Chinatown: Above The Film Noir Genre Essay

After this, the shot pans along the road, and turns into a shot of police cars storming down the street. The fact that the street name, which serves as an embodiment of Norma and all associated with her, is so low to the ground emphasizes that the images of grandeur often associated with Hollywood are a facade, and that the true Hollywood is dark and grim, like a dirty street curb. The street pictured is dirty and unkempt, with weeds peeking out the cracks and piles of loose garbage and leaves strewn all over. This image serves as a stark contrast to the typical impressions people have of Hollywood, and reinforces that the true Hollywood is not the one seen so often on the big screen. Rather than opening with a scene showing off Hollywood’s magnificence, Wilder exposes to the audience what the “real” Hollywood is: a degenerate place full of misery and squalor. Moreover, opening scenes tend to set the tone of the movie, and leave lasting impressions the audience that carry through the entirety of watching. By showcasing the dark side of Hollywood before anything else, Wilder asserts that it is this dark, twisted version of the city that truly defines its inhabitants. In addition to pan shots, Wilder also incorporates music in the opening scene, which further adds to the dark image being relayed about Hollywood. The score is borderline cacophony, trademarked by sharp bursts of drums and trumpet that build suspense and

     Films that are classified as being in the film noir genre all share some basic characteristics. There is generally a voice-over throughout the film in order to guide the audience's perceptions. These movies also involve a crime and a detective who is trying to figure out the truth in the situation. This detective usually encounters a femme fatale who seduces him. However, the most distinctive feature of the film noir genre is the abundance of darkness.

Jake is consciously aware that there is a problem, which is more than can be said about his friends. Perhaps the people that surround Jake are the issue, though. His close friends and the people whom he travels with include Lady Brett Ashley, Robert Cohn, Bill, and Mike. Brett, the target of Jake’s unrequited affections, is likely someone whom he should stop spending time with; however, it seems that he just can’t get away from her. She is a very strong and independent woman who isn’t known to behave in a traditionally feminine way. Jakes does remark that although she is very independent, “She can’t go anywhere alone.” Robert Cohn is a Jewish, wealthy expatriate; but unlike many of his friends, did not spend any time in the war. Cohn also falls head over heels in love with Brett, who soon rejects his affections as well. As a wealthy, Jewish, non war veteran Cohn stands out in the group and his fumbling attempts to court Brett are the source of much mockery and leads to many fights. Bill is also an American veteran who seems to be always drinking. He tends to use humor to try and deal with the emotional scars of war; however, is not immune to the immaturity and cruelty sometimes characterized by Jake and his friends. Finally, Mike is a very heavy drinking Scottish war veteran who is completely bankrupt. He is seen to have a terrible temper, which most often displays while he is drunk. Mike is also not comfortable with the

Unlike most Femme Fatales, who are deceitful for selfish reasons- money, sex, etcetera, Evelyn Mulwray is not trying to deceive anyone for her own desires. Mulwray is merely trying to do what is best for her daughter, shown when Evelyn yells at her father to get away from her daughter right before pulling a gun on him. Chinatown, while being a classic Film Noir movie, deviates from the stereotypes of its genre in some instances. As mentioned in a review of the movie, Chinatown’s lack of looming cityscapes, heavy shadows, and rainy sidewalks typically seen in a Film Noir movie (Meyer). However, it manages to stay true to the genre through the blurry/smoke effects that make the film feel like it was made earlier than it actually was. In addition, the movie also portrays some stereotypes that are frequent within the genre, such as heavy usage of cigarettes, Femme Fatales, and other character roles that fit into the genre of Film Noir. To add to the similarities of Chinatown to a classic work of Film Noir, a dark mystery element complemented with the unhappy ending is present in the film that really screams “Film Noir”. The class differences between Jake Gittes and Evelyn Mulwray make the characters very distinct, as the contrast of their social upbringings makes them seem even more different and stand out even

Lee uses a lot of different methods of film to create this masterpiece. Lee shows fear and power in the neighborhood of Lexington Avenue and Quincy Street. He shows that every character and person in this story and movie is important in their different and very own ways. Lee shows that each person has an important role in the movie and

Jake is a loving and protective person. There was a occasion where Jake, his girlfriend, Lauren,

