So Many Lives Are On The Breeze, Even The Stars Are Ill At Ease
Chinatown / TK
It’s remarkable to observe some of the talents that came out of the 1970s today. The truth is, many of the actors and directors who are still renowned 30+ years later were at the top of their games in the 70s. Two perfect examples of this are director Roman Polanski and actor Jack Nicholson. Certainly, both of them went on to later successes, although in the case of Polanski, never again on U.S. soil - Chinatown was the last American movie he would make before his personal/legal troubles would lead to his exile from the United States. Yet the argument could easily be made that Chinatown, released in 1974, is a demonstration of two iconic artists at the heights of their careers.
Chinatown is many things. It’s the story of Jake Gittes (Nicholson), a prosperous private investigator who becomes a pawn in a larger game that he doesn’t know the rules of. It’s a loving, articulate homage to the works of Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and James M. Cain. It’s a throwback to the detective pictures of the earlier decades — if it weren’t in color and if it starred Humphrey Bogart instead of Jack Nicholson, you’d swear it was a product of those eras. However, to simply pass it off as homage would fail to give it its due credit. Chinatown is also a wickedly clever tale of the blurred lines between right and wrong, the dark things that good men do and the good things that evil men are capable of. In the middle of all of that, it’s the tale of a man trying to balance all of these issues out and escape with his life and his conscience intact.
Jake Gittes is a private detective in 1930s Los Angeles who specializes in divorce work, in cheating husbands and wives; he’s a man who spends his time watching the sins of other people. It’s made him wealthy and of some repute, and perhaps even a little smarmy, yet he manages to keep his conscience relatively clean. When a woman named Evelyn Mulwray comes to see him with suspicions of her husband’s infidelities, he first suggests that she simply let it go, that her ignorance is preferable to the torture that could come with knowledge. She insists, and thus Jake begins to follow her husband, Hollis. After observing Hollis Mulwray spending his time in some unusual places (a dried-up riverbed, a drainage pipe by the beach), he finally catches him in what appears to be a compromising situation. The press catches wind of it and Mulwray, who we learn is the chief of the Water and Power Department (the film is loosely plotted around the California Water Wars), is disgraced and Jake’s minor celebrity status is boosted.
However, nothing is as it seems. We soon learn that the woman who hired him is not the real Evelyn Mulwray when the real one (a luminous Faye Dunaway) turns up, full of icy anger at Gittes. When Hollis Mulwray turns up dead, Gittes ends up working for Evelyn (the real one) to find his killer, and along the way deals with crooked public officials, a scam to steal water for a new development, knife-wielding thugs and more dead bodies. In the end, he must find his way out of a tangled skein of betrayal, revenge, love, lust, incest, political corruption and the dark histories that curse each character.
Chinatown is one of those murky, sad morality tales where no one is 100% guilty, nor is anyone 100% innocent. As the tale unravels, we see that everyone in the film, with a couple of minor exceptions, has done something that led them to the bleak place where the film concludes. Make no mistake - Chinatown is no happy tale, nor is it a tale of redemption and hope, and that’s part of what makes it so fascinating. It’s got all the hallmarks of a big Hollywood pictures — big names, gorgeous sets, big budget, glitzy production — yet at its heart it’s a melancholy film about broken families, broken trusts and human weakness in general.
Layered on top of that wounded heart is an absolutely beautiful picture, a veritable love letter to the Golden Age of Hollywood. With sets ranging from stunning old mansions to spectacular beach vistas, Chinatown is lovely to look at. Watching it 34 years later, it still sparkles with the kind of vibrant life that makes its content all the more jarring. The production is brilliant and meticulous. All of the costumes, cars, and sets are perfect for the era it portrays, embracing the viewer in the smooth, slick feel of the 1930s — the beginnings of Hollywood’s glamour, but a little bit tarnished and dirty. Gittes wears sharp-looking suits, the women all look like a million bucks, and there’s never a moment where you don’t believe that you’ve been transported back to 1930s L.A. The sense of authenticity shows in the tiniest details — the leather cover on a pair of binoculars, a cigarette case, the walls on the barbershop — director Polanski and the production team didn’t let a single detail slip by them.
This dedication to detail shows itself in more than just the backgrounds and sets; it’s in every action and movement, every frame of the film. The characters are real, both in their words and their actions, and it makes the film somehow both leisurely and gripping at the same time. Chinatown is not a fast-paced film — the script (by Robert Towne of Shampoo and The Last Detail) is slow, deliberate and contemplative. This is a good thing, for it’s so densely plotted that its pace gives you a chance to consider the events as they occur, allowing you to reach the conclusions at the same time as the protagonist. In fact, apparently the original cut had a voice-over recorded by Nicholson — a common narrative device in earlier detective/noir films — that Polanski eventually removed, instead choosing to let the audience solve the riddle at their own speed, to draw their own conclusions. It was an excellent decision, and the film is riveting as a result. You don’t know what motivates Gittes other than the fact that there is something in his past that drives him forward, and despite his suggestion to leave well enough alone, he himself is incapable of doing so. As a result, the slow buildup imbues Chinatown with a feeling of dread — you, like Gittes, are dying to know what the answers are, but you suspect from the onset that both the road and the destination are going to be unpleasant.
Our younger readers may find this difficult to believe, but there was a time when Jack Nicholson could give a nuanced, subtle performance. Jake Gittes is no squinty-eyed, down-on-his-luck, derivatively written PI. He doesn’t carry a gun, nor does he work in the clichéd seedy underbelly of the big city. He’s well-dressed, well-known and sharp as a tack. Nicholson’s portrayal is spot-on — a dry, intelligent performance that garnered him a well-deserved Oscar nomination (one of the 11 nominations the film earned). There is none of the bombastic bullshit that pervades so many of his performances these days, none of that rote, oft-impersonated one-note characterization that has effectively made him a caricature of himself. Instead, Gittes is a quick, clever, difficult man, driven by his own demons to solve a mystery that no one wants solved — not the cops, not the criminals, not even his own client.
Speaking of which, Faye Dunaway as Evelyn Mulwray is an excellent compliment to Nicholson. While the script allows her to avoid the conventional femme fatale role, she is the driving force behind the story. And make no mistake, Dunaway is a force in this — her carefully enunciated dialogue gives her an air of royalty, a sense of entitlement that is very much at odds with her portrayal of such a tragic figure. Only an actress as gifted as Dunaway could carry off such a complex, painful character — how do you play someone whose innocence has been destroyed so thoroughly, yet still has a sense of naiveté about her? Someone who, despite the beating life has given her, still has the ability to appear confident, even arrogant, at times? The rest of the cast succeeds in supporting the two stars, while managing not to wither in their shadow. John Houston in particular, as Evelyn’s father, gives a wry, vaguely sinister shade to an already colorful character, adding a subtle sense of menace to his scenes. It casts a shadow over the character’s attempt to appear as a somewhat sad, addled older gentlemen. But as with all things in Chinatown, nothing is as it appears.
Chinatown is one of the few, rare perfect entries in its genre. With the exception of the likes of L.A. Confidential, few films have even come close to reaching its heights in recent history. On the surface, Chinatown seems a peculiar choice for Polanski — after all, this is the man who brought us Rosemary’s Baby, Dance of the Vampires and Bitter Moon. But if you peel back the skin, you’ll quickly see that it is more than a detective story, more than an homage, more than a mystery. It’s a multi-layered, grim examination of human frailty. When the film reaches its climax in the titular Chinatown and we see things come full circle, the answers are not what you expect. When the demons inside everyone are brought to light, they aren’t necessarily banished away — like the political corruption that helps drive the story, they instead simply become part of the landscape, for better or for worse.
TK can be found wandering aimlessly through suburban Massachusetts, wondering how the hell he got there while yelling at the kids on his lawn. You can find him raising the dead in preparation for world domination at Uncooked Meat.
Believe it or Not ... It's Just Pajiba | | The Classic Film That Made You Love Old Movies
Comments
I never knew Jack Nicholson ever played across from Faye Dunaway...
...I wonder if the library has this so I can watch it before I leave (I canceleld my Netflix at the worst time)
I love movies with characters that are neither 100% good or 100% evil, thats how things are like in real life and the fictional characters are all the better for it
strait-forward characters are boring and flat
beautiful review TK, you have outdone yourself
Posted by: Bethy at June 25, 2008 12:18 PM
Excellent review, TK. This film is simply brilliant.
