Chinatown - Principled Perceptions of Pernicious Persons

I have always been amazed at the impact our perceptions have on our interpersonal relationships. Our biases and blemishes can create a smokescreen of sorts that blind even the most astute observer; this is how misunderstands abound and feuds begin. Film noir, a style best seen in black and white detective films of the 1940’s and 50’s, was perfectly used to examine and challenge our perceptions: could the gorgeous temptress really be a cold-blooded murderer? What has made this trenchcoated private eye such a cynical loner?

In 1974, Roman Polanski directed a film that hearkened back to the style and character types of the old film noirs, while dealing with subject matters that couldn’t be touched in the censored Hollywood of yore. This would be a film to deal with power, greed, and murder; the men who made LA and the men who search for the truth. The film was Chinatown, which can be found in the Grace Doherty Library DVD collection.

The hard-boiled detective is a staple of film noir, but this film offers Jack Nicholson is truly the greatest actor of his generation; watching his “J.J. Gittes,” it’s hard not to notice the emotions he experiences. A lesser actor would completely flub his personal transformation, making it appear either too concrete or too sappy; Nicholson, however, keeps Gittes entirely believable and grounded in reality. In one famous scene, Gittes is held at knifepoint; Nicholson is aptly able to channel his fear of a malfunctioning prop blade into the character’s terror. Nicholson is in every scene and all the film’s events are seen through his eye; his perceptions are our perceptions, his prejudices are our prejudices. This is the closest as an audience member can get to actually diving into the character’s skin.

Every film noir has to have a femme fatale, and Faye Dunaway’s “Evelyn Mulwray” at first glance seems to fit that bill; she initially appears on the screen with the sauntering menace of the “Black Widow” of lore. Imagine our surprise when later events force us to question our perceptions of her; we are never quite sure of Evelyn’s intentions or secrets until the film’s conclusion, but Dunaway gives this character a quiet desperation that slowly seeps through her cold exterior until she makes a drastic, devastating decision in the film’s final moments that becomes a total game-changer for the film.

Every actor, from a larger-than-life John Huston to a shifty Diane Ladd in a very small part, delivers bravura performances; even characters who appear in just two or three scenes make an indelible impact on the viewer, thanks in large part to the beautiful screenplay.

As an English major, when viewing films, I tend to notice dialogue rapidly; a great script can make a film on the most dismal subject pleasurable, while a terrible script can weigh an otherwise great film down. Chinatown’s script, on the whole, was extraordinary; not a single phrase, situation, or character seemed contrived or false; screenwriter Robert Towne richly deserved the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay he won for his work here.

Jerry Goldsmith’s rich, jazzy score melds beautifully with the time and place, and serves to heighten the emotion, but never really to lead you to a set emotion.

John Alonzo’s cinematography is beautifully saturated with a light golden hue, but never so much that it feels artificial or contrived, like the lighting on The Godfather films can sometimes appear to be.

No matter how you perceive it, this is a film for the ages; you can’t forget it…It’s Chinatown.
4 flames out of 4!