Touch of Evil - Orson Welles

(aka "Badge of Evil" )

USA 1958

Touch of Evil, the project with which—some 16 years after Citizen Kane—the 42-year-old Orson Welles tried (and failed) to stage a Hollywood comeback, is a movie of transcendent movie-ness and still-astonishing virtuosity. Revived for two weeks in a restored print, it is an even greater reproach to contemporary filmmaking than it was when it was dumped in neighborhood theaters on a double bill with Diana Dors in The Unholy Wife.

In December 1956, Welles was offered the role of the villain in a Universal thriller about a crooked cop. But the movie's star, Charlton Heston, thought that Welles was to direct the picture, and from the acorn of that misunderstanding emerged a splendid oak. With all due respect to the truncated Magnificent Ambersons, blighted Othello, and mossy Chimes at Midnight, Touch of Evil is the tallest tree in the wilderness of Welles's post-Kane career. "Unimaginably pleasurable to make," the maestro told Peter Bogdanovich. It shows.

Excerpt from J. Hoberman at The Village Voice located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: May 21, 1958

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Comparison:

Universal (2-disc - 50th Anniversary Edition) - Region 1- NTSC vs. Universal Studios (US) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Universal Studios (UK) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL

Big thanks to Pavel Borodin for all the single-disc Screen Caps!

1) Universal (50th Anniversary Edition) - Region 1- NTSC LEFT
2) Universal Studios (US) - Region 1 - NTSC MIDDLE
3) Universal Studios (UK) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL RIGHT

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Universal Studios (50th Anniversary Edition) Region 1 - NTSC	Universal Studios (US) Region 1 - NTSC	Universal Studios (UK) Region 2,4,5 - PAL
Runtime	1:50:36, 1:48:48, 1:35:15	1:50:36	1:46:08 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 7.35 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 4.71 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 8.68 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Universal Studios (50th Anniverssary)
Bitrate: Universal Studios (US)
Bitrate: Universal Studios (UK)
Audio	English (Dolby Digital Mono 2.0)	English (Dolby Digital Mono 2.0)	English, DUBS: French, German, Italian, Spanish (Dolby Digital Mono 2.0)
Subtitles	English (SDH), Spanish, French, none	English, Spanish, French, none	English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Turkish, Greek, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Universal Studios (Anniversary) Aspect Ratio: Widescreen letterboxed - 1.85:1 Edition Details: Disc 1 • Commentary (Restored Version) with Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh and producer Rick Schmidlin • Commentary (Restored Version) with producer Rick Schmidlin • Bringing Evil to Life featurette (20:59, 4:3) • Evil Lost and Found featurette (17:05, 4:3) • Theatrical Trailer – (2:10, 4:3) Disc 2 • Commentary (Theatrical Version) by critic F.X. Feeney • Commentary (Preview Version) with journalist Jonathan Rosenbaum and James Naremore 58-page memo from Welles to the Studio DVD Release Date: October 7th, 2008 Keep Case Chapters 18	Release Information: Studio: Universal Studios (US) Aspect Ratio: Widescreen letterboxed - 1.85:1 Edition Details: • Welles' Memo • Theatrical Trailer • Production Notes • Cast and Filmmakers DVD Release Date: October 31st, 2000 Keep Case Chapters 19	Release Information: Studio: Universal Studios (UK) Aspect Ratio: Widescreen letterboxed - 1.85:1 Edition Details: • Theatrical Trailer DVD Release Date: November 10th, 2003 Keep Case Chapters 21

Comments

ADDITION: 50th Anniversary - October 8th: This new release contains the 1 hour 51 minute (Restored Version) on Disc 1 an both the 1 hour 36 minute (Theatrical Version), and the 1 hour 49 minute (Preview Version) on Disc 2.

This transfer is much improved over the previous SD-DVDs - the image is noticeably more detailed and the contrast is improved with much superior black levels. Even the 2 other editions, shared on the second dual-layered disc, seem to have excelled transfers as compared to the older editions (see comparison captures below of Marlene Dietrich).

