Much like Detective Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles), Welles himself can be seen as a man trying to do the greater good but due to character flaws failing to accomplish what he sets out to do. Welles is a master of the cinematic form and a film like TOUCH OF EVIL (Welles, 1958) captures all of his brilliance and ambition. But like Quinlan, Welles falls short in the pantheon of great filmmakers because he refused to do it any other way then his way, to his detriment.
From the very opening shot of the film, the three and one half minutes of an uninterrupted tracking shot you know you are about to see some visually special. Remember, this film came out in 1958, and he opened with a three and one half minute shot. No cuts, just straight filming. An incredible achievement, one later copied by many, most notably Scorsese and PTA. The cinematography for the film is excellent. Black and white, allowing for a broader array of contrasts, the dichotomy between light and dark portrays the struggle between good and evil. This speaks for the film but particularly for Quinlan, as this detective slides along a murky line between doing his job the right way or fabricating evidence to attain arrest. For the film as a whole, the contrast serves to guide the viewer and remind us that bad things are happening in a good world.
Also serving to remind the audience of the dichotomy of this world is the continual camera placement by Welles in an oft centered way. The camera is repeatedly oft kilter, emphasizing that something within the films narrative and world is wrong. The camera is often placed at a low angle, particularly when shooting Quinlan and his fellow officers. This serves to give Quinlan a God-like appearance, as we are always gazing up at Quinlan and his officers. This God-like appearance of the police speaks to a larger, more contemporary issue today's audiences deal with.
That issue, among others in the film is one of police culpability and responsibility. We place an inordinate amount of pressure on our police to keep us safe yet restrict their abilities to accomplish their job. The film touches on this very topic. Quinlan knows who has placed the bomb in the car for the original crime, yet he doesn't have the evidence. So he manufactures it, crossing a line. That and his reliance on brutal tactics place Quinlan squarely in line with modern police. The film also touches on the beginnings of contemporary issues such as drugs and gangs and the symbiotic relationship between the two. I think it would be great to be able to go back to the writing of this film and see juts how much they wanted to comment on these issues in a broader sense.
To go back and meet the classical stars of this work would be nothing short of amazing. Never lauded as "great" actors, both Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh both are stars. Acting has become so good that often people confuse the fact that those in the movies are stars and people pay to see stars. Such is the case for Heston and Leigh. And there is no bigger star in this film than Marlene Dietrich. Still stunningly beautiful and seductive at filming (she was 57), Dietrich embodies everything that film stars used to be. Welles too is a master, having that distinct ability to portray faults of a character and to be willing to have his audience loathe his character. Truly a master at work.
TOUCH OF EVIL is a classic, pure technical accomplishment, performance oriented and socially driven. Worth viewing again and again.
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