Old To The New Comparisons of Touch of Evil and Devil in a Blue Dress
... The intent of this essay is to examine two films, Touch of Evil and Devil in a Blue Dress. ... First a comparison between Touch of Evil and Devil in a Blue Dress from a artistic and cinematographic perspective. Did Touch of Evil epitomize the definition of film noir, and in which ways? Is it possible for Devil in a Blue Dress be considered a modern day film noir based upon the content of the story combined with the trade mark film noir cinematographic style? ... Devil in a Blue Dress, written by Walter Mosley, debuted in 1995. ... Touch of Evil is regarded by some as film noir at its pinnacle, however after seeing it for the first time I found myself questioning if this film truly was the culmination of this era. ... Devil in a Blue Dress is more than just a "crime documentary". ... A narrative style is held true to form and this is one contrast to Touch of Evil. ... If Devil in a Blue Dress has the components of a noir from a the perspective of the storyline, can it then be considered a film noir based on the cinematography? ... For example, Devil in a Blue Dress would be hard pressed to match the heavy contrast created by the blinking light of the signs in Touch of Evil. ... Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote "Devil in a Blue Dress has its own look. ... He goes on to say "Devil in a Blue Dress, set in 1948, looks like a recollection, like a memory losing its vividness, blurring around the edges. `Devil in a Blue Dress shows how a film maker can use color as creatively as black-and-white to create a dream-like film noir world". ... Devil in a Blue Dress depicts film noir from the perspective of an African American. ... I agree with LaSalle who said Devil in a Blue Dress is given special flavor by the hero, Easy. ... With Touch of Evil, the bigoted overtones are apparent, however I feel that this is by default due to the general climate of American society at that time. ... Touch of Evil is the first film that I can say did keep my attention. ... Devil in a Blue Dress on the other hand I felt was a film noir from the story standpoint but could have hade more visual representations to make it more authentic.