A Touch of Evil by Orson Welles - Book Report/Review Example

With reference to either film noir or melodrama discuss how these films seek to articulate and respond to the demands of their implied audience The film that will be discussed in relation to this question is A Touch of Evil, by Orson Welles. This film was directed in the classic period of the forties and fifties, which was heavily associated with film noir. Orson Wells directed a film with a multitude of narrative derails that lent upon perspective and cross narrative structure to make the narrative apply to more than just the scope of the films immediate plot. In this way he catered to the audience expectation that a film noir has deeper levels of meaning than just the various plot conventions and rather foreboding characterizations that it is known for. In A Touch of Evil, we see evidence of this implied audience through the fact that there is more than one protagonist who dictates plot direction throughout the plot narrative. In film noir we see a tendency to deter from linear narratives and see that although the focus of plot and structure is still steered towards that of a congruent outcome, periphery characters and juxtaposition of scenes frequently blight and confuse the narrative often leaving elements ambiguous and open to viewer interpretation (Silver, 1992). The audience of film noir appreciated such ambiguity, indeed, they almost expected it. A Touch of Evil supplied it in abudance. Devoid of traditional third person narration, we see that the opening scene immediately gives direction to the plot and a story essence in keeping with the genre. A car bombing in a provincial Mexican border town intended for a Mexican law man brings together both the basis for the main narrative and the character who is to bring closure to the narrative - namely the detective played by Welles himself. However, it is not long before this closed plot narrative becomes filled with other scenes and narratives that elude to concepts that exist outside of the plot itself. For instance, we see that the wife of the Mexican law man is taken away from the narrative of who-dunnit and is brought before a gang member who is concerned with matters in Mexico. Although in her conversation to the gang's boss she constantly refers to her husband's significance and clear purpose of his visit to the town, the gang lord himself constantly tries to detract from this narrative meaning to one of his own and his people's perspective. For instance, on failing to gain the focus and perspective of the narrative, the gang lord says to the law man's wife in an aggressive manner 'just a little while ago this was a quiet, peaceful town around here, until [your husband] showed up' (Welles, 1958). However, this is interrupted with an air of superiority by the law man's wife who interjects by asserting that 'Mr. You said that you had something for my husband don't you think it's time you gave it to me' (Welles, 1958). Although this narrative display relates to the main narrative of story and plot, this scene does little to effect the meaning and significance of the main narrative. The law man's wife never explicitly tells her husband of the encounter; only that she wishes to leave. Although this can be seen as a plot mechanism to draw attention to the mounting pressures upon the law man's seemingly relentless investigations, it fails to do so due to the ineffective nature of his wife's subsequent encounters. However, when considering the very real cultural and social pressures of Mexican / American border changes of the period in which the film was made we can see that this narrative is effective in a wider and more open context. The women within the audience will feel that perhaps they would face a similar situation and react in a similar manner. Should a woman tell her husband of such an encounter' Conversely, the men within the audience may wonder how much they know of their wives' actions when they are away from them at work. Again, Welles assumed that his implied audience will want to think about their own lives in the context of the film, and to be disturbed by the conclusions. This suggests two things. Firstly, this elusion to cultural realities suggests a validity of the claim that mainstream films cannot be taken away from the cultural realities that inform them or the time in which they were produced and consumed, or separated from the struggles that they are a part of (Byars, 1991). Secondly, this use of female character representation suggests that, although the female role is strong, it is not in keeping with the tradition of the erotic agency of the femme fatale of other films of this genre (Silver, 1995). There is little indication of erotic realization in her character's strength, only in the eroticism inferred by the young gang members that hold her hostage. This feminine eroticism has been used as a defining categorization for the structure of film noir, but is clearly rejected in this film due to its stereotypical simplicity. This acts in convoluting and disturbing the linear progression of the story's narrative, without traditional female characters, that many critics have suggested are essential to the film noir genre (Hansberry, 1998). This change of female character is more in keeping with the 50's idealized notion of a non outwardly sexual yet strong and independent femininity, which again provides evidence to support the weight of both the implied audience and the material conditions of the film's production. In some ways, the refusal to play into the "open sexuality" of the genre of film noir means that Welles is openly challenging it. He is making a unique film rather than an example of a particular genre. As one of the most renowned film-makers of his time, this is what his audience would expect. In terms of style, A Touch of Evil uses the traditional low key, low lighting and dark contrast shading to create a mood of ambivalence from which ambiguity can be inferred from the implied audience (Silver, 1999). This acts in supporting the very selfish role of the detective, which appears to be born of isolation as he constantly indulges in the parting of his wife, in contrast to the very dignified role of the law man that appears born of the honor found in a successful marriage. For instance, the detective constantly seeks intimacy with a prostitute referring to a former life asking 'have you forgotten your old friend' whilst seeing the plot of the story as something unimportant (Welles, 1958). Contrastingly, the law man consistently refers to the narrative of the plot saying to his wife's suggestion of leaving that 'if you are taking that plane I'm very glad' and leaves his wife to her own will whilst he focuses upon investigating the legalities and modalities of the investigation with which the plot centers (Welles, 1958). This provides the dichotomous plot and main narrative recognized as being essential to films of the noir genre. However, it also opens up the narrative to diverse and split narratives from which we are able to observe grander and more diverse concepts than a linear closed narrative could achieve. Welles was clearly aware of audience expectations regarding a film advertised as a film noir during the 1950's, and the at least partially met them. The moody, often dismal lighting of the piece together with the disturbing camera angles and often isolated, ruthless characters all fit into these expectations. Yet he also brought his own unique vision to the movie, something which transcended the pat generalizations of more formulaic films. A Touch of Evil can be regarded as an Orson Welles film first, and a film noir movie second. This is what his audience would have expected. Works Cited http://www.filmreference.com/Films-Thr-Tur/Touch-of-Evil.html http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060227/klawans Welles, Orson. (director). A Touch of Evil. 1958. Read More