+3
Touch of Evil
I watched the fully restored version of the film. It would be a shame if Touch of Evil was known only for its 3+ minute tracking shot. It was Welles last film within the Hollywood system, and he sought to make the most of it. It is the story of two policemen who were fighting for control of the same case. One was the corrupt Sheriff of the small town on the Mexican border, and the other a law enforcement official from Mexico. The sheriff is prejudiced against Mexicans and seeks to frame the Mexican official and his wife for murder.
The story is good and the production sought to meet Welles exacting standards. The most recent restored version made 50 changes and added three minutes to the studio version to align itself with Welles notes after the studio release.
My biggest complaint relates to the issue of white washing the cast. I assume this was done because the studio was unaware of a Mexican actor who could lead an all star cast. I do not know what an acceptable solution to this issue would have looked like, and I'm sure this resulted in many films having white washed cast, but it still is irksome all the same.
Last edited by Diehl40; 12-14-23 at 06:39 PM.