So I watched Orson Welles' classic film noir, "Touch of Evil," starring Welles, Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh and Marlene Dietrich, this past weekend and was really impressed. For a film with no CGI, it's really fast-paced, well directed, well cast and well acted. Although the studios butchered the theatrical release, I couldn't find fault with the director's cut. And for a 50-year-old film, it was way ahead of its time dealing with important social issues like racism, police corruption, drugs, juvenile delinquency, organized crime, etc.
Originally posted by der schwarze RitterThe casting of Charlton Heston as the "Mexican" official was pretty bad. Not as bad as John Wayne as Genghis Kahn in " The Conquerer", but still.
So I watched Orson Welles' classic film noir, "Touch of Evil," starring Welles, Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh and Marlene Dietrich, this past weekend and was really impressed. For a film with no CGI, it's really fast-paced, well directed, well cast and well acted. Although the studios butchered the theatrical release, I couldn't find fault with th ...[text shortened]... issues like racism, police corruption, drugs, juvenile delinquency, organized crime, etc.
Originally posted by der schwarze RitterI'd guess that Heston, like Wayne, was placed in the role for name recognition. No "name", no film. That's Hollywood for you.
That was about the only drawback I saw as well. I wonder if Ricardo Montalban was ever considered for the role?
Artistically, Montalban would have been a much better choice.
Come to think of it, Eli Wallach would have been an interesting choice. That guy had some serious range. He could have pulled it off, whereas Heston just didn't have the chops.