Friday, Nov. 13, 1998 | 11:04 a.m.
* Grades: Jeff A; Dave A-.
* Starring: Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Orson Welles, Marlene Dietrich, Dennis Weaver and Zsa Zsa Gabor.
* Director: Orson Welles.
* Screenplay: Paul Monash and Orson Welles.
* Picture Restoration Producer: Rick Schmidlin.
* Restoration Editor: Walter Murch.
* Rated: PG-13 for adult themes and violence.
* Running time: 111 minutes.
* Playing at: Regal Cinemas Village Square.
Synopsis:
In a seedy town on the Mexican border, a car bomb explodes. By chance, upright Mexican narcotics officer Mike Vargas (Charlton Heston) is nearby on a evening walk with his new bride, Susan (Janet Leigh). American police chief Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles), as physically repellent as he is morally corrupt, takes control of the murder case, much to the dismay of Vargas. Meanwhile, the underworld family that Vargas has targeted -- the Grandis -- want revenge. They kidnap Susan and, while Vargas is preoccupied with Quinlan and the murder investigation, his wife is terrorized.
Dave:
The late, great Orson Welles will probably be best remembered for his glorious 1941 debut feature "Citizen Kane," which revolutionized filmmaking in Hollywood. His creative ability for storytelling and his bold sense of direction were so innovative, he intimidated the studios, which never allowed the genius that Welles was to bloom to his absolute potential.
Only a few of his performances -- and even fewer of his own films -- live up to the standard of "Kane." Now, October Films and Universal Studios Restoration Services has restored Welles' 1958 classic "Touch of Evil" to the director's best possible liking (based on a 58-page memo describing his editing changes), releasing one of those very few great films.
Jeff:
I had never seen "Touch of Evil." I had read, over the years, the stories of the meddling Hollywood system and its cruel and methodical butchering of Welles' films, first with "The Magnificent Ambersons" and ending with "Touch of Evil." I chose not to watch what was essentially not the vision of Orson Welles, but the fiendish ideas of some studio executive.
I'm glad I waited, because what I watched for the first time recently in a darkened theater was pure Welles, and not some watered-down version.
And to think, it took an rousing article by Chicago critic Jonathan Rosenbaum, published in 1992 in the Film Quarterly, to catch the attention of producer Rick Schmidlin and Oscar-winning editor Walter Murch ("The English Patient"). Thanks to that piece, we now have a version of "Touch of Evil" that is true to Welles' vision -- a vision that is three minutes longer, and contains more than 45 changes, some major, some minor. The end result is a movie-going experience that should not be missed.
Dave:
The film's opening scene is a fluid three-minute tracking shot that slowly exposes the small U.S.-Mexico border town. It is here that we follow a sabotaged car that crosses the American line and explodes, causing two deaths and creating a crime scene that introduces our two main characters.
The first is Charlton Heston as Mexican narcotics investigator Mike Vargas, who is on his honeymoon with his beautiful wife (played by Leigh). The second is respected, yet tyrannical American detective Hank Quinlan, played by Welles. The two go head-to-head, first as collaborators on the murder case, then as vicious enemies who each represent a form of justice and morality: Vargas for the good, and Quinlan for the corrupt.
Jeff:
The opening shot is amazing! No cuts! We start with a hand holding a bomb which then places the device in the trunk of a car. We then follow the car across the border until it finally goes off -- all achieved in one shot! Now, I know where directors Brian DePalma and Woody Allen got their inspiration.
Welles and screenwriter Paul Monash created a cast of characters who are tangled in a web of crime and corruption from start to finish. Welles' direction is stunning with every shot and setup. (Pay close attention to his framing and composition for each character and the intense interaction.) His supporting cast reads like a Hollywood heyday of who's who: Quinlan's police partner Menzies (Joseph Calleia); the fat, bald Mexican Godfather Grandi (Akim Tamiroff); the madam (Dietrich), and a neurotic hotel night clerk (Dennis Weaver), whose performance and the presence of Janet Leigh may have been an inspiration for "Psycho" a few years later.
The plot is a maze of events that take us back and forth over the U.S.-Mexican border and is understood through the eyes of Quinlan. Is it the truth? Far from it. Crime and corruption are the bill of fare.
Dave:
"Touch of Evil" has been called the epitaph of film noir in cinema, and arguably marked Welles' career in his last days as a powerful filmmaker. The cinematography by Russell Metty captures the gritty sleaze and shadowy corners that fill the ragged Mexican streets. Composer Henry Mancini's musical score is a sensation as it matches every dark scene frame for frame, but it was omitted from the opening sequence, and the titles were placed at the end of the film. The director's ideas for visual style have been an astounding contribution to the film industry. (An inspiration to the French New Wave film movement and legendary directors Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Goddard is just one interesting factoid.)
It is only through Welles' vision that "Touch of Evil" can be truly appreciated by film fans, and it is a shame that Welles himself could not be with us to share in this magical movie experience.
MOVIE BUZZ
"Canon" Fodder:
Director Tony Scott, whose latest feature, "Enemy of the State," is set for release Nov. 20, is in talks for his next project, the Holocaust-themed action thriller "Josiah's Canon." The project is about a Holocaust survivor who leads the world's finest team of bank robbers on a heist of a Swiss bank that houses riches deposited by Weimar Jews who were subsequently murdered in concentration camps. Several directors have been attached to "Josiah's Canon," including Mick Jackson and Ridley Scott, Tony's brother.
MGM gets "Munchies":
The studio with the lion got their paws on the script for "Munchies". The teen comedy, described as "Clueless" meets "Night of the Living Dead," focuses on four unpopular, anorexic high school girls who recover to become cannibals.
There's always a "Catch":
Jeff Nathanson, the screenwriter behind "Speed 2" and "Twister," will get a hefty six-figure paycheck to adapt "Catch Me If You Can," the autobiography of con man Frank Abagnale. Abagnale faked his way through a number of professions (doctor, lawyer, pilot and FBI agent), wrote $2.5 million in bad checks, and escaped prison. Come to think of it, the only crime Abagnale didn't commit was writing "Speed 2"! How ironic.
Finally ...:
Since this is Friday the 13th, our thoughts go out to one of our biggest fans: Jason Voorhees over at Camp Crystal Lake. Keep up the good work, Jason! Hope to see you soon!
NAME THAT FLICK
"And that whole third act has go to go. They're losing the war. It's too depressing." Congratulations go out to Kristin North for being the first to call and identify the quote spoken by Christopher Hewett as the director of the play "Springtime For Hitler" in Mel Brooks' comic masterpiece, "The Producers." Way to go Kristin!
For this week, who said this and in what film: "How am I supposed to write for a guy who doesn't have a head?" Does it sound familiar? If you think you know, call The Movie Guys Hotline at 225-9026 or e-mail us at [email protected]. Be sure to spell your name and leave a daytime phone number, and if you're the first correct caller/e-mailer, we will print your name right here in our column for the entire Las Vegas Valley to read. See you next week!
THE MOVIE GUYS, starring Jeff Howard and Dave Neil, appears Friday in the Sun (additional material provided by Thomas Feeney). You can also read their capsule reviews of movies in Las Vegas Weekly magazine and watch their reviews every Friday on Channel 3's 11 p.m. newscast. Plus, check them out online at lasvegassun.com/sun/sunlife/movies.
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