Touch of Evil Revised

Movie Scene Analysis Assignment

Touch of Evil is a film noir film directed (Welles also star in the film) by the late great Orson Welles was originally released1957. Film noir translates into dark film and was influenced by the German Expressionist of the 1920’s. The film is in black and white and uses chiaroscuro lighting to create interplay with light and shadow adding to the dark artist style of the films genre. Russell Metty who was uncredited special consultant on Citizen Kane worked with Welles as Touch of Evil’s Cinematographer. A short history of the film, the original theatrical release has many changes that that Universal put in the film including reediting and shooting extra scenes. With a great inked protest Welles did not approve of the changes. After viewing a screening of the film Welles penned a 58-page memo to the studio requesting that they keep his creation intact. He request to Universal fell on deaf ears and was released with the studio’s changes despite Welles protest. A 1980 re-release of the film has restored the film back to the original Welles vision based on the deep felt memo. Some changes included removing the credits from the opening of the film and place in them at the end of the film as Welles intended. Also the original score composed by Henry Mancini has also been removed from the film-opening scene. The removal both of music and opening credit make the opening tense fully more suspenseful as you are not distracted by the outside elements like reading the opening credit or music that would cover up the ambient sound of the street with traffic and people.

The film cover much covers much of what have learned in class over the course of the semester. Take the opening scene for instance, which is a very long masterful tracking shot. Starting with fade up to an extreme close (e.c.u.) up of a man holding a bomb and setting the time device without cutting the camera pans left to a zooms out to a long shot (l.s.) of a man and women walking down a corridor showing deep dept of field. This is also almost a point of view (POV) shot as if we are the man with bomb looking to see if the man women are coming. This is where we see the use of deep focus were the entire scene is focus. The depth of field foreground, middle, and background all can be seen clearly and in sharp focus. The films director Orson Wells and cinematographer Gregg Toland popularized the technique making the movie Citizen Kane.

The camera then pans right to follow the man with bomb as he runs of out of frame and we see his shadow (chiaroscuro lighting) darting across the outside of a building providing the right amount of lead so can see where he is going. We pick up with the man in the flesh entering the frame as he plants the bomb in the trunk of a car and makes his escape in the night. The camera moves into a high angle crane shot tilting down at the man and women get into the waiting car. Continuing the high angle shot the camera begins panning left over the roof tops as we see the car driving thru the streets with it’s deadly bundle in it’s tail piece moving going back and forth between wide shots (w.s.) and long shots. (w.s.)

During this time the Mise-en-Scene changes from a dark street backstreet to a busy main street scene with lots of with traffic and people going to and fro at random. Sound also plays an important part in the scene as the shoot continues we hear noise of the street. The vehicle continues is on its guided mission of going thru street traffic as the scene becomes busier with people, other vehicles, pushcarts, live stock, etc. You can hear all the activity of the street. This adds to the level of suspense of the bomb in the trunk because we don’t know when the bomb is going to go off. As the car comes in and out of the scene you hear the music from the car radio Henry Mancini’s Son of Raunchy. Which lets veiwer know that car is back and the danger is still near. It’s at this point the setting of the film Los Robles a border-town between Mexico and the Untied States is reveled. Which is emphasized by the border guard soldiers and guardhouse as the car and its deadly cargo arrive at the border crossing? It is at also this point that the protagonist Miguel “Mike” Varges a Mexican Drug Enforcement Officer played by Charlton Heston in dark make-up and his new wife Susan “Susie” Vargas played by Janet Leigh who is an American are introduced in the film. Both dressed the fashion to fit the fashion of the period. Heston’s character is wearing a suite and tie to show that he is man of importance which is confirmed by dialogue between Heston and the border guards. Leigh is dress in pencil skirt and fitted sweater with buttons down the back a gentile string of pearls around her neck completed with lovely white jacket. Other people in the scene are dress in variety of styles. Some dress up as if going out on night on the town, military people in uniform or people in regular street clothes. Note even thou Heston’s make up is dark to make him appear to be Mexican his hands are white which can seen in the driving scene between Heston and Leigh later in the film and other scenes where you can see Hesston’s hands.

The Varghese’s and the car arrive at the border almost simultaneously as the camera still panning left. The camera moving away from the car but not before we are reminded one last time of the impended danger from the bomb in the cargo hold by the female passenger telling the border guard that see “ no really ….I got this ticking noise in my head.” Little does she know that the ticking is not in her head but a terminating back seat driver. The camera moves with the Vargeses as they exchange a few words and move into a sweet embrace. Not a second after their lips meet that we hear the bomb explode killing the two passengers. This when see the films first cut a shoot of the car exploding with coming down in flames accompanied by quick zoom in for emphasis. The films second cut comes back to the Vargeses looking at the explosion and running in the direction of the burning car.

Note you will notice that when the camera cut to the Vargeses that the background is different they are in the middle of town while before they were are at the border crossing. This is made obvious by the arcing neon Paradise sign in background just above their heads. When just be before. Also the oil wells that are in the background that show up at the end of the film. Another item to note that is that the femme fatal is not central to the story. The only hint of what might be a femme fatale is the character of MArcia Linnekar daugter of Rudy Linnekar one of the deceased passengers from the car explosion.

The opening scene of Touch of Evil is perfect example of what can be done when vision is applied to technique in vessel of sight and sound that is making motion pictures. But learning history of Touch of Evil I can also see how that vessel can be changed, causing ripples on the filmmakers Celluloid canvas. Which bring me back to the memo that Orson Welles wrote to Universal. Welles’s closes verse the memo reads as follows “I close this memo with a very earnest plea that you consent to the brief visual pattern to which I gave so many long hard days work.” Well said Mr. Welles well said.