Touch of Evil, 1958. Directed by Orson Welles. Starring Orson Welles, Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff, Marlene Dietrich, and Zsa Zsa Gabor. SYNOPSIS: Orson Welles’ classic Touch of Evil, which suffered from a troubled production history before being restored to his original vision more than a decade after he died, arrives on […]
10 Great Long Takes
Tom Jolliffe looks at some of the best long takes in cinema history… The beauty of cinema, is the sheer litany of techniques available for film-makers to convey their story. It’s a collaborative effort between actors, directors, cinematographers, editors and everyone in between. The power of editing lies in the ability to manipulate the audiences […]
The Cop on the Edge
Tom Jolliffe on the well-worn but effective cop on the edge trope… Cinema can often be pretty simple. Good guys are often morally upstanding. Bad guys often irredeemably corrupt. Your good guy might be a cop, your bad guy a crook. The hero might have a foible or two, but is generally psychologically on an […]
1930’s-50’s: The Golden Age of Mystery Films
Tom Jolliffe on why the 30’s to 50’s were a golden age for mystery films… Whether it’s a murder mystery, or a cat and mouse quest to uncover a mystery, the 1930’s, up until the end of the 1950’s saw a prolific output of mystery films. Across world cinema, from Britain, to Hollywood to Europe […]
Movie Review – Touch of Evil (1958)
Touch of Evil, 1958. Directed by Orson Welles. Starring Charlton Heston, Orson Welles and Janet Leigh. SYNOPSIS: A stark, perverse story of murder, kidnapping, and police corruption in a Mexican border town. Exquisite deep shadows and sharp light, beaming from the screen, make Touch of Evil a film noir classic. A staple of the genre, […]
Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil getting a big screen re-release this July, check out the trailer here
Orson Welles’ 1958 noir masterpiece Touch of Evil is returning to the big screen this summer thanks to the BFI, and you can check out a trailer for the re-release right here… Charlton Heston (starring here as Mexican border cop Mike Vargas) was apparently instrumental in persuading B-movie producer Albert Zugsmith to hire Orson Welles […]