**Author\u2019s Note: The following essay includes scenes from \u201cTouch of Evil\u201d to illustrate my words. These scenes not only include spoilers to the film, but one involves implied sexual assault.<\/b><\/p>\n
\tOrson Welles never stopped pushing cinema form forward after \u201cCitizen Kane\u201d<\/i><\/a>– the problem was his resources got more and more scant, and his freedom more and more bowled over by studio interference as he went along. But watch films like \u201cChimes at Midnight\u201d<\/i><\/a>, \u201cThe Trial\u201d<\/i><\/a> and \u201cF for Fake\u201d<\/i><\/a>, and you see the devious genius at work in not only the material he is working with, but how he\u2019s crafting it into our experience watching the film. My favorite film of his is 1958\u2019s \u201cTouch of Evil\u201d<\/i><\/a>, which is renowned for not only Welles\u2019s performance but the visual landscape Welles and cinematographer Russell Metty craft. For me, though, it\u2019s the score by Henry Mancini- and how it’s deployed in the film- that has always made \u201cTouch of Evil\u201d<\/i> stand just a bit taller for me among Welles\u2019s films.<\/p>\n \tHenry Mancini is a composer best known for his comedic scores for Blake Edwards- and of course, his iconic \u201cPink Panther\u201d<\/i><\/a> theme- but his lush jazz and orchestral sensibilities found their way to films like \u201cWait Until Dark\u201d<\/i><\/a> and \u201cCharade\u201d<\/i><\/a>, as well. Mancini\u2019s work depended a lot on rhythmic complexity and sly orchestration, at times. One of the things that makes his work stand out in \u201cTouch of Evil\u201d<\/i> is how he adapted his jazz ideas to a harsher, less romantic view of humanity in Welles\u2019s noir. Befitting the film\u2019s setting in border towns on the US-Mexico border, his compositions would be at home in smoke-filled, and liquor-fueled bars and lounges; tinged with a bit of rock, the music in \u201cTouch of Evil\u201d<\/i> is the perfect companion to Welles\u2019s vision of a story of corruption and moral rot. What I hope to illuminate in this essay is what makes Mancini\u2019s score, and how Welles intended to use it, so brilliant, and one of the standout moments for film music in history.<\/p>\n \tIt\u2019s impossible to discuss \u201cTouch of Evil\u201d<\/i> without discussing the history of its making. The final film Welles made with studio backing, it- like every other non-\u201cCitizen Kane\u201d<\/i> film he had made to that point- found itself the victim of studio meddling. Famously, Welles- who was eventually taken out of the post-production process- wrote a 58-page memo detailing the changes he wished to see implemented to the film from what the studio had in mind, which was as a B-side programmer for a double feature. In 1998, many of Welles\u2019s changes were finally realized in a \u201cRestoration Cut\u201d that was met with great acclaim. I still remember watching this cut in its theatrical release, and it was probably the high point of classic film watching in a year in which I had the chance to watch several classic films on the big screen. With the advent of Blu-Ray and UHD disc, it is possible to watch all the available versions of \u201cTouch of Evil\u201d to see the differences between them, and Welles intentions. For this piece, I watched all three versions of the film- the 108-minute \u201cPreview Cut,\u201d the 96-minute \u201cTheatrical Cut,\u201d and the 111-minute \u201cRestoration Cut\u201d- courtesy Kino Lorber\u2019s UHD set. I\u2019ve only watched the \u201cRestoration Cut\u201d for the past 25 years, so I was looking forward to seeing the other versions to really notice the differences; musically, there\u2019s a fundamental difference noticed right away.<\/p>\n \tThe film begins with a 3-minute tracking shot, where we start with dynamite planted in the trunk of a car, and then we follow the car across the border, as well as Charlton Heston\u2019s Mike Vargas and his new wife, Susan, played by Janet Leigh, who are crossing on foot. In both the Preview Cut and Theatrical Cut, this has the film\u2019s opening credits over it, along with what might be considered Mancini\u2019s \u201cmain theme\u201d for the film on the soundtrack. It\u2019s a great way to open the film, with Mancini\u2019s music over the tracking shot- which sets the tone for the score- but there\u2019s a lot to notice when you get to the Restoration Cut. That main theme has its opening notes used as a sting over the Universal logo, but as the tracking shot continues, we hear the way the music is mixed into the soundscape. We get not only more of an emphasis on the sounds of the town, but we also get a primer for the music we\u2019ll hear throughout the film. The emphasis in the Restoration opening scene is in presenting Mancini\u2019s score as diegetic, which is to say, as a part of the world of the film; this is different from traditional underscore, which is a musical narrator giving us an emotional blueprint for how to feel from moment to moment. As we follow the shot, we hear music coming from a variety of sources, whether they be from far away bars or car radios, and if you listen intently, you\u2019ll notice that each piece will find itself repeated later in the film. In a lot of epics of the time, the filmmakers would have an Overture of the music playing before the film starts that hints at the musical landscape to come; here, Welles envisioned an Overture of sorts where we\u2019re given a listen at the larger picture of the score, while also setting up his story.<\/p>\n