Touch of Evil
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In Touch of Evil, Orson Welles shapes a standard crime story in a new way by the creative use of the camera and by strong characterizations. The opening sequence is justifiably famous and sets the tone for the work--it involves a mixture of different levels of action, with characters introduced in passing as they move through the landscape, and with the movement of the camera carrying the viewer from one plane of action to another as suspense is created by the expectation that the bomb the audience has seen placed in the car will explode. The long take that constitutes the first several minutes of the film unifies the action on both sides of the border and makes the viewer an observer in a more direct fashion than is usual. The fluidity of Welles's camera is evident in this scene and in alter scenes, notably another sequence with a lengthy take, that in the motel room as the search is made for a clue that is found after the viewer has been given evidence that no clue is there. Welles using camera angles in different ways to emphasize aspects of a scene in this film. When the sheriff emerges from his vehicle, he is shot from below to create a sense of size and power. At the end of the film, this is reversed as the camera looks down on him as he slumps along the bank of the viaduct, a man much diminished by the knowledge we have acquired of him and his methods. Skewed camera angles are used in the Mexican motel to recreate the experience of Janet Leigh as she is thre
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al event that has been studied and written about by Western historians since the day it happened. In the film, it serves as the conclusion to which the story is tending from the beginning. Wyatt is a reluctant marshal for the town at first, and it is evident from his first clash with the Clantons that the story will end in the usual way, with a shootout. Ford, however, is as interested in developing a sense of community in Tombstone as in dealing with the gunfight itself. Earp is shown as a man who has been wandering most of his life but who is now ready to settle down. The life of the people of the town reflects the sort of community Ford creates in many of his films, with a dedication to music, community dances, and the goal of building a society that will make the West a good place to live.
Ford directs in a series of medium and long shots for the most part, except when he is trying to increase tension in the gunfight with a series of closeups. He sets the camera back and presents the scene as if it were a tableau so that the viewer stands as a spectator. We see this when the settlers are dancing. We watch Wyatt Earp sitting on the sidewalk before the jail and balancing himself on a chair because he is bored. The gun
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Approximate Word count = 1761
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
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