I don't know how accurate this theory is, but there's the idea Polanksi also had the murder of his wife and some of his friends by Charles Manson's cult on his mind when he made this film, and that it is reflected here. I think it's probably just a matter of interpretation, but I think there's an element of validity when considering how wretched everyone is in this film.
Posted by: vic at June 25, 2008 12:22 PM
Awesome job TK. I just saw this again a few days ago and it's just as good as ever.
Posted by: jM at June 25, 2008 12:25 PM
This was one of those movies that I meant to see for donkey years, and I only just got around to it in the past month. I wish I hadn't already known some of the plot points that come up late in the film... it kind of ruined things for me. Still, a lovely update of the noir. Faye Dunaway with her Tom Collins in a crystal highball... so old money. Love it.
Posted by: Lannie at June 25, 2008 12:26 PM
I've seen this half a dozen times, and I have pinpointed the exact moment when my brain refuses to make sense of the plot: when the secretary tells Gittes that Mulwray owned the water department. I'm simply baffled from then on, but the movie is still great. And the picture above is perfect. One of the most striking things about this movie is the way Jack spends half of it with this huge, ridiculous bandage over his face. You can probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of actors these days who aren't so image-conscious that they would allow something like that. (But then, of course, you've got those guys like Daniel Day Lewis and Christian Bale who would cut their noses for real.)
I must say, though, that the final line -- iconic as it is -- makes no sense to me and takes me right out of the story. I've heard some things about how all the characters are wrapped up in the past, symbolized by Chinatown. But still, "Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown," just doesn't seem like something anyone would say in that situation, or make sense to the person at which it's directed.
Posted by: Todd at June 25, 2008 12:34 PM
Now my guilt over never having seen this is crushing. Great review TK, I'll actually make the effort to watch this now.
Posted by: Julie at June 25, 2008 12:35 PM
I have not seen this. You are 200% correct about Jack Nicholson. My favorite of his roles was One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.
So sad what he has now become.
I will add this to watch list.
Posted by: Melody at June 25, 2008 12:38 PM
Um, Bethy? You've never heard of Chinatown? I feel old.
Your membership to this club is temporarily revoked until you make your way through a couple of classics. (Don't forget Casablanca!) Perhaps you should visit AFI's Top 50 list? Your library will definitely have Chinatown but it may be on video cassette.
In my mind: Faye Dunaway has basically 3 major roles under her belt- Chinatown, Bonnie and Clyde, the Thomas Crowne Affair. I confess I also dig her in Mommy Dearest- "No wire hangers!!!"
Speaking of Roman Polanski- that documentary on HBO is rather lame. Anyone else seen it?
Posted by: Amanda47 at June 25, 2008 12:46 PM
I saw this for the first time about 3 weeks ago. I had a few immediate thoughts after it ended:
1) Faye Dunaway is GORGEOUS
2) Why can't more movies have ambiguous or unsettling endings as opposed to forced "happy" endings?
3) "Oh right, there's a reason Jack is so famous & revered. And, it's not just for playing "Jack" over and over." I really had forgotten that he could do anything else.
Posted by: Smello at June 25, 2008 12:54 PM
Love love love Chinatown. It's nice to be reminded of the time when Jack Nicholson wasn't so... creepy.
Posted by: megbon at June 25, 2008 12:57 PM
Don't worry, Pajibites, I have dutifully reprimanded Julie for the gross negligence displayed in her comment above.
I harbor an undying love for this movie. I'm so tempted to quote from it, but unfortunately the best line is also the spoiler to end all spoilers. Resisting the urge to do this makes my brain hurt.
Posted by: thejodester at June 25, 2008 1:01 PM
How coincidental, I just managed to watch this for the first time last week. I have to say the movie is really good. As TK described and is spot on with the 'look' of the film which was amazing as well.
The only minor complaint I would say is the pacing may be a bit too slow for my liking but wasn't distracting.
Nicholson and Dunaway really shine in their roles.
I lkied the last line: "Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown", does mean a lot.
Posted by: Jay at June 25, 2008 1:02 PM
@Todd,
"..I must say, though, that the final line -- iconic as it is -- makes no sense to me and takes me right out of the story..."
