vision2020
Great movie here
There's a fascinating story behind the version of Orson Welles' "Touch of
Evil" (1958) showing at the Kenworthy Friday and Saturday.
It's a film-noir masterpiece, but when Universal executives saw Welles'
original cut they feared the movie was too "difficult" for audiences.
Universal re-edited it, eliminating Welles' cross-cutting between two
storylines, making each separate, and filmed extra (mediocre) scenes to
make the story "clearer". Welles responded with a detailed 40- or 50-page
memo explaining the reason for every one of his disputed shots and
explaining why each studio change was mistaken. The studio ignored him
and released its version.
A few years ago a film person of some sort (I'm not sure who) found the
memo and used it to restore the film to Welles' version. This included
restoring Welles' editing, adding footage by Welles that had been excised,
and eliminating the scenes added by the studio.
The film's opening shot is the most famous in cinema history, a 3 1/2
minute bravura flow of camera moves that directors and cinematographers
have studied for years, and often tried to emulate (e.g. the opening shot
of Altman's "The Player"). Universal executives, disconcerted by the
shot, first tried to chop it up but finally settled on running the title
credits over it, a act of artistic vandalism now legendary in the film
world as the epitome of studio obtuseness. As my film teacher urged our
class, "go see the film, but don't read at the titles. Watch the shot."
Thankfully we can see the shot without the titles in this restored version,
accompanied by its audio montage that the studio deleted.
The only reason the film got made at all was that Charlton Heston, a major
star, owed Universal a movie and when they asked him what movie he'd like
to be in he said "anything by Orson Welles." The studio, reluctantly, had
to agree to let Welles write and direct (he had a reputation as an
opinionated genius, which he was), but got its revenge by taking his movie
away from him and "improving" it.
It's a dark story of corruption and shadowy menace, set in a U.S.-Mexico
border town. Interestingly, the Mexicans are the good guys and the
Americans the crooks, not a typical Hollywood scenario. A lot of stars
jumped at the chance to work with Welles in the movie, e.g. Marlene
Dietrich, Akim Timeroff, Zsa Zsa Gabor. Look for Dennis Weaver long
before his TV fame. Music by a young Henry Mancini.
Many people consider this movie Welles' finest work, better than "Citizen
Kane. " We're very fortunate the Kenworthy people brought it here.
(Shows at 8 p.m. Friday, 5 and 8 p.m. Saturday.)
John Francis
311 East 6th St., #2
Moscow, ID 83843
(208) 883-0105 fran7371@uidaho.edu
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