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starring: Joe Basulto, Joseph Calleia, Ray Collins, Marlene Dietrich, Zsa Zsa Gabor
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9781558804227
Format: Black & White, HiFi Sound, NTSC
ISBN: 1558804226
Label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Universal Studios
Release Date: March 01, 1992
Running Time: 95 minutes
Sales Rank: 14175
Studio: Universal Studios
Theatrical Release Date: 1958
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video:
Considered by many to be the greatest B movie ever made, the original-release version of Orson Welles's film noir masterpiece Touch of Evil was, ironically, never intended as a B movie at all--it merely suffered that fate after it was taken away from writer-director Welles, then reedited and released in 1958 as the second half of a double feature. Time and critical acclaim would eventually elevate the film to classic status (and Welles's original vision was meticulously followed for the film's 1998 restoration), but for four decades this original version stood as a testament to Welles's directorial genius. From its astonishing, miraculously choreographed opening shot (lasting over three minutes) to Marlene Dietrich's classic final line of dialogue, this sordid tale of murder and police corruption is like a valentine for the cinematic medium, with Welles as its love-struck suitor. As the corpulent cop who may be involved in a border-town murder, Welles faces opposition from a narcotics officer (Charlton Heston) whose wife (Janet Leigh) is abducted and held as the pawn in a struggle between Heston's quest for truth and Welles's control of carefully hidden secrets. The twisting plot is wildly entertaining (even though it's harder to follow in this original version), but even greater pleasure is found in the pulpy dialogue and the sheer exuberance of the dazzling directorial style. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - unleashes an electrical charge!
A bomb goes off in a car across the Mexican border and a man is chosen to take the rap. Meanwhile another man of the law who's on his way to his honeymoon with his bride, suspects a police frame-up. Forced by his conscience, he takes on the corrupt and the criminal and puts himself and his newlywed wife in grave danger. Welles' Touch Of Evil is a cruel-realized poem of corruption, greed and murder. It's a dark, vicious, chaotic world and from the first scene to the last, Welles holds it together, ... Read More
Rating: - "He was some kind of a man." "Adios."
I love this set,definitely worth the wait. If your a fan of classic cinema,or love Orson Welles. Get it. "You know he's pretty good."
Rating: - One of the best murder scenes
The great underappreciated actor here is Akim Tamiroff. Next time you watch it try to picture how much less great it would be if an inferior actor had played his role. "Make 'em nice an' big!"
Rating: - Welles and film noir: a winning combination
Simply put, Touch of Evil (as Orson Welles wrote and shot it) ranks as one of the best film noirs in Hollywood history. Touch of Evil attains this classic status through the brilliant directing of Orson Welles, a script that remains true to the spirit of film noir, and exceptional acting.
Welles' finesse behind the camera quickly sucks the reader into the seedy underbelly of a city straddling the US/Mexico border. The first three minutes or so simply set the stage for the movie by following ... Read More
Rating: - Orson Welles and Noir
Fete of Death
Famous for its opening, extended tracking shot in Mexico, and rightly so, "Touch of Evil" is Welles's best film--even better than "Citizen Kane." Not many people will agree with me on that judgment. Though I recognize Welles's virtuoso technical work as director in "Citizen Kane," I find the movie dull, and, oddly, lacking in dramatic value. It plays like a carnival sideshow, with Welles the carny huckster presiding over it. I've seen it in its entirety once and have no desire to sit ... Read More
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