Touch of Evil

Touch of Evil

Director: Orson Welles

Producers: Rick Schmidlin, Albert Zugsmith

Director of Photography: Russel Metty

Writer: Orson Welles

Editor : Aaron Stell, Walter Murch

Poduction Designer/ Art Director: Robert Clatworkth

Alexander Golitzen

AVF 10 -

5/1/05

In Orson Welles' classic film noir production Touch of Evil, a Mexican police officer named Mike Vargas (Charlton Heston), becomes the target of an American police officer named Hank Quinlin (Orson Welles), when Vargas attempts to expose Quinlin framing a murder suspect. Quinlin, a celebrity among police officers has become corrupt in his practices and is willing to go any lengths including committing murder to uphold his reputation. Vargas is an honest man who faces Quinlin's corruption to protect the rights of the accused. In doing so, he puts his wife in danger, who ends up the victim of a plot against Vargas. Although Vargas appears to be the hero, the viewer experiences frustration with his character due to his negligence concerning his wife. Caught between the accuser and the accused, American deputy Pete Menzies (Joseph Calleia) is loyal to Quinlin but later helps Vargas when the truth is revealed.

The tension between Mike Vargas and Hank Quinlin begins very early in the film. The scene in which the two meet for the first time, at the scene of the explosion, establishes Quinlin as a well-respected man whose appearance is larger than life. Quinlin's arrival to the scene is much awaited based on the conversation between the other officers. When Quinlin finally does arrive the camera immediately jumps from one mans line which is shot at eye level, to a shot of Quinlin exiting his car from very low to the ground, accentuating his size. Quinlin is shot from below in this way for the majority of the film.

The scene edits back and forth from the scene of the explosion to Vargas' wife who has been led into danger following her dismissal to the hotel. The fact that Vargas has no idea what has happened to his wife begins a pattern for the rest of the film in which Vargas who claims to be in love, is completely negligent concerning her well being.

When the two men come face to face they are both shot from below establishing that there they are both strong figures, which is an important film noir tactic. The other officers around them are shot at eye level. The tension between them begins with a racial comment from Quinlin stating that Vargas doesn't sound like a Mexican. When Vargas reassures Quinlin that he wont he won't have any trouble with him, Quinlin responds with, "you bet your sweet life I wont." The shot ends with a second of silence focused from below on Quinlin's shadowed face. The use of shadows is also a key element of film noir, which helps to create the dark and mysterious world that surrounds the characters.

Quinlin increasingly represents a common character in film noir. Although he is a strong character in the eyes of his fellow officers, he is portrayed as a loner who has become disillusioned and insecure. His scenes with Tanya Tana (Marlene Deitrich) are revealing of Quinlin's past and his downward spiral since then. She comments that she didn't recognize him and that he should lay off the candy bars making it obvious that Quinlin has physically deteriorated since they were at one time involved. As the film goes on Quinlin falls back into drinking and spends the later part of the film completely intoxicated. Although Tanya acts indirectly as Quinlin's significant female, she does not represent the classic femme fatal character usually apparent in film noir, nor does Vargas' wife.

The scene that brings Quinlin's corruption to the eyes of the viewer happens when he plants dynamite for Menzies to find in the bathroom of the murder suspect just after Vargas had been in the bathroom and found nothing. Once the dynamite is found and Quinlin begins interrogating the suspect, the camera stays on Vargas, who is watching from another room. It is obvious that he is suspicious of these accusations. Vargas' facial expressions are used to portray the intensity of what is heard from the other room until the scene makes its way back into view. When Vargas realizes that the dynamite was planted, he confronts Quinlin, who responds to Vargas saying that Vargas is merely racially biased and wants to help his fellow countrymen. Both men