19. Chinatown 1974
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071315/
Here is the paper that I wrote for my Film Class on Chinatown. I also included this little commentary to go with it:
Dr. G
Well, I had never watched this film before, and to be honest, the only other Polanski films I had seen were The Pianist and Rosemary's Baby, which I am sure are the ones most people have seen. HOWEVER, I did see the tenant. Now THAT was a strange movie.
But Chinatown was like every other Polanski film; in fact- this was one of the things I said about The Tenant, and I think it stands true for all 4 movies I have seen of his:
One might be tempted to give up before the movie starts to develop any substance, but be assured that if you stick it out, it will be worthwhile. As (my boyfriend) says, with any truly good movie, you need to see it more than once to really appreciate it. I will need to watch it again. This time, I won't be so quick to change the channel.
Anyway, here it is.
Susan
Set and Costumes in “Chinatown”
Jake J Gittes, a private investigator, is asked to look into the infidelities in which Hollis Mulwray is presumed to be involved, but it turns into a farce that creates a mystery unlike any other. This is the premise of the film “Chinatown”, co-written and directed by the notorious Roman Polanski. The direction of the movie is flawless and keeps the audience wondering in what kind of catastrophe Gittes has gotten himself involved. Set in 1937, Polanski’s use of contrasting darks and lights include everything from the set to the costumes to the premise of the film itself.
It starts out innocently enough, with a man who has just been served with proof that his wife is having an affair. Although he is poor, he is an honest man. As he leaves, a very wealthy looking woman hires Gittes to find out about her own “husband.” The simple contrast between the working man and the wealthy woman is immediately discernable, by the clothes that they wear as well as the dialect which they speak- his words are mumbled, hers are distinct and annunciated. He walks around with a slump, looking defeated. The wealthy people walk tall, proud, and forcefully.
As the movie continues, the viewer is enveloped in wealthy surroundings. Every person with whom Jake comes in contact has a discernable look. As Jake walks around the riverbed with the lieutenant, the stark contrast of his white suit against a sea of blue suits makes it so he stands out in the crowd. (However, unlike in most situations where the lighter color designates the pure of heart, it is Jake who is portrayed as the conniving one.) When Jake goes to the Mulwray residence, the crisp uniforms of the help, the conspicuous space, and the expensive landscaping are a clear indication that money has never been an issue in the Mulwray family. In contrast, when Jake visits the previously mentioned client’s home, there are many mouths sitting around the small table waiting to be fed. The home is small and cramped, and the wife sports a black eye, another perfect example shown by Polanski that this family is not as fortunate.
The setting for the final scene takes place in Chinatown, a run down part of Los Angeles where Asians tend to live in droves. This is where Jake learned everything he knows about being a private investigator, from the slums and the filth that covered the streets even as early as the 1930’s. Regardless of the fact that it is nighttime, the Asian spectators are out in multitude. It is very dark, a clear indication of a place that nobody in his right mind would care to see in the light of day. This was the “ghetto” of the 1930’s; it’s the place in which no lawman wants to work, which is made clear several times as Gittes refers to it as his past. It is where he received his streetwise education, and where he acquired the knowledge necessary to bring down the killers who contracted him out in the first place.
Everything about this film is well done. The costumes bring the audience into 1937, where jackets, hats, and ties were considered everyday apparel for men in the middle to upper classes. Mr. Cross walks with a cane, even though it is apparent he may not necessarily need one. Fabrics are crisp and expensive looking. Even the white sheets that the maid places on the furniture are heavily starched. Adversely, the poor man wears a sleeveless t-shirt with a napkin stuffed down the collar, an indication of a man from a poor upbringing with poor table manners. The set, even so far as to include an old-fashioned telephone and a hatbox, is perfectly thirties, with the exception of a few things that were overlooked, like Ida’s Social Security Card. (It is not only reported that the card used was in the 1970’s style, but the very first social security card was issued on December 1, 1936, and hers, less than a year old, evidently, looks worn.) Apart from that, meticulous attention was paid to every costume from Mrs. Mulwray’s sexy satin robe to the men’s suits and Florsheim shoes to the horn rimmed glasses of the records clerk.
Even with the airs that the wealthy characters put on in this film, the truth remains: there are some things that do not discriminate, such as incest and debauchery, and certainly murder. The wealthy have their share of problems as much as the poor; they just possess the means to go about it in a different manner.
