Skip to main content

Ted: Deep Space in Touch of Evil



Ted Kakasenko
Film Aesthetics 10/29/18
Deep Space in Touch of Evil


In Orson Welles’ 1958 film, Touch of Evil, follows a Mexican drug enforcement agent by the name of Miguel Vargas as he investigates into potentially corrupt police captain, Hank Quinlan. Therefore, corruption is a very prominent theme in this film, and the audience learns to not trust everything for what it seems to be. In many scenes of the film, an action will be taking place on one part of the screen while different characters are in the background doing something entirely different. To complement this, Orson Welles uses deep space in the film’s cinematography to show each scene from multiple perspectives.


The first example of this can be seen at the beginning of the film, which is one single tracking shot of a bomb being planted in the trunk of a car, and two passengers entering shortly after. As the car drives down the street, it pans into a tracking shot of Vargas walking with his wife down a nearby sidewalk towards the Mexican border. As they approach, the camera pulls out to show both the car and Mr. and Mrs. Vargas in frame. Once again, the camera pans back to the vehicle as the woman in the passenger seat exclaims that she hears a ticking sound. Finally, the car drives off screen and the camera cranes into Vargas and his wife who are about to witness the explosion. For the entire scene, the audience is kept in suspense as they wait for the bomb to detonate and for Vargas to react. In addition, this scene contains an insanely large amount of camera movement. The only way for the camera to keep up with both characters is if the cinematographer utilized a longer lense, and deeper space. This is because the car and the couple would both be out of for all the moments in the shot where the camera pulls out into a wide.


Another key example of this can be seen at the very end of the film, when Vargas is tracking Quinlan and his partner Menzies through an old oil field, in an attempt to catch them confessing to being corrupt. In this scene, Welles utilizes deep space to maintain eye-lines between Vargas and the two partners. As Quinlan walks through the oil field with Menzies, Vargas stalks them from above. Therefore, Vargas is shot from low angles, and Quinlan is shot from high angles. Flat space cannot be used in this scene, because of the considerable distance between the two. Therefore, a greater depth of field keeps both characters in view and matches the tone of the scene.





In summary, Touch of Evil is a film that deals with the theme of corruption, and not believing that everything is exactly as it seems. In order to do this, the audience needs to examine everything closer and more in-depth. The use of deep space in this film allows us to do this, by seeing what lurks in the background of every shot.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Power of Lionel Dobie's Painting

In his short film, Life Lessons, Martin Scorsese shows off his directing skills and techniques in a variety of ways. Throughout the film, he utilizes stylized camera techniques to enhance the story and make it visually interesting. Those camera techniques combined with his direction produces a very compelling and entertaining film. One scene, in particular, stands out as a great example of the directing skills of Scorsese. In that scene, we see Paulette go from being determined to leave New York to her falling back under Dobie’s spell and deciding to stay. This scene stands out due to the fact that rather than dialog, it utilizes visuals and music to successfully convey Paulette’s decision to remain with Dobie in New York. Approximately halfway through the film, we are shown a conversation between Paulette and her mother. Paulette wants to come home because she feels that she has no future as a painter after Lionel cannot compliment her work. Towards the end of the conversation,...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Symbolisms of Life Lessons

The Symbolisms of Life Lessons Martin Scorsese’s Life Lessons is a story about Lionel Dobie desperately trying to finish his painting for his upcoming show in three weeks. He uses his muse, Paulette as his only inspiration. Within the film itself, there are small elements such as the set design, props, or costume choices that are either symbolic or expands on the personality of both characters. These elements are not very obvious but they add just that tiny bit of believability and symbolism to the film. Most will not notice if these props and costumes choices are changed, but to me, they accessorize the main plot of the whole story very gracefully. The hole in the wall imagery relates to the dynamic between Dobie’s and Paulette’s relationship. By having Dobie gazing into Paulette’s room through a hole in the wall, Scorsese is creating a metaphor for looking into the abyss. Dobie is ultimately trapped in his own sexual temptations. More specifically it creates a Romeo and Jul...
Post a Comment
Read more

Limited and Flat Space in Rear Window

Limited and Flat Space in Rear Window By: Cassie Galonsky The film Rear Window , directed by Alfred Hitchcock, uses different types of space to convey the story that he is telling.  The film is shot with space in mind to create different feelings for the audience. Limited space and flat space are both used at different points, in order to portray different things.  The majority of the film is told through the eyes of L.B. Jeffries, or Jeff, a freelance photographer who has been confined to his apartment as his broken leg heals. Alfred Hitchcock uses the opportunity to demonstrate to the audience his confinement with the different types of space.   During the course of the story, Jeff observes the actions of his neighbors through his open window.  One day, he sees a series of events that leads him to believe that one of his neighbors, Thorwald, has murdered his wife after her unexplained disappearance.  He enlists in the help of his gir...
Post a Comment
Read more