I, personally, didn't notice an improvement with the audio (which was reasonably fine) and English, Spanish or French subtitles are still offered.

The huge additions include the 4 commentaries and the complete 'Theatrical' and 'Preview' versions of the film. It is great to hear the plethora of Welles info and the history of the film which extends to a bizarre and miraculous microcosm of the Hollywood system and the perseverance of artistic freedom. It's great to hear Jonathan Rosenbaum whom I could listen to all day. These commentarists have given much of their lives to knowledge of Orson Welles and obviously respect for his achievements. Truly one could drown in these discussions that, essentially, garner vast appreciation for the creation of the film. The first disc also has two relevant featurettes that total about 40 minutes. The original memo from Welles to the studio is included in the package. great reading!

We most whole-heartedly recommend - especially to students of film and Orson Welles. This remains an important, dark entry in cinema history.

Gary Tooze

***

ON THE ORIGINAL SD-DVDS: I think the image quality of these two releases is quite similar. The region 2/4/5 DVD has audio language options and offers subtitles in multiple languages, which could be useful for many people. The Region 1 DVD has more extras, but all of them are text-based.

- Pavel Borodin

DVD Menus

Disc 2 - 50th Anniversay

(Universal Studios (US) - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Universal Studios (UK) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL - RIGHT)

Screen Captures

1) Universal (50th Anniversary Edition) - Region 1- NTSC TOP
2) Universal Studios (US) - Region 1 - NTSC MIDDLE
3) Universal Studios (UK) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL BOTTOM

1) Universal (50th Anniversary Edition) - Region 1- NTSC TOP
2) Universal Studios (US) - Region 1 - NTSC MIDDLE
3) Universal Studios (UK) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL BOTTOM

1) Universal (50th Anniversary Edition) - Region 1- NTSC TOP
2) Universal Studios (US) - Region 1 - NTSC MIDDLE
3) Universal Studios (UK) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL BOTTOM

1) Universal (50th Anniversary Edition) - Region 1- NTSC TOP
2) Theatrical (50th Anniversary Edition) - SECOND

3) Preview (50th Anniversary Edition) - THIRD

4) Universal Studios (US) - Region 1 - NTSC FOURTH
5) Universal Studios (UK) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL BOTTOM

1) Universal (50th Anniversary Edition) - Region 1- NTSC TOP
2) Universal Studios (US) - Region 1 - NTSC MIDDLE
3) Universal Studios (UK) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL BOTTOM

1) Universal (50th Anniversary Edition) - Region 1- NTSC TOP
2) Universal Studios (US) - Region 1 - NTSC MIDDLE
3) Universal Studios (UK) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL BOTTOM

1) Universal (50th Anniversary Edition) - Region 1- NTSC TOP
2) Universal Studios (US) - Region 1 - NTSC MIDDLE
3) Universal Studios (UK) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL BOTTOM

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Report Card:

Image:	50th Anniversary
Sound:	-
Extras:	50th Anniversary
Menu:	-

DVD Box Covers

Distribution

Universal Studios (50th Anniversary Edition)

Region 1 - NTSC

Universal Studios (US)

Region 1 - NTSC

Universal Studios (UK)
Region 2,4,5 - PAL

Associated Reading (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)


This is Orson Welles by Orson Welles, Peter Bogdanovich, Jonathan Rosenbaum	Orson Welles on Shakespeare: The W.P.A. and Mercury Theatre Playscripts by Orson Welles, Simon Callow, Richard France	Orson Welles: Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers (Paperbacks)) by Orson Welles, Mark W. Estrin	The Trial by Franz Kafka	Orson Welles : The Stories of His Life by Peter Conrad	Rosebud : The Story of Orson Welles by David Thomson	Encyclopedia of Orson Welles (Great Filmmakers) by Chuck Berg, Tom Erskine, John C. Tibbetts, James M. Welsh, Thomas L. Erskine	Chimes at Midnight: Orson Welles, Director (Rutgers Films in Print) by Bridget Gellert Lyons

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