The two-disc Touch of Evil: 50th Anniversary Edition DVD (Universal Home Entertainment, $27) is nothing less than a revelation, regardless of whether you've seen the film. There are three versions of Orson Welles' famously troubled 1958 film noir included in the set: The 96-minute version that was released to theaters (where it flopped); a 109-minute ''preview'' version, discovered in 1972, that had since been assumed to be Welles' original cut; and a new 111-minute ''restored'' version, which had a brief theatrical run in 1998, that is as close as we'll ever get to a definitive director's edition of the movie.

Welles was brought onto Touch of Evil by actor Charlton Heston, who already had signed to star in Universal Pictures' adaptation of the pulpy crime novel Badge of Evil, and suggested Welles to studio executives for the role of the corrupt bordertown lawman making life hell for a Mexican police detective (Heston, who played the role in brownface) and his new American wife (Janet Leigh).

It was Heston who also suggested Welles direct the project. Ironically, Touch of Evil became the last film the Citizen Kane wunderkind would make in Hollywood. The studio did not warm up to Welles' rewrite of the script, which brought in all kinds of new elements to the story, including an implied gang rape and copious drug references. They also did not care for Welles' decision to wear 60 pounds of body padding and severe makeup to turn his evil sheriff into a rotting, shambling figure.

In the post-production process, halfway through editing, Welles ran off to Mexico to try to secure funding for his next project, a Don Quixote movie, and the studio took control of the film, recutting it and shooting several new scenes intended to clarify what they felt was an impenetrable plot. Upon his return, Welles pleaded with the studio in hopes of preserving his original vision, writing a famous 58-page memo (a reproduction of it is included in the DVD package) filled with specific suggestions on how to salvage the film.

The ''restored'' cut of Touch of Evil presented here -- the first time it's been available on home video -- incorporates all of Welles' suggestions as best as restoration producer Rick Schmidlin and editor Walter Murch could manage. Sporting a beautiful black-and-white transfer, this ''new'' version of Touch of Evil is even more exhilarating and inventive. Welles' unusual approach to story, his often breathtaking compositions and daringly long takes (such as the 3 ½-minute shot that opens the movie, one of the most famous in cinema) and his unexpected editing patterns are showcased in this version better than any that had preceded it. Touch of Evil was already considered a classic, but now it's even better, and the inclusion of the two alternate cuts makes the DVD set a kind of mini-film school, allowing the viewer to compare and contrast the three versions and learn what huge differences even the removal of a single shot can sometimes make.

The set includes audio commentary tracks on all three cuts of the film, including one featuring Heston and Leigh accompanying the restored version, in which they talk about working with Welles and their attempts to back him during his battles with the studio. Both actors, along with several other cast members, appear on two featurettes, one centering on the making of the film and the other on how the restoration came about.

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