Mexican Narcotics officer Ramon Miguel 'Mike' Vargas has to interrupt his honeymoon on the Mexican-US border when an American building contractor is killed after someone places a bomb in his car. He's killed on the US side of the border but it's clear that the bomb was planted on the Mexican side. As a result, Vargas delays his return to Mexico City where he has been mounting a case against the Grandi family crime and narcotics syndicate. Police Captain Hank Quinlan is in charge on the US side and he soon has a suspect, a Mexican named Manolo Sanchez. Vargas is soon onto Quinlan and his Sergeant, Pete Menzies, when he catches them planting evidence to convict Sanchez. With his new American wife, Susie, safely tucked away in a hotel on the US side of the border - or so he thinks - he starts to review Quinlan's earlier cases. While concentrating on the corrupt policeman however, the Grandis have their own plans for Vargas and they start with his wife Susie.
I had more appreciation of Orson Wells after I saw Citizen Kane. I knew most of his story. I knew what his background was and even his gift of telling a great story. I wanted to know more about his films and his directorial efforts. His films were different and odd, but they told a well proven story that very few who can actually remake or redo. I liked the way Orson did thinks with such professionalism. His stuff was the making of a great legend. I wish I lived in the time that he was popular because I would have seen his films first run. Very few directors I can say that about and he is one of them.
I was at my local Art-House cinema one day checking out a John Sayles film when I was walking up the stairs from my seat when a friend who I have not seen in a while approached me with an film that was coming to the theater. He told me that it was wonderful to see me at the movie, but he told me that they are going to play a Film Noir tribute and wondered if I would love to come see them presented. I had some Film Noir in my collection like Laura, and Maltese Falcon. I did not know that there were other classics out there that had to be watched. My film education had to be expanded and I told him I would go to these films. They showed the two I mentioned above, but they also showed films I have never seen before. These are the films that I knew that I would love to this day. These films alone I was told will speak volumes in my learning about style and understanding the history of cinema.
The week long tribute of movies had a great impact on what I was learning about classic cinema. I saw styles and ideas that I don't think could ever be done this way again. Film is great because if the story is told really well, there is no reason to remake the film. There is a general consensus that these films are classic. There are a few that actually try to do the uneventful and sometimes they just don't have the same power or impact as the first. I have been a lobbyist for some 60's and 70's films of that idea. At the end of this week they debut a Orson Welles controversial film called Touch of Evil.
This film caught my eye because when I saw the trailer for during the week, it had an interesting twist. The movie had been been not to popular with the film audience and it was supposed to be never seen again. Welles viewed the new cut and wrote a 58-page memo to Universal's head of production, Edward Muhl, detailing what he thought needed to be done to make the film work. However, many of his suggestions went unheeded and Touch of Evil was eventually released in a version running 93 minutes. In the short of it there was a re-release of the film in the 70's and also at one point came out on video. In 1998 the restored one came out in select theaters and to this day is as close as Orson wanted. I watched this 1998 version with great interest. I thought what Orson wanted was amazing and well put together. I put it quickly on my tops of film likes and always wondered why the film world in 1958 did not like it. For more information the Wiki site on the movie is well done and presented to give you an idea about the background.
The film has special meaning to me because I like movies that have questioned for it's not so simple formula of being put out. I like films that question the very essence of movie making. Touch of Evil is a great film because Orson Welles acting is actually pretty damn good. It is a movie that has a good deal of small roles that actually add so much to a great piece of work. Don't take my word for it, I would check this film out. Classic!! Enjoy!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment