Chinatown (1974)

A private detective investigating an adultery case stumbles on to a scheme of murder that has something to do with water.

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writer:

Robert Towne

Stars:

Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston

Top 250 #85 | Won 1 Oscar. Another 20 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Nicholson	...	J.J. Gittes
Faye Dunaway	...	Evelyn Mulwray
John Huston	...	Noah Cross
Perry Lopez	...	Escobar
John Hillerman	...	Yelburton
Darrell Zwerling	...	Hollis Mulwray
Diane Ladd	...	Ida Sessions
Roy Jenson	...	Mulvihill
Roman Polanski	...	Man with Knife
Richard Bakalyan	...	Loach (as Dick Bakalyan)
Joe Mantell	...	Walsh
Bruce Glover	...	Duffy
Nandu Hinds	...	Sophie
James O'Rear	...	Lawyer (as James O'Reare)
James Hong	...	Evelyn's Butler

Storyline

JJ 'Jake' Gittes is a private detective who seems to specialize in matrimonial cases. He is hired by Evelyn Mulwray when she suspects her husband Hollis, builder of the city's water supply system, of having an affair. Gittes does what he does best and photographs him with a young girl but in the ensuing scandal, it seems he was hired by an impersonator and not the real Mrs. Mulwray. When Mr. Mulwray is found dead, Jake is plunged into a complex web of deceit involving murder, incest and municipal corruption all related to the city's water supply.

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Plot Keywords:

water | detective | murder | corruption | private detective | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Cantonese Spanish

Release Date:

20 June 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Barrio Chino

Filming Locations:

1315 South El Molino Drive, South Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Penthouse

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The haunting trumpet solos are by respected Hollywood studio musician, Uan Rasey.

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Goofs

When the "Man with Knife" (Polanski) sticks his switchblade up the nostril of Gittes, the sharp side of the blade is positioned inwards, not outwards, and the cut is made with the dull side of the knife. The following reverse angle shows Polanski holding the knife the proper way.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jake Gittes: All right, Curly. Enough's enough. You can't eat the Venetian blinds. I just had them installed on Wednesday.

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Connections

Featured in Manorama Six Feet Under (2007)

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Soundtracks

"I Can't Get Started"
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Music by Vernon Duke
As recorded by Bunny Berigan and His Orchestra
Courtesy of RCA Records.

User Reviews

watered down noire

A film about LA and water set in the l930's during a drought with a dark incestuous subplot and some stunning performances by Faye Dunaway and Jack Nicholson, and superb cinematography that seemed to capture the essence of LA. Directed by Roman Polanski, who makes a terrific cameo appearance as a switchblade wielding heavy, and using the considerable acting talents of John Huston as a ruthless and perverted landowner. Read Cadillac Desert to know about LA's water grab but see Chinatown for its brilliant allegory of water and corruption, both public and private. The direction, the screenplay, the acting, the photography, and the soundtrack combine to make a convincing and atmospheric picture. The crushing ending is just so much more icing on the cake.