Chinatown

Rating:
Summary: You Can't Ever Forget "Chinatown"
Review: About an hour into "Chinatown", Noah Cross (John Huston) says to Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson), "You may think you know what you're dealing with, but believe me, you don't." Gittes, whose heard this rap before, just smiles. "Why is that funny?" asks Cross. "It's what the D.A. used to tell me about Chinatown." If any exchange defines "Chinatown" the movie then this is it. It's a film where the cliched metaphor of the onion is quite apt: the more layers you peel away, the more layers you find. And the less you're likely to understand. It begins life as a simple detective story, but eventually spins out of control into a web of intrigue (another cliched metaphor) that not only includes the murder of water commissioner Hollis Mulwray, but the entirety of 1930's Los Angeles.

Into this web is sprung Jake Gittes, a man who seems to be a typical film noir detective, but upon closer inspection is much more. Or, as we shall see, much less. I'd argue that Jake is an existential anti-hero, seemingly in control of every situation he enters in to, but ultimately just a pawn on an unfathomable chessboard. Minor notes in the movie confirm this hypothesis. A former client calls Jake on the phone, looking for his discretion. "Are you alone, Mr. Gittes?" she asks. "Isn't everybody?" Jake replies, clowning for his operatives, but saying more than he really intends to. It's not the last time he inadvertently comments on the futility of his existence. "That must really smart," says Yelburton, the deputy water commissioner, regarding Jake's newly bandaged nose. "Only when I breathe," he replies, pointing out the paradox. The bandaged nose also acts like a mask. Whereas Jake starts the movie as a handsome man in a slick suit (this is primetime Nicholson), he is slowly physically destroyed. The bandage is just the icing on the cake; it serves as a mask during the movie's middle third, hiding Jake's face and, at the same time, suppressing his identity. Identity, as an issue, is clouded by the fact that no one he meets can seem to get his name right. Cross, in what may be intentional, keeps calling him "Mr. Gitz" (correctly pronounced, 'Gittes' rhymes with 'kitties'). So not only is he a man with no face, he is a man with no name. Jake Gittes, as he gets deeper and deeper into the mysteries surrounding him, is ceasing to exist.

But that's not to say that he is a cipher of a character. How could he be when played by such a vibrant actor? Nicholson is subdued and cool here, in just the right amounts. He captures Jake's slow decent into near madness perfectly, while always allowing the man some sense of control. Nicholson is always watchable in whatever he does, but this may be his best performance because it asks him to tone down his manic energy, allowing it to bubble over in moments, while alluding to it as subtext in others.

Behind him, the acting is mostly superb. John Huston, in his few brief scenes, makes an indelible mark as the pure face of evil. Huston's deep, gravelly voice and imposing -- even at age 68 -- frame do a lot at conveying the man's power, while his twinkling eyes draw you to him, even though you know better. Although best known as a legendary director, Huston nearly steals the show here. Not faring as well is Faye Dunaway. She plays her femme fatale role with a bit too much iciness, and, in moments, melodrama. Although she holds her own, and portrays great anguish, in the film's climactic confessional scene, for the most part Dunaway isn't up to snuff.

Roman Polanski, who takes a brief but memorable role as the Man With Knife (that's how he's quite functionally billed), directs with his usual visual flare. Shots are composed as reflections in camera lenses or in a car's side mirror. The opening scene begins with a series of photographs detailing one wife's infidelity. Without saying anything, and without showing the audience the room around them, the scene is set perfectly. It's archetypal of how he shoots the rest of the film: with style and subtlety.

Maybe I put too much stock in what William Goldman has to say, but "Chinatown" has to be a frontrunner when tallying up the best screenplays of all time. A good screenplay will have two things going for it: a strong structure (of vital importance always), and interesting dialogue (useful in supporting the structure and in adding colour to the proceedings). Towne gets full marks on both counts. Structurally, it's a dream, a marvelous example of the micro turning into the macro as the web of intrigue broadens exponentially, while maintaining its power on the smaller scale all along. Add to this the crisp, precise dialogue, and you've got a screenplay that's as much fun to listen to as it is to follow. Jake is full of wisecracks and homespun wisdom. When asked about Mulwray's character, Yelburton denies ever hearing him talk about infidelity: "He never even kids about it." "Maybe he takes it very seriously," says Jake. When Cross asks if Lou Escobar, the investigating officer who's handling the Mulwray murder case, is an honest man, Jakes replies, "Far as it goes... of course he has to swim in the same water we all do." On its own this would be a great line, but in "Chinatown", where the water of L.A. plays a major role in the plot, its damn well genius.

