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Touch of Evil begins with one of the most brilliant sequences in the history of cinema; and ends with one of the most brilliant final scenes ever committed to celluloid. In between unfurls a picture whose moral, sexual, racial, and aesthetic attitudes remain so radical as to cross borders established not only in 1958, but in the present age also.

Charlton Heston portrays Mike Vargas, the Mexican chief of narcotics who sets out to uncover the facts surrounding a car bomb that has killed a wealthy American businessman on the US side of the border. As Vargas investigates, his newly-wed wife Susie (Janet Leigh, two years before Hitchcock’s Psycho) is kidnapped by a gang out to exact vengeance for the prosecution of the brother of their leader (Akim Tamiroff). Meanwhile, Vargas’ enquiries become progressively more obfuscated by the American cop Hank Quinlan (played by Welles himself, in one of the most imposing and unforgettable screen performances of his career), a besotted incarnation of corruption who alternately conspires with Susie’s captors and seeks solace in the brothel of the Gypsy madame (Marlene Dietrich) who comforted him in bygone times.

Welles’ final studio-system picture has at last become secure in its status as one of the greatest films ever made. It remains a testament to the genius of Welles –– a film of Shakespearean richness, inexhaustible. The Masters of Cinema Series is extremely proud to present Touch of Evil in on Ultra HD Blu-ray.

STANDARD EDITION TWO-DISC 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY FEATURES:

4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentations of all three versions, presented in Dolby Vision HDR: the Theatrical version (95 mins), the Preview version (109 mins), and the 1998 Reconstruction (110 mins) | Four audio commentaries, featuring: restoration producer Rick Schmidlin (reconstructed version); actors Charlton Heston & Janet Leigh, with Schmidlin (reconstructed version); critic F. X. Feeney (theatrical version); and Welles scholars James Naremore & Jonathan Rosenbaum (preview version) | Video interview with critic, broadcaster and cultural historian Matthew Sweet | Video interview with critic Tim Robey | Video interview with author and critic Kim Newman | Bringing Evil to Life + Evil Lost and Found – two video pieces, featuring interviews with cast and crew, as well as critics and admirers | Original theatrical trailer | PLUS: A collector’s booklet featuring writings by Orson Welles, François Truffaut, André Bazin, and Terry Comito

PRESS

“★★★★★ A giddy, wilfully over-the-top tale of police corruption”– Independent

“★★★★★ Astonishing cinematography and brilliantly played… one of the most influential crime movies in history” - Empire

“★★★★★ streaks of teen degradation and reefer madness, and the most intense interracial relationship since The Searchers”– Guardian

“★★★★★ The bravura of the opening sequence of Orson Welles's last Hollywood picture grabs you by the throat.” – The Times

“★★★★★ a masterclass in tension, visual panache and B-movie” – Time Out