Afternoon at the Movies with Theo Siegel - Touch of Evil

About this event

Costa Mesa - Donald Dungan, Costa Mesa - Donald Dungan. “Touch of Evil”, released in 1958, marked Orson Welles’ final effort to navigate the Hollywood studio system. He adapted the screenplay from a pulp crime novel and directed this film noir masterpiece. The cast features Charlton Heston as a Mexican narcotics agent, Janet Leigh as his spouse, Marlene Dietrich, and Welles himself as a corrupt police agent. Welles” innovative use of camera angles, lighting, and sound to portray corruption in a Mexican-American border town creates a vibrant and thrilling movie. He infused the project with a fervor he hadn’t shown since his groundbreaking work on “Citizen Kane,” his directorial debut. Sadly, a nervous Universal Pictures took control of the final cut and butchered the film. Welles even penned a 50-page memo to the studio with suggestions for their version, but they turned him down. It wasn’t until a restored version was released in 1998 for the Cannes Film Festival that audiences finally got to see the film as Welles envisioned it. Discover these fascinating details and more from the movie guy as we discuss “Touch of Evil” featuring Orson Welles, Charton Heston, Janet Leigh, and Marlene Dietrich, followed by a screening of the film.

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