He means that in Chinatown you can't control events, there's no way you can predict the outcome of your actions, and everything is just a confusing mess. That's why when Jake was in Chinatown he used to try to do "as little as possible".
Posted by: Jay at June 25, 2008 1:04 PM
I could watch this movie twice a week for my entire life and not get tired of it. There's something new to appreciate with every viewing, the performances are supernaturally good, and the scenes moving from office to riverbed to backyards to senior centers to Chinatown, etc. keep it all so brisk. When it's over, you're left wondering what just hit you upside the head.
Posted by: Amanda H. at June 25, 2008 1:11 PM
My first introduction to this movie was the Mad Magazine spoof - and I have to say I have never seen it in entirety. I will go forth and Tivo!
Re: Roman Polanski documentary. I thought it was decent. I didn't really know very much about his wife's murder and was a baby when it happened. I'd heard of the Manson killings and knew her name, but seeing the footage of her made it much more real. She was indeed very beautiful - I was surprised at that.
Polanski's rape trial - what a circus. Not that he's not a scummy bastard, but the things that judge did due to the media influence were really crazy.
Posted by: mswas at June 25, 2008 1:17 PM
oh Amanda47, fear not, I have a pretty decent knowledge/DVD collection of classics - Casablanca, Breakfast At Tiffany's, The Philiadelphia Story, North By Nothwest, Vertigo, Sabrina (original), Roman Holidy, Bringing Up Baby, An Affair To Remember, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, The Sting, Arsenic And Old Lace (the last three I even have on VHS), Sunset Boulevard, The Thomas Crowne Affair (again, original), The Italian Job (original), High Society and some more that slip my mind at the moment
I had heard of Chinatown, just had not gotten around to seeing it and didn't know all the actors in it
fear not, it will be remedied very soon
I guess today is the day to rail on my age, huh?
Posted by: Bethy at June 25, 2008 1:17 PM
"Our younger readers may find this difficult to believe..."
Seriously, what is with all the patronizing language to us college kids this week? Did stuff like this take place during the last Classics week and I just didn't notice?
Isn't it kind of rude to automatically assume that our knowledge of movies consists solely of the ones filmed after we were born?
Whoa, whoa... that was absolutely not my intent. In fact, it was really nothing more than an innocuous (to me, at least) turn of phrase used for humorous intent and to make a point about Nicholson in his youth/prime. Hell, Chinatown was made before I was born too. -TK
Posted by: Renee at June 25, 2008 1:31 PM
Speaking of Roman Polanski- that documentary on HBO is rather lame. Anyone else seen it?
I saw it and found it rather interesting. I'm still pretty conflicted about how I feel about the case.
Posted by: Cindy at June 25, 2008 1:47 PM
I'll say it...I HATE THIS MOVIE!!! I ALWAYS HAVE!!! EVEN PAJIBA WILL NOT MAKE ME CHANGE MY MIND!!!
Whew. I feel better now. Proceed.
Posted by: Be Adequite! at June 25, 2008 1:53 PM
I just saw this movie... I have always loved Jack Nicholson for his crazy maniacal roles (The Shining, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)...my mouth dropped after seeing him in this role. At first, I kept waiting for him to cackle and lose it completely.
What a brilliant role and a (darkly) beautiful movie.
I would also like to say that I really appreciate these classic movie reviews ... I never liked discussing movies in large groups or with people right after watching the movies, because it was always just too much. Too many voices overlapping, or something, I'm not sure. To read well-thought out and interesting reviews of these movies makes them all the more rewarding.
Posted by: Zabe at June 25, 2008 2:11 PM
(In a high-pitched nasal Nelson voice):
HAHA! You're young!
Although I've never seen this movie...it's just never seemed interesting. I guess I should check it out, specially after such a nice review.
Posted by: Shadows of Dakaron at June 25, 2008 2:11 PM
I love how John Huston calls Jake "Mister Gits" throughout the picture. Amazing performance by that guy.
Posted by: prehensile at June 25, 2008 2:24 PM
I suppose we who are born, um, before the Reagan era (or Thatcher era) should stop ganging up on the younglings.
