Touch of Evil (1958)

Directed by: Orson Welles | 105 minutes | thriller, crime | Actors: Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Orson Welles, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff, Joanna Cook Moore, Ray Collins, Dennis Weaver, Valentin de Vargas, Mort Mills, Victor Millan, Lalo Rios, Michael Sargent, Phil Harvey, Joi Lansing, Harry Shannon, Marlene Dietrich, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Joe Basulto, Yolanda Bojorquez, Joseph Cotten, Domenick Delgarde, Jennie Dias, John Dierkes, Mercedes McCambridge, Arlene McQuade, Eleanor Dorado, Billy House

‘Touch of Evil’ (1958) marked the end of Orson Welles’ career, in Hollywood that is. After this dark, atmospheric tale of crime and corruption, he would never make another film there. While this film noir was appreciated in Europe – ‘Touch of Evil’ won the prize for best film at the Brussels World Fair in 1958, thanks in part to Welles fans Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut who were on the jury – they call it a B-movie in the US. The audience ignored ‘Touch of Evil’. However, the film was appreciated in directorial circles, mainly for its visual flair. Peter Bogdanovich once told Welles that he had seen the film four or five times before he noticed the story. Not because the story didn’t appeal, but because he was so fascinated by the direction. Welles, also not very popular in Hollywood for ‘Touch of Evil’, was appointed as director on the advice of protagonist Charlton Heston. He had previously been brought into the production as an actor. Welles immediately rewrote the script based on Whit Masterson’s pulp novel ‘Badge of Evil’. ‘Touch of Evil’ is set in the brothels and motels of a grim town on the Mexico-US border. In the famous opening scene, the incorruptible Mexican drug fighter Mike Vargas (Charlton Heston) and his blond American bride Susan (Janet Leigh) cross the American border in the evening to eat an ice cream. A man in the busy street unnoticed places a bomb in the open car of a wealthy American property developer – Mike and Susan’s honeymoon is over in one fell swoop. The investigation that follows is led by corrupt police officer Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles). He soon finds a suspect, but when Vargas discovers that a dirty game is being played, he decides to take measures. Meanwhile, Susan is intercepted by the Mexican drug dealers on whom Vargas’ previous investigation focused. Does Quinlan know more about this?

‘Touch of Evil’ is pretty much the latest film noir interested. At the end of the 1950s, Americans’ mistrust and pessimism turned to confidence and optimism, and the need for a different, less grim kind of film became apparent. ‘Touch of Evil’ may be the last in the series, but it is also one of the better films noirs. It is not the intrigue that is central – and there are quite a few – but the atmosphere and style. The story, which at a certain point threatens to become unnecessarily complicated, is actually not that interesting. The honest police inspector’s struggle against his corrupt counterpart; we’ve all seen it before. The way Welles portrays it, on the other hand, is of an impressive level. His brilliant use of light and shadows, the camera movement (especially the aforementioned opening shot is phenomenal!), the sublime use of Henri Mancini’s music and the razor-sharp dialogues elevate this film to the level of a true masterpiece. Welles is firmly in control. He ensures that the viewer does not get lost in the maze of characters and intrigue.

‘Touch of Evil’ is not only worn outside the screen by Welles. As the flabby, corrupt Quinlan, he also completely knocks his opponents off the table. This could easily have been caricatured, but Welles masterfully prevents this. Of course he would like to lock up all those drug dealers, but the corruption is too deeply rooted in him that he can’t help but give in to it. Especially compared to Heston, who is too wooden and boring to make a character come to life, Welles is really brimming with energy. Janet Leigh doesn’t go the extra mile as Susie Vargas. Those who do play interesting roles are Akim Tamiroff as criminal ‘Uncle Joe’ Grandi and Marlene Dietrich in a small but memorable role as the fortune teller or. bar owner Madame Tanya. Also note cameos from Zsa Zsa Gabor, Oscar winner Mercedes McCambridge (“All the King’s Men”, 1949) and Welles’ close friend Joseph Cotten, with whom he included “Citizen Kane” (1941) and “The Third Man” (1949). ) made.

“Your future is all used up,” Madame Tanya tells Quinlan. She came eerily close to reality, since Welles could forget it in Hollywood after this film. People were not yet ready for his progressive way of filming. It was only years later that his work was appreciated and films such as ‘Citizen Kane’, ‘The Stranger’ (1946) and ‘Touch of Evil’ are among the absolute top. It is particularly commendable that Welles – who was opposed in every way possible, especially by the studio – managed to deliver such an intriguing and memorable film. A film where it’s not about the story, but about the style and the atmosphere. This is Orson Welles in top form, both in front of and behind the scenes. One of the highlights of the film noir genre!