Touch of Evil Screening Report

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

What was discussed in class was a background of the film and what it entails. We became aware of the opening being 3:22 tracking shot which is considered one of the greatest long-takes in cinema history. Also, the controversy over the main character playing a Mexican was noted in the discussion.  Recognizing the difference between soft and hard light in the film was noticeable because of what was discussed in class prior to the film playing. Although there is allot of lighting styles to choose from the as I watch the film the producer did a good job in choosing which lighting goes with what scene. It was different to what I am use to seeing in movies but it worked. 

 2) Find a related article (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) and summarize the content.  Summarize in your own words the related article but do not plagiarize any content. 

 http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-touch-of-evil-1958

The Content of the article focuses on the re-modification of the film and its relationship to Orson Welles original idea.  The article addresses that the destinies

 of all of the main characters are tangled from beginning to end, and the photography makes that point by trapping them in the same shots, or tying them together through cuts that match and resonate. The story moves not in a straight line, but as a series of loops which was because of the fact that Universal studios took the film from Orson Welles and removed some things.  The article also points out the 58 page letter that allow Welles to get his point across and stop the confusion of what the film really was about. The final and original film was redirected by Rick Schmidlin and edited by Walter Murch. Although the film wasn't fully what Welles originally intended it to be, it still showed the majority of what he envisioned. 

 3) Apply the article to the film screened in class. How did the article support or change the way you thought about the film, director, content, etc.? 

By reading the article it got me thinking of all the problems that goes on before creating a final piece of production. Now I am interested in viewing the other versions of the film that may still be out there. Welles who played Hank Quinlan in the film was a bulky man in the film, but according to the article I learned that he added more padding under his clothing to make him even bulker and the placement of the camera angle to help as well.  Going into details of one of the investigator (Vargas ) , reading the article I found out something I did not really pay attention to or understood well in the film, that is that the hotel that Vargas wife was checked into was owned by Gandi family. A ironic thing perhaps.  

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article. I am less interested in whether you liked or disliked a film, (although that can be part of this) than I am in your understanding of its place in film history or the contributions of the directo

From the history given in class about the film and how the lighting was placed in the scenes it was an insight of the work producers had to put in in order to establish a good production, especially how they envision it to be. Welles wrote a very interesting story, there are few things that the article I read suggested and I would agree with and that is during the bomb scene. It would've ben better to hear the off-screen explosion first, stay on Mike and Susan Vargas as they run to the burning car, and then cut; instead of going to the bomb first and then to the couple. The plot and the struggle between the two main characters Vargas and Quanlin were suspenseful and well played. I would like to see the other versions of the film and compare. 

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM 1) ( ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class. 2) ( ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper. 3) ( ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text. 4) ( ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper. 5) ( ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read. 6) ( ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography. 7) ( ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality. 8) ( ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper. Name: ____Kebeh Sando__________________________________ Date: _11/12/15______