Film Noir, Chinatown: Neo-Noir Film

     Roman Polanski's 1974 film, 'Chinatown', revolutionized the film noir genre. Aside from the absense of voice-over, the film shares all the same characteristics with earlier noirs. That is, of course, except for the fact that ?Chinatown? is

Chinatown is based on Roman Polanski’s lifeworks. Polanski’s goal is to emphasizes the meaning of how cinematography is made, and how it inspires by understanding the concept of setting, lighting, and how the image is captured. This film was released in 1974 by director of Roman Polanski to focus on private investigator J.J. Gittes, played by Jack Nicholson to investigate the elements behind the truth. Polanski’s goal is to emphasize the audience to give an ominous feeling of the main character, J.J. Gittes and his point of view by showing in color instead of black and white pictures. Due to these reasons, Polanski wanted to use Panavision to give a flawed vision about the past, which the story is set in the years of 1937. Polanski states, “a traditional detective story with a new, modern shape” for Paramount picture. (1) This paper focuses on the film Chinatown which is neo-noir, not only because of the setting, but the concept of cinematography that connects duplicates occurrences together that describe three categories: background of the cinematographer, point of view of the main character, and the interpretation of the ending scenes.

Imagine a story that has everything- cheating spouses, secret affiliations, deception, action, lies, and a pretty girl or two on top of it all. Chinatown is the name of this story, and it exists in the form of a Film Noir movie. Chinatown is a film from 1974, directed by Roman Polanski and written by Robert Towne. Chinatown is a story about truth and misinformation, with heavy themes of mystery and ultimately tragedy. With Jack Nicholson as Detective J.J. Gittes and Faye Dunaway as Evelyn Mulwray starring in the film the characters in Chinatown are especially memorable. As a whole, Chinatown is a prime example of a movie from the Film Noir genre and is proven to be a well-liked example of it.

This is a good family movie that can show the viewer’s how some people prey on one another. This movie reminded me of the times my brother and I didn’t get along. It shows how different families are and how they treat one another. Sadly this movie also shows how family members can be so cold blooded. This movie duplicates real life situations where innocent People get hurt, family loyalty gets divided and couples end up in divorce.

Chinatown, directed by Roman Polanski, was a private-eye film released in 1974. Private investigator J.J. Gittes investigates what looks to be a classic case of adultery, but he quickly uncovers much more than just broken wedding vows. Throughout the film, Gittes is captured by the camera such that only his face is in the scene, thus allowing the audience to observe details that may otherwise be overlooked. In Chinatown, directed by Roman Polanski, the main character J.J. Gittes is frequently shot with close-up shots to portray his emotions, his heightened senses, and his reasoning process to demonstrate his investigative process and thus build up suspense in a scene.

Chinatown was filmed in 1974 and directed by Roman Polanski. J.J Gittes, L.A. private investigator, is approached by a woman who identifies herself as Evelyn Mulwray to catch her husband in the act of cheating. The husband in question Hollis Mulwray is the chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and is caught in the middle of the water wars where water was being redirected to the valley instead of the dry lands of L.A. Having come to close to the truth of this con Hollis Mulwray was murdered and thrown into the (water). This sudden death not only instigated Gittes to investigate the causes of his death, but also unfold the events that got him involved in the first place. Gittes himself states, “ I don’t like to be

Roman Polanski's neo-noir film Chinatown (1974) portrays authoritative figures indifferent to and complicit in rampant corruption. Notably, Chnatown is about the functions of evil in everyday life (Morrison 76). The movie title alludes to the overarching theme of crime and dishonesty fitting of Chinatown, a region where underground operations lurk and the law is disregarded. Far from unsettling society, widespread corruption is often overlooked. As the film progresses, the audience is rendered as disillusioned as the protagonist who discovers that his surrounding environment is not neutral, but is a force that needs to be interrogated (Orr and Ostrowska 108). Unfortunately, he would find expectations and attempts to correct the mistakes of his past bitterly thwarted.

While classic film noir is characterized by high compositional tension, or low lit black and white cinematography, Polanski managed to infuse Chinatown with that sense of corruption and nihilism so prevalent in noir in bright Southern California despite employing a photographic element previously thought antithetical to film noir style: color film stock. The dominant colors of Chinatown are brown, gray, and black, which can be seen as an indication of the film’s allusion to the noir tradition of black-and-white. The various hues of brown and gold can be seen throughout the film, from clothing to homes

Roman Polanski's Hollywood film Chinatown, directed in 1974, tells the story of Jake Gittes, a private investigator. The film focuses in on the dark reality of corruption behind power hungry men, making this a true neo-noir film. Chinatown reveals a depth narrative allowing the viewer to follow Gittes and uncover the secrets around the water dispute in California. I chose to bring focus to the significance of the male gaze and how this form of power can change and affect our views. The prominent female character in the film, Evelyn Mulwray, is a wealthy white woman. With her character comes active male attention and desire. Laura Mulvey's Theory of "The Gaze" supports this argument by studying the power and influence of a patriarchal

In the neo-noir film, Chinatown (1974) what is portrayed is people and society as a whole in a variety of different angles. People where only able to get things done because they had the money to do it or simple because they knew they could get away with it. This can be both a positive and a negative thing depending the event that has occurred. What I believe was Polanski’s intent for the film is to have the audience have a sense of betrayal from the corruption and lies.

The film is sublime. It’s funny and insightful as it creates very different worlds for its two characters, and yet it doesn’t shy away from the harsher aspects of the lives of Mary and Max.

This movie speaks to me on many personal levels, I hardly know where to begin- and almost didn't. It's easy, with my abandonment and bullying issues, to assume its attraction for me. I admit these are a factor, but it's not the whole.

While made in the 1970s, this is indeed a stylish Hollywood crime drama laced with cynical personalities and sexual innuendo common to film noir. Chinatown, however, is cinematically more considered an American neo-noir mystery. The film is

Well-known film reviewer Roger Ebert gave the film a 4/4 rating. I had the same opinion until I looked at some of the negative criticism of the film and changed my mind. I believe the film deserves a 3.8/4 rating instead. In order to defend my position, I need to talk about certain details from the movie, but I do not want to spoil the movie for you; therefore I will address this point of view as a post review comment. I recommend you to watch the movie first, and then come back to read the rest of the review. It is a film worth watching. It is well made, interesting, intelligent, and

According to Todd Erickson, he states that neo-noir is a genre exhibits a self-consciousness about its indebtedness to the earlier noir films. Neo-noir has emerged notably in the 1980s, with such films like the 1982 film “Blade Runner,” that incorporates familiar narrative and stylistic elements from the noir films into a science-fiction genre. With its tone and specific style, Film Noir itself has become one of the prominent elements from the 1940s and 50s that helped shape the American cinema, and internationally to a certain extent. Fast forward 1994, an English-language French film titled “Leon: The Professional,” written and directed by Luc Besson, has been released. It exhibits noir traits from the characters, their interactions, and the overall environment, but still provides a distinct genre of neo-noir by updating the traits in a contemporary setting.