"Chinatown" is much more than your average detective story. It's a narrative dripping in character, intrigue, and history. I'd sure like to see just what it was that happened in Chinatown, back in Jake's days on the police force, which made him the cynical sleuth he's become. It'd make a great prequel. As it stands, the movie we've got is a crackerjack yarn, rich enough to demand multiple viewings.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Films from the 70s
Review: Roman Polanski's 'Chinatown' is apt to fill a movie lover with longing for a lost time in Hollywood. Polanski himself, being interviewed for the DVD release, expresses with certainty that a movie such as 'Chinatown' could never be produced in today's commercial climate. The story, concerning private eye Jake Gittes and Evelyn Mulwray, with its willingness to construct a realistic ending and its refusal to condescend to the audience, seems almost unthinkable in an age that focuses on cheap distraction for entertainment. Thankfully, though, 'Chinatown' was created under the necessary circumstances to leave us with this absorbing motion picture.

'Chinatown' begins as an ode to the old noir films, the black and white classics. It features a cool private eye, a seemingly deadly femme fatale, and a scandal just underneath the surface. However, 'Chinatown,' made in the 70s, delves deeper into the possibilities than might be expected. It is a color picture, its private eye in a man pained by loneliness, its femme fatale might just be the most decent individual in the film, and the scandal deals not with diamonds or other typical noir devices - but a conspiracy involving water and power.

Jack Nicholson stars as Jake Gittes, the private eye at the story's center. 'Chinatown' was made before Nicholson had become a huge star. At the time, Nicholson was certainly known, yet he had not quite become 'Jack Nicholson' the icon, the personality, the character known for going over the top. In 'Chinatown' Nicholson was able to explore his character, and give a wonderful subtle performance. Gittes is a man who pretends to maintain a sense of distance from his clients. Yet as the narrative unfolds, he finds himself more and more incapable of keeping that façade. Gittes' detective work results in his becoming involved in a conspiracy that goes beyond his call of duty. One may wonder why he opted to do these things; but, like all great films, 'Chinatown' does not provide the audience with easy answers - the film trusts our intelligence.

'Chinatown' offers little commentary as the story progresses. What Polanski does here, rather than stopping to bring the viewer up to speed, is simply drop us in the film and allow us to explore for ourselves. Being a motion picture, 'Chinatown' emphasizes the importance of images rather than words. While a great deal of the picture is essentially dialogue, the setting, combined with the actor's facial expressions and gestures, conveys a particular mood. Polanski does a superior job of interweaving the unfolding scandal and the revelations about the characters' secrets. We are confused at first, wondering what is taking place, and then confused once it has been revealed - because we know not what to do. 'Chinatown' successfully constructs a general emotion as the movie progresses - a sense of disorder and hopelessness - that ultimately reaches its climax during the scene's famous finale.

Polanski and screenwriter Robert Towne reportedly feuded over the film's closing scene. While Towne campaigned for a slightly more upbeat conclusion, Polanski felt that his version of the ending must be upheld 'for the film to have any meaning' (as he said in the DVD interview). Indeed, the ending of 'Chinatown' remains as one of the most powerful scenes in the history of movies - it manages to express a whirlwind of feelings, none of which point towards any possible conclusion. This illustration of helplessness and commotion in the face of powers that we cannot control perfectly articulates sentiments that all of us have encountered.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: "Chinatown" is one of the classics, a flawlessly-acted, superbly-written, steadily-directed film noir exposing the underbelly of Los Angeles in the 1930s. Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway are in top form, as is director Roman Polanski. An essential for any serious film collection.

Rating:
Summary: Chinatown
Review: If you want to see Jack at his best get this DVD. Even if you are not a fan of the detective genre it is still a great film. If you are detective fan you won't find a better movie even if it had been written and directed by Raymond Chandler himself.

Rating:
Summary: Secrecy and Water - It's Chinatown
Review: I just saw Chinatown for the first time, since I was told that anybody taking a screenwriting class *must* see it. The story is full of tons of little things worth looking at and thinking about. Many minor characters, strange clues, deceits, and double-crosses to be found here. If you ever want to see Jack Nicholson in a good protagonist role, check this movie out. There's really only one scene in the movie where he gets frighteningly violent, and even that's only when he's desperate for some answers. The DVD is reasonbly priced for what you get. You get a great movie made in the classic style of the 1930s, as well as an in-depth documentary which includes interviews with Roman Polanski (director), Robert Towne (writer), and Robert Evans (producer). Screenwriting students, see this movie, or at least read the screenplay! Everybody else, if you like crime movies with interesting surprises, check Chinatown out! Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Forget About It Jake, It's Chinatown...
Review: This is one of the greatest films ever made. It has a great script and amazing performances by Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, John Huston, and many others.

I absolutely love this film. I apologize for the shortness of this review but what can be said that hasn't already been said? See it. Now.

