Touch evil
Welcome to Screen Gems, our weekend delves into adjacent queer and queer headlines from the past that deserve a watch or re-watch.
The masterpiece: Touch of Evil
God bless Marlene Deitrich, the sex bomb screen star who has never been ashamed of her sexual release or sexual conquests. During a career that spanned almost 70 years, Deitrich rose to fame for his iconic performances on stage and on screen, as well as for many lovers of both sexes. When told about his relationships with women, Deitrich joked “In Europe it doesn’t matter if you are male or female – we make love with whoever finds us attractive.”
We’re tempted to list Deitrich’s most famous lovers here, but we’re afraid we’ll never get over that digression – she’s had a lot. Instead, we’ve come to highlight Deitrich’s last big performance as a fortune teller in the crime thriller Touch of Evil.
Touch of Evil follows Mexican narcotics agent Mike Vargas (Charlton Heston) and his new American wife Suzie (Janet Leigh) on their honeymoon. A time bomb explodes in a US-Mexico border town, prompting an investigation by Vargas and local police chief Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles, who also directed). Once hailed as a hero, Quinlan has grown into a fat old alcoholic who doesn’t hide his racism and contempt for Mexicans. This puts him at odds with Vargas, even as the couple uncover evidence that the Grandi family – a gang of drug dealers under investigation by Vargas – planted the bomb. Vargas also uncovers evidence that Quinlan trapped suspects in a series of cases. Panicked, Quinlan makes a deal with the Grandi family to kidnap Suzie.
We won’t reveal more than that here, as Touch of Evil has achieved legendary status for its twists, turns, and wild reveals. We’ll add, however, that Deitrich has a pivotal role in stealing scenes as a fortune teller / Madame Tanya, a woman who once had an affair with Quinlan. The movie hints that the two still carry torches for each other, or would, if Quinlan could control his demons. Deitrich conveys this to the public with discreet use of his charisma; watch the way she moves her eyes or holds her shoulders in her scenes in front of Welles’ Quinlan. Tanya is a woman flooded with sadness, but no regret.
Touch of Evil feels a bit dated at times – despite a terrific performance, it’s hard not to roll your eyes seeing Heston as a Mexican. In an age of border walls, an influx of migrants, and homeland security, we also laugh at the ease with which the characters commute between Mexico and the United States. These quibbles aside, the film is not only one of the great dark thrillers, but also one of the greatest films ever made. Although Heston and Leigh are headlining, the real star here is Welles, who gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Quinlan, and whose haunting direction has upped the ante on camera rides and performance. staged since. The film’s iconic opening shot is three and a half minutes long and shows the camera plunging down alleys, rooftops, traffic, and bends – a feat modern directors would struggle to pull off, even with a safe. computer tricks.
Movies are no better than Touch of Evil. It’s a must-have for moviegoers or LGBTQ people looking for queer characters in movie history. Starring ethical dilemmas, a labyrinthine plot, and stellar performances, the film doesn’t just have everything we’d want in a thriller; on the contrary, it has everything that makes us love movies in the first place.
Streams on Amazon, YouTube, and VUDU.
