1974 - Chinatown
As my current LA trip approaches its end, it seems appropriate that we begin our next year of review with a film that features Los Angeles almost as a character of its own. I even had the privilege of taking in this masterpiece on the big screen for the first time, which was definitely a treat. Later, I also watched its sequel, The Two Jakes, which I had never seen before, and was pleasantly surprised, despite years of assuming its mixed reviews meant it was awful.
In any case, let's take a look at the first nominee of the 1974 Best Picture contest...
Chinatown
Director:
Roman Polanski
Screenplay:
Robert Towne
Starring:
Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Hillerman, Perry Lopez, Burt Young, John Huston, Diane Ladd
Academy Awards:
11 nominations
1 win, for Best Original Screenplay
Los Angeles private investigator J.J. Gittes (Nicholson) is hired by Evelyn Mulwray (Ladd) to confirm that her husband, Hollis, is having an affair. Hollis happens to be the chief engineer of the city's Water Department and when photographs of his infidelity hit the newspapers, Gittes is surprised to learn that his client is not, in fact, the woman she said she was. The real Evelyn Mulwray (Dunaway) pays a visit to Gittes with intentions to sue, but when Hollis is discovered dead, Gittes' curiosity proves dangerous as he begins to uncover serious corruption in the Water Department.
Chinatown is one of those rare cases of a film that pays homage to the classics that came before it, but has now become a classic itself. The noir tone is immediately evident with the sound of a sultry trumpet gliding over the 1940s-style opening credits. There are detectives and femme fatales and dirty cops and plenty of cigarette smoke, all photographed beautifully as shafts of light hit just the right part of the characters' faces. Perhaps the one noir trope that is omitted is the protagonist's internal monologue. And maybe I'm alone on this, but I actually think Jack Nicholson's slow, cool voice delivering some sparkling Robert Towne soliloquies would have been a perfect fit. In fact, in Chinatown's sequel, The Two Jakes, that's exactly what we get, and even though the film itself isn't quite the same calibre as the original, those noir voice overs are an auditory treat.
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Another feature of film noir is the languid pace of the story, punctuated by occasional shock revelations, and Chinatown ticks all the boxes in that regard. I did find myself a little restless during the the slow-moving middle of the film, but despite little action, the tension and mystery hold one's attention long enough to be surprised by the deluge of twists in the latter part of the narrative. (Of course, it didn't hurt that it had been at least 25 years since I last saw this picture, so I had all but forgotten most of the storyline.)
Robert Towne's Oscar-winning script is flawless, a perfect blend of poetic, snappy dialogue and shrewd foreshadowing. Possibly my favourite example of this (spoiler alert!) is Jake's and Evelyn's discussion in her car. During a moment of exhaustion, Evelyn leans forward, placing her head on the steering wheel, which sets off the car horn. In the film's final moments, we watch from a distance as Evelyn drives away, cops firing bullets after her. The car slows to a halt and we hear the horn's continuous blare, which can only mean her head is slumped on the steering wheel again.
It's a talented acting ensemble on display here, led by the incomparable Jack Nicholson (pictured), himself Oscar-nominated for this iconic role, spending half the film with a nose bandage on his face. Faye Dunaway as the ultimate femme fatale is likewise superb, also earning a nod from the Academy. Plenty of worthy supporting performances missed out on nominations (mostly due to The Godfather Part II hoarding them), notably the great Burt Young and Diane Ladd in small but pivotal roles. The film garnered an impressive 11 Oscar nominations, tying with the aforementioned second instalment of The Godfather, which took home the lion's share of awards, leaving Chinatown with a sole win for Towne's original screenplay.
In any case, let's take a look at the first nominee of the 1974 Best Picture contest...
ChinatownDirector:
Roman Polanski
Screenplay:
Robert Towne
Starring:
Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Hillerman, Perry Lopez, Burt Young, John Huston, Diane Ladd
Academy Awards:
11 nominations
1 win, for Best Original Screenplay
Los Angeles private investigator J.J. Gittes (Nicholson) is hired by Evelyn Mulwray (Ladd) to confirm that her husband, Hollis, is having an affair. Hollis happens to be the chief engineer of the city's Water Department and when photographs of his infidelity hit the newspapers, Gittes is surprised to learn that his client is not, in fact, the woman she said she was. The real Evelyn Mulwray (Dunaway) pays a visit to Gittes with intentions to sue, but when Hollis is discovered dead, Gittes' curiosity proves dangerous as he begins to uncover serious corruption in the Water Department.
Chinatown is one of those rare cases of a film that pays homage to the classics that came before it, but has now become a classic itself. The noir tone is immediately evident with the sound of a sultry trumpet gliding over the 1940s-style opening credits. There are detectives and femme fatales and dirty cops and plenty of cigarette smoke, all photographed beautifully as shafts of light hit just the right part of the characters' faces. Perhaps the one noir trope that is omitted is the protagonist's internal monologue. And maybe I'm alone on this, but I actually think Jack Nicholson's slow, cool voice delivering some sparkling Robert Towne soliloquies would have been a perfect fit. In fact, in Chinatown's sequel, The Two Jakes, that's exactly what we get, and even though the film itself isn't quite the same calibre as the original, those noir voice overs are an auditory treat.
.jpg)
Another feature of film noir is the languid pace of the story, punctuated by occasional shock revelations, and Chinatown ticks all the boxes in that regard. I did find myself a little restless during the the slow-moving middle of the film, but despite little action, the tension and mystery hold one's attention long enough to be surprised by the deluge of twists in the latter part of the narrative. (Of course, it didn't hurt that it had been at least 25 years since I last saw this picture, so I had all but forgotten most of the storyline.)Robert Towne's Oscar-winning script is flawless, a perfect blend of poetic, snappy dialogue and shrewd foreshadowing. Possibly my favourite example of this (spoiler alert!) is Jake's and Evelyn's discussion in her car. During a moment of exhaustion, Evelyn leans forward, placing her head on the steering wheel, which sets off the car horn. In the film's final moments, we watch from a distance as Evelyn drives away, cops firing bullets after her. The car slows to a halt and we hear the horn's continuous blare, which can only mean her head is slumped on the steering wheel again.
It's a talented acting ensemble on display here, led by the incomparable Jack Nicholson (pictured), himself Oscar-nominated for this iconic role, spending half the film with a nose bandage on his face. Faye Dunaway as the ultimate femme fatale is likewise superb, also earning a nod from the Academy. Plenty of worthy supporting performances missed out on nominations (mostly due to The Godfather Part II hoarding them), notably the great Burt Young and Diane Ladd in small but pivotal roles. The film garnered an impressive 11 Oscar nominations, tying with the aforementioned second instalment of The Godfather, which took home the lion's share of awards, leaving Chinatown with a sole win for Towne's original screenplay.
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