25th Anniversary of the Reconstructed Version!

Orson Welles wrote, directed, and co-starred in this iconic film noir set along a nightmare chiaroscuro stretch of the U.S./Mexican border. When it was released in 1958, TOUCH OF EVIL had already been unceremoniously wrested from Welles during post-production and re-edited with new scenes added. Subsequently, he famously wrote a 58-page memo detailing how to fix the film. In 1998, for the film’s 40th anniversary, Universal Pictures enlisted renowned editor Walter Murch (THE CONVERSATION) to use that memo to try and get as close to Welles’ original vision as possible. The resulting “reconstructed” version is as close to a director’s cut of TOUCH OF EVIL as we will likely ever see. The Brattle was the area premiere cinema for the new version in 1998 and now, in celebration of the 25th anniversary, we’re pleased to bring it back once again on 35mm film.

“A staggering masterpiece” – Fred Camper, Chicago Reader

“A wild, murky nightmare.” – Howard Thompson, New York Times