The reconstruction of Orson Welles's 1958 studio-butchered film noir masterpiece was the film restoration success story of 1999. Painstakingly assembled according to a 58-page memo Welles wrote to studio executives requesting changes to the original theatrical release, this harrowing and hallucinatory pulp fiction begins with one of cinema's most celebrated--and still thrilling--opening shots; an unbroken, 3-minute-plus take that begins with a bomb being planted in a car. Charlton Heston stars as "Mike" Vargas, a Mexican cop whose investigation of a murder puts him and his feisty new American bride (Janet Leigh) on a collision course with Hank Quinlan (Welles), a living large, very possibly corrupt lawman who rules a seedy border town by intimidation and other sordid means. The gallery of memorable characters includes Dennis Weaver as a very nervous and creepy motel proprietor who anticipates Anthony Perkins' Norman Bates, Mercedes "I want to watch" McCambridge as a biker chick, and Marlene Dietrich as a gypsy madam who memorably tells Quinlan, "Your future's all used up." Sadly, she could have been referring to Welles himself. Touch of Evil would be his last Hollywood film. Included with the video is an hour long documentary, "Reconstructing Evil: The Making of Touch of Evil," which also appears on the DVD, along with a copy of Welles' memo. Essential! Editor's Choice. (K. Lee Benson)[DVD Review—Sept. 30, 2008—Universal, 2 discs, 111 min., not rated/PG-13, $26.98—Making its second appearance on DVD, 1958's Touch of Evil (50th Anniversary Edition) boasts a fine transfer and includes Dolby Digital 2.0 sound. This release includes the restored version (re-edited in 1998 and based on Welles' vision as detailed in a 58-page studio memo), the theatrical version, and the preview version (discovered by Universal in 1976). DVD extras include audio commentary on the restored version by restoration producer Rick Schmidlin, audio commentary on the theatrical version by writer/filmmaker F.X. Feeney, and two audio commentaries on the preview version (the first by Welles historians Jonathan Rosenbaum and James Naremore; the second with costars Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh, and Schmidlin), a 21-minute “Bringing Evil to Life” retrospective featurette, an “Evil Lost and Found” behind-the-scenes featurette on the restoration and various versions (17 min.), a reproduction of Welles' 58-page memo, and trailers. Bottom line: an excellent, extras-filled edition of a classic film.][Blu-ray Review—Apr. 22, 2014—Universal, 96 min., not rated, $29.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1958's Touch of Evil boasts a great transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 mono soundtrack. Extras include three versions of the film (reconstructed, theatrical, and preview), four audio commentaries (the first with costars Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh and reconstruction producer Rick Schmidlin; the second with Schmidlin; the third with filmmaker F.X. Feeney; and the fourth with critic Jonathan Rosenbaum and film scholar James Naremore), a 58-page studio memo from Welles, and bonus digital and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a landmark film makes a welcome Blu-ray debut.]
Touch of Evil
Universal, 111 min., PG-13, VHS: $19.98, DVD: $29.98, Oct. 31 Vol. 15, Issue 5
Touch of Evil
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