Rating:
Summary: Almost perfect.
Review: This is the kind of movie many screen writers wish they could write. It's so beautifully, intricately plotted.
The acting and directing is flawless - this remain my favorite Jack Nicholson role, for which all his later excesses could be forgiven. Polanski at the height of his powers. Frankly I can't imagine living without this movie within reach. It requires repeated viewing.

Rating:
Summary: "Chinatown"
Review: "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown."
A haunting, sordid, beautiful film.
I'm young enough so that the Jack Nicholson I grew up with was from "The Shining" onward. I always admired his charisma, but it wasn't until I watched this film that I grasped what an amazingly subtle and powerful actor he actually was in his prime. He takes a role Bogart would have been proud to play and in some ways redefines the role.
The rest of the cast also rises to the occasion, the script is crisp, hard-boiled and full of memorable lines. Polanski shows us pre-war LA through a jaundiced lens; an uncompromising, rough world where such things as truth, compassion and hope can be ground into dust by power and corruption.
Not to be overlooked by any means is the movie's evocative and memorable score, which sets the perfect tone of film noir at the beginning, and adds unforgettable impact to the movie's tragic ending.
A must for any home collection.

Rating:
Summary: The best way to see Chinatown, short of in a movie theater
Review: The latest incarnation of Chinatown is this widescreen DVD, with refurbished sound. It's also the best print I've ever seen of this neo-noir classic. (A few reviews that stated the picture was "muted" and "murky" don't seem to realize it was deliberately shot in muted earthtones.) Widescreen allows us to apprecite the composition of the shots. Polanski and cinematograhper John Alonzo wisely avoid highly-composed shots, giving the film a very spontaneous, improvisatory feeling, and in widescreen this freedom is especially evident. Also interesting is Polanski's technique of always avoiding long shots. (There is not one long shot in this film.) This personalizes what could have been a very academic story about land ownership and water rights.

But Polanski and screenwriter Robert Towne saw a way to merge the seemingly disparate themes of incest and political corruption. (On second thought, maybe they aren't so disparate after all.) One reviewer called Chinatown, which came out during a particularly cynical period in America's history, "Watergate with real water." Certainly a film this dark, this probing, this skeptical of human nature and The System, would never be made today, where one is suspect if they don't have a giant American flag flying on their minivan. And interestingly, producer Robert Evans has said he deliberately choose European Polanski to direct because "Europeans have a different view of America, and I wanted that."

Some films show their age. Some play fine with age. And some get better with age. I think this film falls into that rare third category. Watching it today, one realizes how standards for dialogue have fallen, how films today don't want to take time exploring the characters and their environment but rush into the action without delay (the pacing of the first half-hour of this film reminds me of another noir classic about a detective, Vertigo), and especially how the mindset of a happy ending at all cost has robbed modern movies of many possibities. So much of Chinatown is just other characters explaining things to Gittes as he pieces clues together. There's relatively little action by today's standards, but the few violent scenss stay in the viewer's mind.

The sound on this DVD is very fine, with a stereo transfer of Jerry Goldsmith's haunting music (written in just eight days after the first composer to score the film was sacked) and a few discreetly added stereo effects. Unfortunately, this film has not escaped the trend of remastering gunshots to sound like bazooka blasts, but for the purists this DVD also has the option of the original Dolby mono soundtrack. (Unlike the recent DVD of Jaws...see my critical review of that reissue.) The disc also contains the original theatrical trailer which, interestingly, contains the original (pre-Goldsmith) music composed for the film. You can listen for yourself how ineffective and overwrought the first score was.

There's also a brief (too brief) documentary with Polanki, Towne and Evans talking about the making of the film. This is the disc's one disappointment: a classic like this should have had a full-length "Making of" documentary...after all, if not now, when? All the principles, except John Huston, are still alive. Amazingly, there has never been a book or documentary about the creation of this modern classic, one of the greatest films ever.

But if you want to see Chinatown in a first class presentation, this is the way to go.

Rating:
Summary: John Huston plays another vile old creep! Wow!
Review: There is only one imperfection in the film, and that is the way the screenplay has Diane Ladd's character function as the Mystery Woman from a Machine a couple of times when there's no better way available to drop a clue and keep the plot rolling forward.

But that's a quibble.

The most remarkable thing about "Chinatown" today is that it would never EVER be made by a major studio. Not without some major surgery on that ending. This is why the Seventies was the best decade ever for Hollywood films. We may never see anything of this quality again.

Now - where are "The Tennant," "Repulsion," and "Macbeth" on DVD?! We live in a world where you can get fully restored high-quality versions of the complete works of Edward D. Wood or H.G. Lewis with commentaries and a full arsenal of extras - which I'm not knocking - but some of Polanski's greatest work is STILL unavailable.

Get on the stick, guys.