Touch of Evil was the perfect movie to learn about different types of film lighting. Although the film was shot in black and white, it was just as visually intriguing as if it had been shot in full Technicolor. The black and white actually helped shape the mood of the movie. The play on light and dark throughout the film was very strong. As you watch the film, you can very easily spot the "innocent" and "evil" characters just by the lighting on them.
Mike Vargas, the Mexican cop (well it's actually Mr. Heston in horrible make-up, but that's a different subject) was well lit throughout the first half of the movie. However when he decides to take down the crooked, Captain Quinlan, his lighting changes to match with his demeanor. Vargas' lighting becomes a little dimmer as well as his body casts larger than life shadows on the background. This doesn't make Vargas look evil by any means, but it does actively represent his mood towards the situation.
Captain Quinlan was two-faced throughout the film, with almost all shots of him being side-lit. That represents his good and bad sides. On one hand he's a cop, so in theory, he is a good guy, but on the other hand he is a dirty cop, which makes him a bad guy. Quinlan's lighting was very constant throughout, until the end of the film, where he knows he's caught red handed and he was dying from the being shot by Menzies, all of a sudden his whole face was lit brightly. This change of light almost exonerates Quinlan from supposedly planting the evidence to put Sanchez in jail, because while Quinlan is dying, Sanchez confesses to the murder.
The hotel scenes involving Susan Vargas, wife of Mike Vargas, contain amazing foreshadowing. When she enters the hotel room it was dimmly lit and as her time in the room passes it gradually gets darker. This is due to two different things, it was approaching night and everyone knows nighttime always equals trouble, and secondly she was soon to be in trouble with the Grande boys. The most significant lighting change was when the Grande gang entered Susan's hotel room and the soft lighting on her face, shows her innocence and fear, then the shadows overtake her and it fades to black. That made quite a statement, but then the viewer feels a slight relief when it's understood that she wasn't actually hurt, just sedated and taken somewhere else. At the start of the film, the viewer knows that something bad is going to happen to the Vargas' because as they are walking through the streets they are bouncing in and out of dark and light.
Also the cop, Menzies, Quinlan's right hand man, has some awesome shadowing techniques applied to him throughout the film. When Menzies and Quinlan interact with one another, Menzies shadow was always smaller than Quinlan's. This is very reflective on their professional relationship.
Touch of Evil is an amazing example of how lighting is very deliberate and effective in how a film is perceived by its audience.
-Kerstin D.
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Kersten
ReplyDeleteVery thorough discussion of lighting! Great work, here, as you notice many details and divulge creative interpretations. Try to use technical terms used in class when discussing lighting, for example instead of saying "dimly lit" say low key lighting, etc.
Also, what about setting? How is the setting of Mexico appropriate, not appropriate, or just overall symbolic here, and even more specifically, how do the individual locations, motel, streets etc. speak to the mood, plot, or character. Well written however, great job.
Stacy