HOWEVER, the younglings should perhaps stop commenting first (or very early) as you're setting yourself up for critique. Or ridicule. Or shaken-headed incredulity.
If you're in college, you are clearly going through the "huh, I guess I don't know everything" phase of your life. Or should be. Consider Pajiba your well-meaning cinema brethren teaching you the ways of a well-viewed (as opposed to well-read) fan.
Like the song goes:
"Why can't they be like we were? Perfect in every way. What's the matter with kids today?"
Posted by: Amanda47 at June 25, 2008 2:25 PM
Wow TK, your writing just gets better and better. This whole series of reviews makes me think I was born after a time when movies told stories, actors were their characters, not caricatures, and special effects weren't around to overwhelmingly drown out/cover up the absence of a plot. Chinatown has now jumped up my "must-see" list. The existence of excellent movies like this, where a happy ending is not a foregone conclusion, make me hate Disney with the fire of a thousand ulcers.
Posted by: lordhelmet at June 25, 2008 2:26 PM
Yikes, poor Bethy, you're getting flak on two threads today!
If it's any consolation, I'm months into my thirties, and have never seen GAH or Chinatown either. Wouldn't mind remedying the latter offense, particularly after reading this review!
Posted by: MO at June 25, 2008 2:27 PM
What exactly IS a femme fatale roll? Perhaps a yeast roll? A hard roll? Certainly not a sweet roll . . . .
Hee hee - sorry TK, I couldn't resist.
mudderfucker! fixed, damn you! -TK
Posted by: SCG at June 25, 2008 2:38 PM
for the record, I have never in my (apparently short) life thought I knew everything, I have learned tons of stuff from Pajiba since I started reading it, even more since I started commenting on it and the only reason I commented first was I was driven to the site earlier today than normal in my desire to not actually do the work I was supposed to be doing and managed to catch the review right as it went up. I would also like to point out that I complemented the very well written review and clearly stated that I wanted to remedy the oversight on my part of this film and go out and watch it as soon as I could manage.
I do not believe that someone who is younger than you saying that they have not seen a movie but would like to now is setting themselves up for ridicule, they have simply lived less years than you and therefore may not have not had the exposure to certain films and have had less time in which to actually view said films.
now if said young person said they had not seen a movie and then went on to say they had no desire to see it simply because it was old, that would open them up for a certain amount of incredibility
however, I have not seen one person make such a comment yet during this classics week, nor in any of the preceeding ones
(I apologize for my spelling/grammer, the caffine is kicking in)
Posted by: Bethy at June 25, 2008 2:58 PM
'I don't know how accurate this theory is, but there's the idea Polanksi also had the murder of his wife and some of his friends by Charles Manson's cult on his mind when he made this film, and that it is reflected here. I think it's probably just a matter of interpretation, but I think there's an element of validity when considering how wretched everyone is in this film.'
You are correct, Vic. I recall reading in MOVIELINE magazine (god how I miss it) how Towne's original ending was much happier and it was Polanski who insisted on the bleak finale.
The Polanski doc was kind of boring, too much fine print but I loved the footage of Sharon Tate. She really was one of the most beautiful women around, even if she wasn't much of an actress.
Posted by: Andrew at June 25, 2008 3:16 PM
Great review, TK. Bonus points for the Bad Religion quote.
ding ding ding! winner of the non-existent TK quote prize! -TK
Posted by: Rob at June 25, 2008 3:59 PM
Another movie I saw AT the theater with a girlfriend when I was 16, first run.
I. am. so. old. The 70's stunk musically (for the most part) and the clothes were UGLY, but on the flip side, clearly we got awesome movies and awesome acting talent and thus balance upheld.
Posted by: NeoCleo at June 25, 2008 4:04 PM
Oh, Roman Polanski, "Fearless Vampire Killers" with Sharon Tate the year before she became the victim of the Manson family. I saw this at the drive in too, with my parents and siblings.
Yeesh, what a childhood I've had.
Posted by: NeoCleo at June 25, 2008 4:08 PM
I don't know how accurate this theory is, but there's the idea Polanksi also had the murder of his wife and some of his friends by Charles Manson's cult on his mind when he made this film, and that it is reflected here.
I've actually heard that said about his Macbeth, but who knows, the same could go for both.
