One of the reasons that ‘classic cinema’ films have that title, is their continued relevance decades and decades after they were released, and one picture that can certainly claim that is Orson Welles‘ 1958 noir Touch of Evil, which has just been released in a new 4K restoration.
Touch of Evil is about the investigation of a murder at the border between the United States and Mexico. Many hands are involved: Mexican prosecutor Vargas (Charlton Heston), who was there with his wife Suzie (Janet Leigh) on their honeymoon decides to take an interest, then there is Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles), a famous and revered police chief who has a particular disliking for Mexicans. At the same time, the Grandi crime family, one of whom Vargas is shortly due to prosecute, are out for blood and take a liking to Suzie, with their teenage hoodlums intimidating her at every turn. Quinlan finds the smoking gun (sticks of dynamite) in a suspect’s home, in a box Vargas said he checked. The suspect is Mexican and Vargas suspects Quinlan planted the evidence, and with the police officer and the Grandi family, Vargas and Suzie find themselves getting deeper and deeper into the mire.
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Touch of Evil is a masterpiece of crime cinema, an excursion into not only organised crime but also the depths of police corruption, personified by Welles’ despicable Quinlan. The picture is impeccably cast – Heston is excellent as Vargas, despite the dubious practice of brownface, and Leigh is fantastic as the terrorised Suzie, who starts off as a street smart woman who is further and further sent into submission by the efforts of the crime family. Marlene Dietrich is as captivating as ever in an uncredited role, as is Akim Tamiroff as Uncle Joe Grandi, head of the family whose menacing air is nothing compared to Quinlan’s.
Welles’ direction pulls you into this world of darkness, the sleaze and filth like a fog. Working with Russell Metty as cinematographer, there’s a palpable sense of putrescence, with the claustrophobic and constricted way the streets close in on the characters, the shadows all around them. Then there’s the famous opening crane shot, which is just amazing, along with several similar setups that make Touch of Evil feel special, along with Henry Mancini’s threatening score.
But it’s Quinlan’s character that dominates everything. On the face of it, he’s a bigoted cop who is happy to surround himself with the criminal element as long as it benefits him, and he’s surrounded by men who idolise him because of his record and his “game leg” that gives him hunches. But he’s also willing to do anything in his power to stop people from taking away that power, and that’s the real issue here, and also something that is still super relevant today with the seemingly constant reports of police misconduct that end up in way too many deaths.
Touch of Evil was originally released in a 95-minute version, which was against Welles’ wishes. After building a rough cut, he left post-production to make another film, and Universal had their own editor have a go, although they were confounded by the director’s unorthodox cross-cutting techniques. They hired a new director to film some connective scenes, but the resulting preview cut was seen as confusing, which they then edited down to 95 minutes. In the meantime, Welles had sent a 58-page memo to Universal demanding changes. Subsequently, in 1998 editor Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now) and preservationist Rich Schmidlin made a complete new reconstruction based on Welles’ memo, resulting in an 108-minute cut that has been far more well received.
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Eureka Entertainment have presented the three versions of the film – the reconstruction, the theatrical cut, and the preview cut – on 4K UHD, and it looks and sounds spectacular. Extras include several audio commentaries, including one with Heston and Leigh, interviews with critics Matthew Sweet, Tim Robey, and Kim Newman, and a booklet including writing by Francois Truffaut and the 58-page Welles memo.
Initially maligned, Touch of Evil is a masterpiece in its reconstructed form and Eureka have done a bang-up job, making it look and sound as beautiful as ever, with a selection of thoughtful supplements. Essential.
Touch of Evil is out now on Limited Edition 4K UHD Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment.