Here is the paper that I wrote for my Film Class on Chinatown. I also included this little commentary to go with it:
Dr. G
Well, I had never watched this film before, and to be honest, the only other Polanski films I had seen were The Pianist and Rosemary's Baby, which I am sure are the ones most people have seen. HOWEVER, I did see the tenant. Now THAT was a strange movie.
But Chinatown was like every other Polanski film; in fact- this was one of the things I said about The Tenant, and I think it stands true for all 4 movies I have seen of his:
One might be tempted to give up before the movie starts to develop any substance, but be assured that if you stick it out, it will be worthwhile. As (my boyfriend) says, with any truly good movie, you need to see it more than once to really appreciate it. I will need to watch it again. This time, I won't be so quick to change the channel.
Anyway, here it is.
Susan
Set and Costumes in “Chinatown”
Jake J Gittes, a private investigator, is asked to look into the infidelities in which Hollis Mulwray is presumed to be involved, but it turns into a farce that creates a mystery unlike any other. This is the premise of the film “Chinatown”, co-written and directed by the notorious Roman Polanski. The direction of the movie is flawless and keeps the audience wondering in what kind of catastrophe Gittes has gotten himself involved. Set in 1937, Polanski’s use of contrasting darks and lights include everything from the set to the costumes to the premise of the film itself.
It starts out innocently enough, with a man who has just been served with proof that his wife is having an affair. Although he is poor, he is an honest man. As he leaves, a very wealthy looking woman hires Gittes to find out about her own “husband.” The simple contrast between the working man and the wealthy woman is immediately discernable, by the clothes that they wear as well as the dialect which they speak- his words are mumbled, hers are distinct and annunciated. He walks around with a slump, looking defeated. The wealthy people walk tall, proud, and forcefully.
As the movie continues, the viewer is enveloped in wealthy surroundings. Every person with whom Jake comes in contact has a discernable look. As Jake walks around the riverbed with the lieutenant, the stark contrast of his white suit against a sea of blue suits makes it so he stands out in the crowd. (However, unlike in most situations where the lighter color designates the pure of heart, it is Jake who is portrayed as the conniving one.) When Jake goes to the Mulwray residence, the crisp uniforms of the help, the conspicuous space, and the expensive landscaping are a clear indication that money has never been an issue in the Mulwray family. In contrast, when Jake visits the previously mentioned client’s home, there are many mouths sitting around the small table waiting to be fed. The home is small and cramped, and the wife sports a black eye, another perfect example shown by Polanski that this family is not as fortunate.
The setting for the final scene takes place in Chinatown, a run down part of Los Angeles where Asians tend to live in droves. This is where Jake learned everything he knows about being a private investigator, from the slums and the filth that covered the streets even as early as the 1930’s. Regardless of the fact that it is nighttime, the Asian spectators are out in multitude. It is very dark, a clear indication of a place that nobody in his right mind would care to see in the light of day. This was the “ghetto” of the 1930’s; it’s the place in which no lawman wants to work, which is made clear several times as Gittes refers to it as his past. It is where he received his streetwise education, and where he acquired the knowledge necessary to bring down the killers who contracted him out in the first place.
Everything about this film is well done. The costumes bring the audience into 1937, where jackets, hats, and ties were considered everyday apparel for men in the middle to upper classes. Mr. Cross walks with a cane, even though it is apparent he may not necessarily need one. Fabrics are crisp and expensive looking. Even the white sheets that the maid places on the furniture are heavily starched. Adversely, the poor man wears a sleeveless t-shirt with a napkin stuffed down the collar, an indication of a man from a poor upbringing with poor table manners. The set, even so far as to include an old-fashioned telephone and a hatbox, is perfectly thirties, with the exception of a few things that were overlooked, like Ida’s Social Security Card. (It is not only reported that the card used was in the 1970’s style, but the very first social security card was issued on December 1, 1936, and hers, less than a year old, evidently, looks worn.) Apart from that, meticulous attention was paid to every costume from Mrs. Mulwray’s sexy satin robe to the men’s suits and Florsheim shoes to the horn rimmed glasses of the records clerk.
Even with the airs that the wealthy characters put on in this film, the truth remains: there are some things that do not discriminate, such as incest and debauchery, and certainly murder. The wealthy have their share of problems as much as the poor; they just possess the means to go about it in a different manner.
posted by Susan @ 10:49 AM
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