Touch of Evil (1958)

Director:

Orson Welles

Writers:

Orson Welles (screenplay)
Whit Masterson (novel)
(more)

Release Date:

8 June 1958 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Thriller

Tagline:

The Overwhelming Drama of a Strange Vengeance

Plot:

Stark, perverse story of murder, kidnapping, and police corruption in Mexican border town.

Plot Keywords:

Mexican | Border | Investigation | Honeymoon | Mexico

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Charlton Heston	...	Ramon Miguel 'Mike' Vargas
Janet Leigh	...	Susan 'Susie' Vargas
Orson Welles	...	Police Captain Hank Quinlan
Joseph Calleia	...	Police Sergeant Pete Menzies
Akim Tamiroff	...	'Uncle' Joe Grandi
Joanna Moore	...	Marcia Linnekar
Ray Collins	...	District Attorney Adair
Dennis Weaver	...	Mirador Motel Night Manager
Valentin de Vargas	...	Pancho - Grandi Hood
Mort Mills	...	Al Schwartz - District Attorney's Assistant
Victor Millan	...	Manelo Sanchez
Lalo Rios	...	Risto - Grandi's Nephew
Michael Sargent	...	Pretty Boy
Phil Harvey	...	Blaine
Joi Lansing	...	Zita
Harry Shannon	...	Chief Gould
Marlene Dietrich	...	Tanya
Zsa Zsa Gabor	...	Strip-Club Owner
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joe Basulto	...	Young delinquent (uncredited)
Yolanda Bojorquez	...	Bobbie (uncredited)
Joseph Cotten	...	Coroner (uncredited)
Domenick Delgarde	...	Lackey (uncredited)
Jennie Dias	...	Jackie (uncredited)
John Dierkes	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Eleanor Dorado	...	Lia (uncredited)
Billy House	...	Construction site foreman (uncredited)
Mercedes McCambridge	...	Gang leader (uncredited)
Arlene McQuade	...	Ginnie (uncredited)
Ken Miller	...	Gang member (uncredited)
Ramón Rodríguez	...	Gang member (uncredited)
Gus Schilling	...	Eddie Farnham (uncredited)
William Tannen	...	Lawyer (uncredited)
Wayne Taylor	...	Gang member (uncredited)
Rusty Wescoatt	...	Detective Casey (uncredited)
Dan White	...	Customs officer (uncredited)
Keenan Wynn	...	Marcia Linnekar's attorney (uncredited)

Directed by
Orson Welles

Writing credits
Orson Welles		(screenplay)
Whit Masterson		(novel "Badge Of Evil")
Paul Monash		(additional scenes original theatrical release) uncredited
Franklin Coen		contributing writer: reshoots (uncredited)

Produced by
Rick Schmidlin	....	producer (1998 restoration)
Albert Zugsmith	....	producer

Original Music by
Henry Mancini

Cinematography by
Russell Metty		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Walter Murch		(1998 re-edit)
Aaron Stell
Virgil W. Vogel		(as Virgil Vogel)
Edward Curtiss		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Robert Clatworthy
Alexander Golitzen

Set Decoration by
John P. Austin
Russell A. Gausman

Costume Design by
Bill Thomas		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Bud Westmore	....	makeup artist
Merle Reeves	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Vincent Romaine	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Maurice Seiderman	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Monty Westmore	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
F.D. Thompson	....	production manager (uncredited)
Foster Thompson	....	unit production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Phil Bowles	....	assistant director
Harry Keller	....	director: reshoots (uncredited)
Terence Nelson	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Leslie I. Carey	....	sound
William Hooper	....	sound effects editor (1998 restoration)
Richard LeGrand Jr.	....	supervising sound editor (1998 restoration)
Bob McNabb	....	sound effects editor (1998 restoration) (as Robert McNabb)
Walter Murch	....	sound re-recordist (1998 restoration)
Peter Reale	....	sound re-recordist (1998 restoration)
Harry E. Snodgrass	....	sound effects editor (1998 restoration) (as Harry Snodgrass)
Bill Varney	....	sound re-recordist (1998 restoration)
Frank H. Wilkinson	....	sound (as Frank Wilkinson)
George Ohanian	....	dialogue editor (uncredited)
Walter White	....	sound technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Kevin Braun	....	lead digital compositor (1998 restoration)
Kevin Braun	....	visual effects supervisor (1998 restoration)
Sandy DellaMarie	....	digital production coordinator (1998 restoration)
Chris Flynn	....	digital paint artist (1998 restoration)
Mark Freund	....	visual effects supervisor (1998 restoration)
George Gervan	....	digital paint artist (1998 restoration)
Richard Gervan	....	digital paint artist (1998 restoration)
Maureen Healy	....	digital paint artist (1998 restoration)
Lynn Tigar	....	digital paint artist (1998 restoration)

