Touch of Evil: 50th Anniversary Edition

[domino harvey]

And speaking of Arkadin, how did that slip through Beatrice's hands?

well, it is public domain

That explains why me and everyone I've ever met got that letter from her lawyer

[MadJack]

Playing devil's advocate (or something) for a moment:

Arkadin is public domain, therefore, Welles didn't own it, so neither does his estate, so Beatrice has no legal claim on it. Right?

Touch of Evil is Universal. Welles never owned it, so how does Beatrice have a claim on it? Okay, she's a bitch, but I can't see how she can hold up a release of a film that her father never owned, and was, effectively, just hired to write and direct.

[Antoine Doinel]

Playing devil's advocate (or something) for a moment:

Arkadin is public domain, therefore, Welles didn't own it, so neither does his estate, so Beatrice has no legal claim on it. Right?

Touch of Evil is Universal. Welles never owned it, so how does Beatrice have a claim on it? Okay, she's a bitch, but I can't see how she can hold up a release of a film that her father never owned, and was, effectively, just hired to write and direct.

In Beatrice's mind, none of the above is relevant. She has a legal team, willing and able to make studios bent (somewhat) to her will.

[J Wilson]

With major corporations it's often far easier to pay someone to go away, rather than take proceedings through to their eventual end. And with a project like TOUCH OF EVIL, there's no way it would be worth the legal fees, which would probably stretch over years, compared to what the film would be bringing in via DVD sales and screenings. My personal hope is that when Universal paid her off the last time, is that they negotiated some kind of "this money we're giving you now means you will never again raise objections to our exploitation of this property" clause.

Beatrice has enough success with this behavior that there's really no reason to stop it; the contract she dug up that led to her lawsuit against Turner Entertainment regarding KANE and AMBERSONS netted her a cool $300 grand just on KANE alone, before further video royalties she's still suing for. She was at least slapped down on her claim of owning AMBERSONS.

On a related note, she's also cowed Indiana U's Lilly Library, who hold the bulk of Welles' professional papers, into no longer making copies of anything Welles wrote, so if you want to do research, you have to physically go there and copy by hand (or computer) anything he wrote, rather than getting copies made, even under fair use principles. What purpose does this serve? It's not as if there's a hot market for such things.

[miless]

Well, Beatrice is the only one who actually seems to be a problem. His two other children are just normal folk with no ambitions to profit off their dead father's work.

[Dale]

A bit confused at this site. Years ago I tried to contact Beatrice Welles for an interview and she was at that time living on an island in the Puget Sound...and was a recluse. Didn't know she was making handbags in Arizona.

Regarding "Touch" it never has the same creative control that "Kane" did. Even though he sold his share of "Kane" Welles contract did guarantee certain protections against unauthorized copying.

Regarding the Lily Library...I guess I'm glad I was able to photo-copy and bunch of memos and telegrams while I had the chance. Fascinating stuff. So is anyone is looking for something, I can check my files and see if I have it before you travel to Bloomington.

Dale
www.militaryintelligenceandyou.com

[filmyfan]

Here's some great news!

Touch of Evil 50th AE (R1) in October

Universal Studios Home Video have announced the Region 1 DVD release of Touch of Evil (50th Anniversary Edition) on 7th October 2008 priced at $26.98 SRP. Orson Welles’ film noir portrait of corruption and morally-compromised obsessions returns to DVD as a two-disc set including the restored version, the theatrical version and a preview version of the main feature complete with extras. Also included as part of the package is a replication of Orson Welles' legendary 58-page memo to the studio.

Disc 1: Restored Version
1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
English DD2.0 Mono
English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles
Bringing Evil to Life
Evil Lost & Found
Audio Commentary featuring Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh and Restoration Producer Rick Schmidlin
Audio Commentary featuring Restoration Producer Rick Schmidlin
Theatrical Trailer

Disc 2: Theatrical & Preview Versions
1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
English DD2.0 Mono
English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles
Theatrical Version: Audio Commentary featuring Writer / Filmmaker F.X. Feeny
Preview Version: Audio Commentary featuring Welles Historians Joanthan Rosenbaum and James Naremore

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

You'd think that with three versions at least one of them could be Academy ratio...sigh.

[Antoine Doinel]

It's a miracle Universal is bothering with three versions at all.

[Jeff]

You'd think that with three versions at least one of them could be Academy ratio...sigh.

That would be nice. I've yet to be convinced either way though, and Schmidlin seems confident that his research points to 1.85. Perhaps either he or Rosenbaum will comment on the issue.