Posted by: April at June 25, 2008 4:14 PM
Fantastic review. Yes, the production values on this movie were out of this world, and I too miss 'Zen' Jack Nicholson. Haven't seen him for years!
Posted by: StephanieS at June 25, 2008 4:18 PM
"In my mind: Faye Dunaway has basically 3 major roles under her belt"
uh, she gets top billing in Network and is fantastic in it.
she's also good in Three Days of the Condor, with Redford.
she was big stuff in the early/mid 70's ... not much top flight work since then ... maybe Barfly?
Posted by: shoulders of orion at June 25, 2008 4:31 PM
"It's made him wealthy and of some repute ..."
Only some, apparently. As I recall, almost everyone he meets pronounces his name wrong.
Posted by: bucdaddy at June 25, 2008 4:54 PM
TK, you have a few balls of your own...
Thank you for the wonderfully written reminder that, yes, there was a time when Jack Nicholson didn't play a variant on his now standard character: the crotchety, mid-to-severe mentally ill asshole.
Posted by: agent bedhead at June 25, 2008 4:55 PM
My favourite film of ever.
And as a couple of posters said, John Huston is astounding here. Nicholson is great, Dunaway acceptable to good, but it's Huston that really makes the film for me. There's the one scene where Nicholson is sitting outside with him and Huston gets up and stands with almost his whole face taking up half the screen looking at some point past the camera with Nicholson behind him a way, a small figure still sitting. And Nicholson says something, just a hunch, and Huston's eyes narrow just the tiniest as he stares into the middle distance and you can feel the malevolence and hatred in that smallest movement.
Posted by: heddy at June 25, 2008 5:15 PM
With all apologies to Godwin, saying Polanski had some personal/legal troubles is like saying Hitler had some International Boundaries/Racial Tolerance Troubles.
Posted by: schadenfreude at June 25, 2008 7:25 PM
Love moral ambiguity.
Love down endings.
But I've always found this film extremely overrated.
Posted by: DarthCorleone at June 25, 2008 8:12 PM
John Huston steals this movie, and it helps me remember why Jack Nicholson used to be great. But John Huston is SO menacing.
Also, I saw this right after reading Cadillac Desert and it absolutely makes more sense from the water angle. Water rights were a fascinating part of the plot and I think I would have been way more confused if I hadn't read CD first.
Posted by: Anne (in Reno) at June 25, 2008 9:21 PM
Overrated? I think not. A case can be made for the letter "C" as one of the best for beginning movie titles: Chinatown, Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Chariots of Fire... And TK, as long as you're fixing things, it's complement, not compliment.
Posted by: brm at June 25, 2008 10:17 PM
Overrated? I think so.
Posted by: Be Adequite! at June 25, 2008 11:23 PM
David Thomson's great (and not usual) history of Hollywood, The Whole Equation, uses Chinatown as a metaphor for the development of Hollywood. If I remember correctly, Robert Towne's original script had a happy ending, but he & Polanski fought and Polanski won, and got the ending we obviously know. By-the-by, reading that someone on a movie site had never heard of it is so...depressing.
Reminds me of a work trip to the US a few years ago, to Utah. I was talking to a guy who was claiming to be a huge movie fan and when I said I'd love to visit the area where Once Upon a Time in the West was made, he'd never heard of it, or Sergio Leone. And then he told me his favourite film was something called Tommy Boy.
Hey now... let's not knock Tommy Boy. I love that movie! Not knowing who Leone is? Fine. Calling yourself a movie fan and not knowing... that's downright shameful. Even if you haven't seen the movie, you should at least know the name. -TK
Posted by: Donal at June 26, 2008 2:12 PM
Bah! Rob beat me to the non-existent quote prize. Excellent review and an excellent choice, TK. Back on the queue it goes...
Posted by: Iris at June 27, 2008 6:57 PM
Over the past few months I've seen The Third Man, The Big Sleep, and The Killing, as well as Chinatown (which I bought about a week ago). Chinatown is a fantastic film, but it hardly measures up to the old noir classics. Why laud Chinatown when its genre reached its peak 30 years before it was made?
I thought it was a great film, but not a classic. But anyway, as we all know; film appreciation is a subjective art.
Posted by: Ben at June 28, 2008 2:08 PM