Stunts
David Sharpe	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
James V. King	....	camera operator: Venice canal locations (uncredited)
Philip H. Lathrop	....	camera operator (uncredited)
John L. Russell	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Clifford Stine	....	camera operator: additional photography (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Eric Aijala	....	negative restoration (1998 restoration)
Sean Cullen	....	assistant editor (1998 restoration)
Bob O'Neil	....	picture restoration (1998 restoration)
Ernest J. Nims	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Joseph Gershenson	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Jonathan Rosenbaum	....	consultant (1998 restoration)
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer (uncredited)
Robert Tafur	....	dialogue coach (uncredited)
Robert Tafur	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Thanks
James Naremore	....	special thanks (1998 restoration) (as James Narmore)

Production Companies

• Universal International Pictures (UI)

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1958) (USA) (theatrical)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (199?) (USA) (VHS)
• Argentina Video Home (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• MFA Filmdistribution
• Mundos de Cine
• Universal Home Video (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Pay Television (1998) (USA) (TV) (1975 alternate version)
• Universal Pictures (Spain) (2003) (Spain) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (2004) (Italy) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (DVD)

Other Companies

• 77 Kob Albuquerque  special thanks (1998 restoration)
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes (uncredited)
• Cineteca del Comune di Bologna  special thanks (1998 restoration) (as Cineteca Comunale Di Bologna)
• Deborah Ross Film Design  title design (1998 restoration)
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.)
• Lilly Library, Indiana University, The  special thanks (1998 restoration) (as The Lilly Library)
• Margaret Herrick Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences  special thanks (1998 restoration) (as The Margaret Herrick Library)
• Pacific Title/Mirage  digital restoration services (1998 restoration) (as Pacific Title/Mirage Restoration Division)
• Pacific Title/Mirage  titles (1998 restoration) (as Pacific Title/Mirage Optical Division)
• USC Cinema and Television Library  special thanks (1998 restoration) (as USC Cinema-Television Library & Archives of Performing Arts)
• Universal Studios  restored by (1998 restoration) (as Universal Studios Restoration Services)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violence and drug content. (1988 restoration)

Runtime:

95 min | Germany:111 min (1998 alternate version) | USA:108 min (1975 alternate version) | USA:112 min (director's cut) | Spain:106 min (DVD edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Germany:16 (restored version) (re-rating: 2005) | Netherlands:6 | South Korea:15 (2003) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-11 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-12 (restored version) | Finland:K-16 (original rating) | Germany:18 (restored version) | Norway:15 (re-rating) (1999) | Norway:16 (1985) | Spain:13 (DVD rating) | Sweden:11 (restored version) | Sweden:15 (original rating) | UK:12 | USA:Approved (PCA #18506) (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (No. 36039) (re-rating) (1998 restoration) | USA:Unrated (restored version) | West Germany:16 (nf)

Filming Locations:

Venice, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

Orson Welles said that this was the most fun he'd ever had filming a picture, unlike most of his Hollywood films, because he wasn't troubled by studio interference (until after he completed the picture, anyway), he was given a healthy budget and he was working with a crew of some of his favorite actors on a script that didn't involve as much symbolism and all-out cinematic tricks as something like Citizen Kane (1941).

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: As the couple is getting into the car at the beginning of the movie, there is exhaust coming from the tailpipe well before we hear the ignition noise.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Border Cop: Uh, you folks American citizens?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Best of Film Noir (1999) (V)

Soundtrack:

Tana's Theme

The B-films would never be the same.

Orson Welles made this film over 15 years after "Citizen Kane", but even though it doesn't reach the level of "Kane", he never lost his genius touch. With a basic story and regular budget he made the most famous B-film ever. His majesty in the camera control and the editing jump out of the screen. His director geniality is seen through the outstanding performances by great actors like himself, Janet Leigh and Marlene Dietricht, and actors not that great, like Charlton Heston. Several lines of this motion picture are amongst the greatest of all times, specially the Dietrich ones. The credits scene, that runs uncut for about 3 minutes, is one of the greatest moments in the film history, along with the pianola tune at Tanya's place. Some might say that "Touch of Evil" is banal and boring, but these are the people that don't like real motion pictures, and we all know that, so we don't care about them.