Textual Analysis

The ‘Touch of Evil’ opening scene inaugurates with a long take filmed through a continuous flow of events. The filmed was directed by legendary, artistic and pioneering director Orson Welles who made this filmed entitled as one of the last greatest film noirs of the period. We first open with the ‘Universal Studios logo’ establishing credit to the production and distribution studio that marketed the film. We fade to black then open with a character holding a bomb facing the camera. He swifts out of frame and hides from characters walk in the alley way beside, he anxiously toward them takes a glance and runs. Through the mise en scene we see his shadow move fast, due to the use of the shadow on a connotation level the shadow could suggest that the character is unable to identify with hinting the role of the antagonist. His menace remains because he is anonymous and he delivers a potential threat to a male and female entering the car as he places a bomb in the boot. The camera moves up and follows the camera passing building through a high angled shot, the cinematography and ambient sounds reveal the amplitude and immediate threat to other citizens. The car drives with the camera then the two protagonists Ramon Miguel ‘Mike’ Vargas (Charlton Heston) and ‘Susan Susie Vargas’ (Janet Leigh) walk into frame. The diegetic ambient live music adds to the verisimilitude of the scene and the busy atmosphere is illustrated when the cars run past the characters, also we see wild sheep on the road. The security protection is determined first when the guards walk past the frame and a character asks Susie for identification and proof of birth. Vargas’ reputation is established when they know who he’s a detective and his history is made evident when they recognise his previous cases. The suspense of the scene is shown through dialogue when the woman with the bomb in the truck thinks there a ticking noise in her head and no one believe her, thus playing on one of the human horror of lack of control. Their personal romance is made clear through a kiss and finally we straight cut to the car exploding and the bomb going off. Orson Wells leads us through the scene with suspense due to the long take that slowly builds up tension and he leaves the narrative with the question of who planted the bomb and why?