Touch of Evil

I'm not certain what Touch of Evil refers to. Does it mean we all have some of it within us, just a bit? Or does it mean "touch" as in something foul reaches out and taps us, and we're instantly affected, perhaps marked as unclean? You could go either way with this movie.

Quinlan (Orson Welles) certainly has a bit of evil within him, both in how he gets his man, and in how far he's willing to go to save his reputation. Miguel Vargas (Charlton Heston) has perhaps a bit of it later on, when he barges into bars and begins attacking people, looking for his wife. His shirt is ripped open, his hair a mess, eyes wild. Joe Grandi (Akim Tamiroff) has it in his family business, and the deal he cooks up with Quinlan to discredit Vargas, removing him as a thorn from both their sides. Quinlan's friend Menzies has a bit of evil, depending on your point of view, in either his assistance of Quinlan's deeds all these years, or in his betrayal of him later on.

I'm not sure who exactly who be the something foul that reaches out and touches all of them. It could be the man who killed Mr. Linnekar at the beginning, since that's what draws all the players together. It could be Grandi, a dishonest, sleazy man desperate to save his family. But it could also be the man who killed Quinlan's wife decades ago.

Because I think the film is all about Quinlan ultimately. Linnekar's death is almost an afterthought, foreshadowed immediately beforehand when he tries to get through the border crossing. He's impatient, eager to get home with the young 'strip teaser' he's picked up. But the guards ignore him, more interested in asking Vargas and his wife Susan (Janet Leigh) what they're up to and how the Grandi case is going. Linnekar's eventually let through, and then he dies. Joe Grandi has his plans, but its notable that Quinlan regards him as little more than an amusement early on. Even later, when they work together, the camera stays focused on Quinlan, even if all he does is sit and listen, while Grandi moves about, a small figure in the background. All of Menzies actions and struggles are tied up in his loyalty to Quinlan. Tana (played by Marlene Dietrich), is only in the movie because of some past association she and Quinlan had. he regards her place as one of his better days, a safe haven.

This focus on Quinlan is interesting, and it produces a lot of questions (did his going on the wagon coincide with planting evidence? is he aware that's what he does, or is he delusional enough he convinces himself his lies are true?), but it does have some unfortunate results. Susan is assaulted, drugged, probably gang raped, and it's all sort of brushed aside. There's more attention paid to the smell of weed on her clothes than anything else, and the fact is this is Quinlan's doing. And you could argue that his attempt to wreck Vargas only made Miguel more determined to bring him down, but the movie still seems to treat it as though Susan will wake up from her drugged stupor in the car with her husband, and all will be well.

I've watched the theatrical version, and the one that was restored in accordance with the 50+ page memo Welles sent the studio execs. I'd like to watch that version again, after reading the memo, to see how well I pick up on the things Welles had in mind (also, truth be told, I wasn't completely focused on the film on the first viewing). Maybe the memo will explain the ridiculous Dennis Weaver character.