A TOUCH OF EVIL
US, 1958, 111 minutes, Black and white.
Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Orson Welles, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff, Denis Weaver, Marlene Dietrich, Joseph Cotten, Joanna Moore, Zsa Zsa Gabor
Directed by Orson Welles.
A Touch of Evil is considered a masterpiece by Orson Welles. Welles had come into prominence in his twenties during the 1930s, especially with his Mercury Theatre Group and their famous broadcast of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds as if it were news. This was dramatised in the television movie, The Night That Panicked America.
Soon after Welles made Citizen Kane with his Mercury Theatre players. It has been considered a masterpiece ever since its first release – although it did not fare well at the Oscars of 1941. Welles continued to make a number of striking films during the 1940s including The Magnificent Ambersons and The Lady from Shanghai. He also continued to act, creating in The Third Man, the character of Harry Lime.
Welles also ventured into the world of Shakespeare with Macbeth and Othello and during the 1960s Chimes at Midnight.
A Touch of Evil is set on the Mexican-American? border with Charlton Heston as a Mexican narcotics chief on his honeymoon with his wife, Janet Leigh. He is being pursued by the Vargas family. When there is a murder on the border and the American police captain, Hank Quinlan, becomes involved – even to planting evidence, there is build-up to the confrontation between the Mexican and the American.
Welles’ Hank Quinlan is also considered one of the great cinema performances. Charlton Heston appeared in this film soon after The Ten Commandments – and now seems somewhat miscast. There is a good supporting cast including Marlene Dietrich with a soliloquy lamenting the death of Quinlan. Dennis Weaver appears in an early role.
The film was strikingly made in black and white, a sinister portrayal of moral black and white, good and a touch of evil.
1.The overall impact of the film? Orson Welles and his reputation, cinematic skills? His values in the exploration of evil?
2.Welles' use of black and white photography, light and darkness, shadows, day and night, angle photography? Photography from heights, ground level, eye level?
3.The contribution of the music, the pianola, the cabaret, the music at the motel, noise? The use of guest stars for minor roles?
4.The importance of the border setting: it was said that the border has the worst of both worlds. Is this true? The people who live on the border, crime, the police, the possibility of corruption? Drugs on the American-Mexican? border? What was particular about this particular border? The particularly American way of looking at things, Mexican? Combination, clash?
5.The meaning of the title, its reference to Quinlan? What had happened to him? What kind of man was he? It was said that he was a man and it wasn't important what was said about him. Was this true?
6.The atmosphere of the opening, the build-up of the border and its atmosphere, light and dark? The focusing on the man and the movement towards his being killed? The impact and significance of the explosion?
7.The involvement of Susan and Miguel at the beginning? The atmosphere of their honeymoon, the American marrying the Mexican? The best of both worlds at the place with the worst? Audience identification with them, involvement? Susan and her naivety, her romantic attitudes? Miguel and his important role in the drug squad, officialdom?
8.The Grandes as an important family on the border? The family in itself, involvement with drugs, prison? Uncle Joe and his running of the family? His thugs? His worry about his brother's case? His character? His involvement in terrorising Susan? In persecuting Miguel? His motivation? His sinister presence, the activity of his thugs, for example the acid-throwing? The build-up to his kidnapping Susan? His sinister luring of Quinlan into a plot? The evil machinations and combination with Quinlan? The horror of Quinlan's killing him and his being poised on the bed to terrify Susan?
9.Could the audience identify with Miguel Vargas as hero? The credibility of Charlton Heston in the role? His Mexican background, knowledge of narcotics? Susan's reaction to his involvement? Her being humiliated by the Sanchez note? His involvement with the Sanchez'? His reaction to the faking of the evidence? His work in the archives, the confrontation of Peter? The hurt when Susan went to the motel, disappeared? His search for her and discovery of her in prison? The impact of the hero gradually tracking down Quinlan as evil?
10.The portrayal of Susan as typically American, on her honeymoon, the note from Grande? Her decision to go to the motel, her reaction to the nightwatchman, to the noise, to the kidnappers? Her being framed with drugs and the atmosphere of an orgy? Her fear in waking up to find Uncle Joe Grande dead? The experience of arrest, prison? The experience as a nightmare from her point of view?
11.The film's focus on the character of Quinlan: Orson Welles' performance, its particular characteristics, good, evil? More than a touch of evil? His appearance? His position in the town, his long history of success? His reaction to the bombing? His relationship with the mayor? His not wanting to fail? The way that he carried out the investigation, his going across the border without rights? His reaction to Vargas and humiliating him, wanting English instead of Spanish? The arrest of Sanchez and Sanchez' relationship with the daughter of the murdered man? The filling in of the background of the murdered man, the visit to the worksite for the dynamite? Pete and his relationship to Quinlan? His loyal support? The stooping to fake the evidence? The challenge by Vargas? His visit to Tanna, his memories, his eating the chocolate bars, his drinking, and his not drinking? The reaction to Uncle Joe Grande and his plan? His faking the evidence against Susan? His returning to Tanna and the inevitability of his doom? Her reaction to him? Comment on the way that Orson Welles had himself photographed as an imposing presence of corruption.
12.The character of Pete, his loyalty to Quinlan, showing a humane side of Quinlan? Being confronted by Vargas with the evidence in the archives? His decision to betray Quinlan?
13.The minor characters such as they mayor and his relationship with Quinlan? Schwartz as the assistant detective and seeing the planting of evidence, assisting Vargas etc?
14.The character of the nightwatchman and his manic attitude, to minding the motel, to the music, to receiving Susan, to Uncle Joe Grande's thugs?
15.How well did the film build up to the confrontation? The radio, the bridge, the recording, Quinlan's talk and explaining himself, his final speech about himself? Pete's role and Quinlan's lack of suspicion? The echo? The importance of Quinlan's confession, the shooting and his falling on the rubbish? The irony of the symbolism? The irony of his shooting Pete and, still after his own shooting, trying to arrange things and fake the evidence against Vargas? The significance of his death, the arrival of Tanna and her comment on him? The fact that she was the last person we saw? The memories and the indication of what Quinlan might have been?
16.How appropriate the happy ending and the reuniting of Vargas and Susan?
17.How expert a thriller? How important an essay on human evil and corruption, sin? How well did the film use thriller conventions and yet transcend them with an exploration of human nature and a reflection on good and evil?
