Review of Touch of Evil (1958) by Sb S — 26 Nov 2009

This is quite simply the best film ever. There's so much to praise here, I don't know where to start. How about we begin with the musical score. This is the closest I've found to absolute perfection in terms of blending the music in with the action on screen. Such a superb job was done mixing this film, that the background music almost always apears to be ambient sound, an organic part of the scene. From the rhythm and beats of the street eminating from the nearby clubs to the music blaring in the hotel speakers, much of the music originates from the scene itself. In the final chapter of the film, the background music falls away altogether as the tension builds. Then, at just the climactic moment, the music cuts in again giving the climax that extra punch.

The camera-work is nothing short of breathtaking. This is Orson Welles at the top of his form. He demonstrates his expertise in montage in a number of pivotal scenes, particularly the scene in which Grandi is strangled, and in the scene where Janet Leigh's character is confronted by the group of thugs in her hotel room. The use of low angles to create a feeling of awe and wonder, and the way in which distance is used to give the audience the uncomfortable feeling of the vouyer demonstrate just a few of the techniques that litter the film. Every shot is expertly framed, and the camera moves with such elgant style and grace, the entire movie is like one well orchastrated dance. In short Touch of Evil is nothing short of a masterpiece.