Touch of Evil Overview:

Touch of Evil (1958) was a Crime - Film Noir Film directed by Orson Welles and produced by Albert Zugsmith and Rick Schmidlin.

SYNOPSIS

A story of studio meddling became one of the most talked about movies of 1998 upon release of a restored version based on notes that Welles had sent to Universal in response to their reediting. Right from the first shot, which many consider the finest opening sequence in movie history (and which the studio decided to run credits over), Welles takes a tawdry crime melodrama and turns it into dark poetry. Heston, a Mexican cop, is heading for a honeymoon with Leigh, but they are distracted by a car bombing as they cross the border. When Heston offers to help in the investigation, he begins a twisted journey into a seedy night time world of drug smugglers, prostitutes, and, most magnificently, "a great detective, but a bad cop" played by Welles. Leigh falls into a snare set by drug kingpin Tamiroff as her husband goes mano a mano with a murderous Welles. An absorbing noir, and a triumphant story of film preservation.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

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Touch of Evil was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1993.

BlogHub Articles:

Touch of Evil (1958)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Nov 30, 2023 From 4 Star Films

On even a cursory level Touch of Evil has all the ready hallmarks of Orson Welles the auteur. Working in tandem with veteran Universal cinematographer Russell Metty (they had collaborated before on The Stranger), they develop the director’s preferred mise en scene from claustrophobic dutch ang... Read full article


Film Noir Review: Touch of Evil (1958)

By Danilo Castro on Dec 30, 2021 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

“Your future’s all used up.” Orson Welles was an architect of film noir before the style had even been identified. His debut release, Citizen Kane (1941), was revolutionary for the artform as a whole, but the film?s shadowy visuals and elaborate flashbacks had the biggest impact... Read full article


Touch of Evil (1958) – Film-Noir

By 4 Star Film Fan on Jul 1, 2013 From 4 Star Films

Starring Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, and Orson Welles, this film is one of the last examples of what is considered true film-noir. In a small, dangerous, run down,?border?town, a mysterious car bombing murder takes place. A Mexican investigator who is a?newlywed?(Heston) and a hardened American?po... Read full article


Touch of Evil (1958) – Film-Noir

By 4 Star Film Fan on Jul 1, 2013 From 4 Star Films

Starring Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, and Orson Welles, this film is one of the last examples of what is considered true film-noir. In a small, dangerous, run down,?border?town, a mysterious car bombing murder takes place. A Mexican investigator who is a?newlywed?(Heston) and a hardened American?po... Read full article


Touch of Evil

By RBuccicone on Sep 14, 2012 From MacGuffin Movies

Touch of Evil (1958) It had been probably seven years since I had seen Touch of Evil, so when the opportunity presented itself to see it on the big screen, I said, sure, why not? I probably should have been shouting from the rafters because in the interim I had completely forgotten just how much of ... Read full article


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Quotes from

Ramon Miguel 'Mike' Vargas: Susie, one of the longest borders on earth is right here between your country and mine. An open border. Fourteen hundred miles without a single machine gun in place. Yeah, I suppose that all sounds very corny to you.
Susan: I could love being corny, if my husband would only cooperate.


Ramon Miguel 'Mike' Vargas: I'm saying more than that, Captain. You framed that boy. Framed him!


Mirador Motel night manager: It STINKS in here!


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Facts about

Orson Welles was originally hired only to act in the film, but due to a misunderstanding, Charlton Heston understood that Welles was to be the director. To keep Heston happy, producer Albert Zugsmith allowed Welles to direct. Welles made major changes to the already-completed script, including changing Heston's character from a white district attorney to a Mexican narcotics agent, changing Janet Leigh's character from Mexican to American, and changing the setting of the movie from a small California town to a Mexican-American border town..
Joseph Cotten
When Orson Welles first met with Dennis Weaver, he asked Weaver what he thought was the most important characteristic of "Chester," the role Weaver played on the hit TV show Gunsmoke, Weaver said that Chester was very deferential and always hung behind the other characters. Welles then told Weaver that for "Touch of Evil" he wanted Weaver to be just the opposite - very pushy and in-your-face.
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National Film Registry

Touch of Evil

Released 1958
Inducted 1993
(Sound)




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Also directed by Orson Welles




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Also produced by Albert Zugsmith




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Also released in 1958




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More "Book-Based" films



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