Four audio commentaries is incredible. The one with Heston and Leigh was recorded back in 1999 for the original DVD release, but was pulled for some reason at the last minute. Someone previously noted that Heston had badmouthed Beatrice on the commentary and that may have been why it was yanked.

[Antoine Doinel]

Though I would imagine the offending Beatrice audio has been edited out. She doesn't need much ammo to get her lawyers on the phone.

[cdnchris]

Excellent. I've held off on purchasing the previous DVD for years simply because I had faith that something like this would happen. And it looks like a good release for good price. I'm especially impressed with the inclusion of the Preview version.

[Person]

This is amazing news. Universal seem to be investing a lot of care with the catalogue titles these days and the quality of the HD telecines has been absolutely terrific. However, I'll have to add the now obligatory, "will there be a Blu-Ray edition?".

[HerrSchreck]

*Flump.*

(Revive me)

David Hare may take to his bed for a week with a heavy case of the Ecstasies.

[domino harvey]

But Joe DVDBuyer owns a widescreen TV and doesn't want any faggoty boxed screens on his movies. Now if only it were in color!

[colinr0380]

Just to note that F.X. Feeny was one of the contributors to the Pathfinder Chabrol commentaries on Les Biches, La Rupture and Ten Days' Wonder.

[Darth Lavender]

Now if only it were in color!

I'll get my crayolas

[HerrSchreck]

Case of the vapors more likely Schreck! NO fucking Academy ratio alternative.

Your brother in arms is gonna start lobbying behind the scenes. Dave Kehr for one was instrumental in getting Fox to reissue Gang's all here - I suspect that Rosenbaum for one would be a very worthwhile force for applying pressure to Uni to reconsider the AR at least on the preview and original cut versions. Schmidlin is just being bloody minded about widescreen, simply because - here we go again - Uni had a 50s "projection protocol" but this in no way obliged any theatre to project the 58 or 78 versions masked to the WS ratio. And it clearly did suit some films but not others. They can keep it for the 98 reconstruction as far as I'm concerned just to satisfy Those Who Will Never Be Convinced. They hard matted it in any case.

I cannot think of ONE serious film writer who considers the 1.85 to be correct.

I never expected them to go it in academy-- they'd never (nor schmidlin) admit their error. Three different versions is still worth honking for and I'll hold onto my fullframe VHS for ref... always good/sad to hang on to your own little obscure piece of Lost Truth.

Otherwise a bitching set meeting almost all hopes. Gotta give it that.

[domino harvey]

Just to note that F.X. Feeny was one of the contributors to the Pathfinder Chabrol commentaries on Les Biches, La Rupture and Ten Days' Wonder.

Which are unlistenable-- no wonder the press release spells Feeney's name wrong.

[Antoine Doinel]

But Joe DVDBuyer owns a widescreen TV and doesn't want any faggoty boxed screens on his movies. Now if only it were in color!

Joe DVDBuyer is too busy buying Transformers to care about this release.

[domino harvey]

Welles and Hitchcock are part of the Cool Old Stuff Joe DVDBuyer has in their collection, like Universal horror films and Best Picture winners, regardless of quality.

[Jonathan S]

I'll hold onto my fullframe VHS for ref... always good/sad to hang on to your own little obscure piece of Lost Truth.

Agreed - I have both the preview and '98 restoration in Academy Ratio on VHS from BBC screenings. I also have the documentary Reconstructing Evil that was televised in conjuction with the restoration but omitted from the DVD for some (legal?) reason. It will be interesting to see whether the new docs are totally new or re-edits of that.

[Ivy Mike]

Do both of those VHS releases (98 resto and "original" cut) feature an opened up 4x3 frame or a full frame hacked down from the 1.85 image (which would be horrifying)?

And does the 4x3 LD of this film only include the 98 restoration?

Well apart from my dissatisfaction with the lack of a blu release (yet...), and of course the aspect ratio controversy, I think it's great we're getting a decked out set like this.

[Jonathan S]

Do both of those VHS releases (98 resto and "original" cut) feature an opened up 4x3 frame or a full frame hacked down from the 1.85 image (which would be horrifying)?

My copies are open-matte. I don't know if they were commercially released that way on VHS anywhere, but mine are off-air, recorded before widescreen tyranny took over on TV.

[colinr0380]

Just to note that F.X. Feeny was one of the contributors to the Pathfinder Chabrol commentaries on Les Biches, La Rupture and Ten Days' Wonder.

Which are unlistenable-- no wonder the press release spells Feeney's name wrong.

Whoops, sorry! My mistake! He also adapted The Big Brass Ring with George Hickenlooper.