Chinatown (1974)
“- as little as possible.”
Chinatown is the perfect example of a film that is greater than the sum of its parts. Robert Townes, a relatively new writer in Hollywood, snagged an Oscar for his script, which (imo) remains one of the best scripts ever produced in Hollywood. The final line of the film — “Forget it Jake, it’s Chinatown” — has been referenced & parodied so many times that it almost overshadows the actual story. It is one of Jack Nicholson’s most memorable roles and it remains Roman Polanski’s best film (who, despite his legacy as a revolting coward, remains beloved around the world). However the brilliance of Chinatown is the simplicity of its story, its subtlety, and its tragic, timeless themes.
The story, which fictionalises the real history of the LA aqueduct, revolves around shady city officials controlling the water in and around Los Angeles. Once you know how the film ends, you can appreciate all the clues that hide in plain sight throughout the story, and all the subtle visual motifs that foreshadow that iconic final sequence. Every side character, no matter how short their time on screen, feels like a complete human. The camera work is incredible, often floating behind Gittes’s (Nicholson) shoulder, always keeping the foreground & background in dynamic tension, because in this world, someone is always watching.
In the film, “Chinatown” refers to the barely visible underclass of the city, the people who build the infrastructure and work in the homes of the wealthy. These are the people with no voice but who know all the secrets of the rich and powerful. And while the racism and exploitation are definitely present on the page, I don’t trust the men who made this movie to really appreciate the weight of what that means. Chinatown remains as much a mystery to the viewer as it does to the characters, and their refusal to see the full picture that lies before them leads to their downfall.
“It couldn’t be more personal.”
Protagonist JJ Gittes projects ego and confidence with every breath, and it’s that ego (typically praised in a hero) that causes the destruction around him. Though the film frames the ending as tragic, I wonder how conscious the filmmakers were of the dynamic they built. Gittes does not succeed because he does not listen to those “beneath” him. His outrage only surfaces when he needs something, and his virtue is selective, at best. Like other men in the film, he imposes his will because, as a white man, he ‘knows best’.
To me it’s Faye Dunaway’s performance as Evelyn Mulwray that gives this story the heart that is absent from so many other detective stories. Every moment she is on screen is iconic, every look and gesture makes me stop in my tracks. As a character, Mulwray has no use for Gittes. She has information he wants, but she does not need his help. He reads her coldness towards him as malicious, his ego doesn’t let him see her any other way. Dunaway brings depth and sorrow to a character who could have easily been swallowed up by the big personalities around her, both in front and behind the camera. She dominates every moment.
In a commentary track between screenwriter Robert Townes and David Fincher, they call Mulwray’s decisions ‘manipulations’ several times while praising Dunaway for her acting choices. And though Mulwray may not be forthright with Gittes, her choices are protective, not malicious. I find it upsetting that both men, including the one who wrote her, did not understand her motivations, and expected her to somehow immediately trust Gittes, even though he does nothing but upend her life. She correctly understands why Gittes is suddenly in her life, and she is right to push him away. This movie is not unique in how it’s male creators use gendered violence as a metaphor for evil, but Chinatown would be much more forgettable without Dunaway’s meticulous work.
