Now that we can compare all three versions of Orson Welles’s Touch of Evil on DVD, here are the last twelve pages from Welles’s original script, so we can see just how much Welles concept evolved during the actual shooting of the film. This script includes Welles changes up until February 16, 1957, two days […]
To introduce Mercedes McCambridge’s comments about her one day of work with Orson Welles on Touch of Evil, I think it’s interesting to note that although she had won an Academy Award, she was not deemed worthy enough by Universal to be listed alongside Marlene Dietrich and and Zsa Zsa Gabor as one of the […]
As Marlene Dietrich reports in her autobiography, MARLENE, the Academy Awards have had a long history of embarrassing mistakes. A prime example of this occurred in 1933, when a movie called CALVACADE won best picture. Does any movie goer alive actually remember this forgotten film? That same year a little picture called KING KONG received […]
In 1958, the year Touch of Evil and Vertigo were released, these were the nominees for best picture: Auntie Mame, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Defiant Ones, Gigi (the winner) and Separate Tables. Besides Richard Brooks bowdlerized version of Tennessee William’s great play, I don’t own any of these pictures. I certainly don’t […]
Universal Home Entertainment has released an official press release containing some additional details about the features that will be on their two-disc set of TOUCH OF EVIL, due out October 7, 2008. Charlton Heston on TOUCH OF EVIL: We finished shooting on TOUCH OF EVIL down on the canals in Venice, California, after we had […]
On the odd chance you haven’t already seen the news elsewhere, Universal finally announced the rumored Touch of Evil special edition DVD, one that will include all three versions of the film, namely the preview version, the release version, and the 1998 “memo restoration” version. As per the Universal press release, the set will include: […]
The Criterion Collection, purveyors of high class DVDs, today announced that they were entering the Blu-ray field with a spate of fall releases, one of which is Carol Reed’s classic The Third Man, featuring Welles in one of his most iconic roles as Harry Lime. This was announced via their newsletter, and it doesn’t appear […]
The upcoming Chris Welles Feder hosted screening of Touch of Evil at the Staten Island Film Festival on June 5th, reminds us that this year marks the 50th Anniversary since Touch of Evil premiered in New York (on May 21, 1958). Since it appears that Universal Home video will not be re-visiting their bare-bones DVD […]
Rare behind the scenes shot of Orson Welles, Charlton Heston and camera operator Philip Lathrop during the shooting of Touch of Evil. ________________________________________ Actor Charlton Heston has died, at age 84, in his home in Beverly Hills. The heroic actor won many honors in his long and prolific career, but for Wellesnet readers, perhaps his […]
With the impending release of Warner Bros. last man on earth story, I Am Legend, I recently re-watched Charlton Heston in The Omega Man, the second abortive attempt at bringing Richard Matheson’s classic end of the world novel to the screen, and noted a few interesting similarities between it and Welles’ Touch of Evil, as they were both […]
Given the ongoing controversy over how Touch of Evil should be exhibited – at 1.85 or 1.33 – here are Orson Welles own thoughts about filming in CinemaScope, VistaVision and other wide screen film processes, as published in the 1958 International Film Annual, No. 2 edited by William Whitebait. Strangely enough, the book was published […]