Orson Welles's film noir classic Touch of Evil (1958) explores themes of obsession, blame and corruption on both sides of the Us-Mexico border. Touch of Evil begins when a car crossing the border from Mexico explodes on the American side of the border. Thereby launching Miguel Vargas (Charlton Heston), a high ranking Mexican narcotics official on his honeymoon with his American wife, Susie (Janet Leigh), into the path of Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles), a legendary American cop marred by candy bars and bigotry. Quinlan will stop at nothing to bring about justice where he believes justice is deserved, even when it means planting evidence. When Vargas catches him planting evidence, Quinlan sees the only way to quiet Vargas is to discredit him. Quinlan teams up with "Uncle Joe" Grandi (Akim Tamiroff), a local Mexican gangster who has his own reasons for hating Vargas.
For content and visual appeal, Touch of Evil is an excellent film. The cinematography by Russell Metty is breathtaking. But the shots do not exist merely for cosmetic appeal. While the character of Quinlan is skillfully written and Welles gives a magnificent performance, the low and high angle shots are what really drive the audience to loathe him; displaying him in the most unflattering light possible. Accentuating the ever present sweat on his face and the thick layer of fat covering his entire being. The music and sounds are all very authentic and come from the actual surroundings that the characters are in. When a car drives by we can hear the radio but the music fades as the car distances itself from the camera. This is a nice effect and one that is rarely seen in films, no matter the genre or era.
Touch of Evil showed up at the tail end of the film noir cycle. By 1953, the femme fatale character has disappeared, as had her detective lover. However, the characters retain many of the traditional film noir characteristics. Our two main characters, Vargas and Quinlan, are both morally ambiguous Quinlan in particular. His action are evil but the motives behind his actions are difficult to classify as either good or bad. Although he isn't the quintessential detective, Vargas retains nearly all of the characteristcs of the film noir hero. He knows how to access places that tend to be locked up and restricted, and he has the street smarts and lives on the fringes of the dark and sleazy underworld, all the while being looked down upon by his American associates. Distortion techniques and low angle shots are heavily used to deglamorize the stars, Welles in particular. In nearly every shot of Quinlan, his colossal gut seems to take up a good chunk of the screen, even when it could be done without. Welles uses lighting heavily throughout the film to set the tone and keep the audience's attention. In the opening shot, rather than watch the man set the bomb, we follow his shadow as it skitters across the side of a building. Flashlights are used while Vargas searches for Susie at the motel, highlighting his struggle to make light of the situation. Welles also makes use of the dark urban setting surrounding the border with wet streets, steam rising from the street grates and garbage floating in the river.
Touch of Evil is an excellent film technically speaking. It's a tale of morality that makes you think and the shooting style is smooth and great to watch. A film with an honest lesson that everyone should see.
For content and visual appeal, Touch of Evil is an excellent film. The cinematography by Russell Metty is breathtaking. But the shots do not exist merely for cosmetic appeal. While the character of Quinlan is skillfully written and Welles gives a magnificent performance, the low and high angle shots are what really drive the audience to loathe him; displaying him in the most unflattering light possible. Accentuating the ever present sweat on his face and the thick layer of fat covering his entire being. The music and sounds are all very authentic and come from the actual surroundings that the characters are in. When a car drives by we can hear the radio but the music fades as the car distances itself from the camera. This is a nice effect and one that is rarely seen in films, no matter the genre or era.
Touch of Evil showed up at the tail end of the film noir cycle. By 1953, the femme fatale character has disappeared, as had her detective lover. However, the characters retain many of the traditional film noir characteristics. Our two main characters, Vargas and Quinlan, are both morally ambiguous Quinlan in particular. His action are evil but the motives behind his actions are difficult to classify as either good or bad. Although he isn't the quintessential detective, Vargas retains nearly all of the characteristcs of the film noir hero. He knows how to access places that tend to be locked up and restricted, and he has the street smarts and lives on the fringes of the dark and sleazy underworld, all the while being looked down upon by his American associates. Distortion techniques and low angle shots are heavily used to deglamorize the stars, Welles in particular. In nearly every shot of Quinlan, his colossal gut seems to take up a good chunk of the screen, even when it could be done without. Welles uses lighting heavily throughout the film to set the tone and keep the audience's attention. In the opening shot, rather than watch the man set the bomb, we follow his shadow as it skitters across the side of a building. Flashlights are used while Vargas searches for Susie at the motel, highlighting his struggle to make light of the situation. Welles also makes use of the dark urban setting surrounding the border with wet streets, steam rising from the street grates and garbage floating in the river.
Touch of Evil is an excellent film technically speaking. It's a tale of morality that makes you think and the shooting style is smooth and great to watch. A film with an honest lesson that everyone should see.