The film explains how the corrupt rich and powerful wins at the end and the justice never comes as the small girl was taken away by the man who raped his daughter. However this explains the rules of the city that money and power are the biggest elements and justice and law comes next. Therefore since the movie is full of corruption it’s named as a town. In addition that chinatown was a place that the detective had bad experiences before in the film as he was narrating that he hated it there. However what happened is that the movie ended up with another bad experience in chinatown too, which signifies dystopia and mystery. Chinatown clearly explains Polanski’s ideas and themes since he escaped the nazi party in his childhood, therefore there was violence, oppression and repression of trauma. However this was reflected in the film by the death of the fetal femme and the end of the innocent girl being taken away after experiencing a graphic situation, which will give her also post traumatic stress disorder. Both noir films revolved around mystery that’s why the name of the both movies can have more than one underlying meaning, depending on the

Jake, unlike other characters has true passions and hobbies which gives him proper separation from the turmoil and dissipation his world lies in. This is shown through his fascination for bull fighting, fishing and the natural world. This separation is what lets him look through the delicate personalities and deceptive characteristics of the people he surrounds himself with. Jake seems to have a greater purpose. Being a troubled catholic which shows he is lost in his religious faith. In addition, he is one of the only two who are productive citizens that work. Being a prominent newspaper man, while Robert Cohn happens to be a failed writer while Brett and Mike do not seem to have careers to speak of during the time of the novel. Bill happens

After suffering a war injury that renders him impotent, Jake desperately tries to rekindle his romantic relationship with Brett to manage his trauma and avoid loneliness, but eventually realizes that he himself must deal with the lasting effect of the war. From the beginning, Jake shows his attraction to Brett when he sees her in a bar and notes that she “was damned good-looking” and “was built with curves like the hull of a racing yacht” (30). Jake’s particular attention to Brett hints

The additional insight into Jake’s sensibilities as well as his impressions of his experiences supports the responsibility of the audience to “occupy Jake’s subject position”. Novak also notes Chinatown’s symbolic representation in the film—the “existential pointlessness of human endeavor” and “a sort of fatedness…existential discomfort [that Jake maintains towards it].” Evelyn Mulray is Jake Gittes’ punching bag. She’s an object for men—an incestuous father, an abusive detective, an overbearing patriarchal society—to project their dominance onto. In earlier reviews for Chinatown, critics labeled her a femme fatale.

253). The fact that most science fiction is written by White individuals made think how the San Francisco Chinatown has been used inspiration for many Chinatowns around the world because it was depicted in the Hollywood sense. For sure in both Barcelona and Singapore the Chinatown there was influenced by the one in San Francisco. When the Chinatown in Barcelona was built, there was no one who was Chinese who lived there but it was built where it was due to it being a part of town that housed immigrants which is what the Chinatown in San Francisco was depicted as housing immigrants so the Chinatown seemed like it should be built there. In 1990, Singapore built a Chinatown which many people felt was not needed since Singapore is mostly populated by Chinese but it was done for tourism. It was modeled from the one in San Francisco so it is different than what would have traditionally been built. Lastly, when it comes to gender and gender roles, an interesting instance of switching gender roles has taken place in a unique

Rules of the Game are an important concept to creating a drama, and I enjoyed many of the subtle details of Chinatown. Polanski directs the film with a noir setting to make his audience carefully indulge in every aspect of the film. The setting of 1930’s Los Angeles truly intrigued me as viewer, because the setting felt nostalgic

Coppola uses Tokyo to create an isolated setting, vital to the development of the story. Despite being the most populous city in the world, Tokyo is too unfamiliar and alienating for either protagonist to connect to the culture. It is characterized by the unfamiliar landscape of never ending neon signs, teenagers sporting synthetic fashion and multi coloured hair, and wild nightlife. Coppola intentionally chooses not to educate the audience about Japanese mannerisms or cultural differences like many would expect, showing Tokyo through Bob and Charlotte’s perspective instead. She uses Tokyo to represent the absurd world that is impossible to make sense of. This setting is crucial in creating the feeling of alienation and isolation felt by both characters, which

To start this film can be classified as a neo noir con man film. It shows this with all of the different ways of light in the film. Like in the beginning when Margaret meets Joey over an unpaid debt of 25000 dollars one of clients owes. First is show Margaret entering a sparsely lit bar and Joey walking out of a dark room full of poker player ask what she wants. When the audience sees joey then only thing they see is his general shape as almost

The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo follows Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist, and his investigation in finding out what happened to Harriet Vander, a girl who disappeared 40 years ago. He recruits the help of a computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander, and together they uncover the real truth and immense corruption behind Harriet’s disappearance. I will be exploring the connections and/or similarities between Polanski’s Chinatown and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by referring to specific examples and direct quotations. Chinatown and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo share many similarities and connections between the plot, setting, characters, themes and techniques whilst also displaying certain differences.