however are better than Marlene Dietrich as Quinlan’s old flame and her justly famous last line says it all: 'He was some kind of a man'. That could be said about Welles himself.

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This film is part of the following Film Collections

Film Noir

Including: Basic Instinct, Body And Soul, Body Heat, Brick, Call Northside 777, Chinatown, Crossfire, Dead Reckoning, Detour (1945), Double Indemnity.

Sight and Sound Critics Choice 2002

Including: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Andrei Rublev, Au Hasard Balthazar, Bicycle Thieves, Breathless (Godard, 1959), Charlie Chaplin - City Lights, Fanny and Alexander, Fellinis 8 1/2, Intolerance, Ivan The Terrible (Parts 1 & 2).

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