# Chinatown (1974 Movie)/Recommendations **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 28, 2017, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929 "2017-08-28T12:10:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/21 "2017-08-28T22:10:10Z")
> [@anomalous1](#): > > Any recommendations for some very good older movies in the same vein as this one? AS WELL-WRITTEN AS CHINATOWN _The Hospital_l (1971) _Network_ (1976) _Sweet Smell of Success_ (1957) EXCEPTIONAL DETECTIVE/MYSTERY MOVIES _Murder My Sweet/Farewell My Lovely_ (1944/1975) _The Big Sleep_ (1946) _Out of the Past_t (1947) _Kiss Me Deadly_ (1955) _The Parallax View_ (1974) _Cry Uncle_ (1971) Raunchier and in much poorer taste than the others, but still entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/22 "2017-08-28T23:34:08Z")
> [@anomalous1](#): > > …Any recommendations for some very good older movies in the same vein as (Chinatown)?.. > [@Gatopescado](#): > > **Mel Brooks** movies… > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > In whose circulatory system is a Mel Brooks movie in the same vein as Chinatown? > [@Gatopescado](#): > > _The Producers, Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, Blazing Saddles…_ > > All Classics! Great stories, and well-made films. Just because they are funny doesn’t make them sub-standard. “In the same vein” means similar. It has nothing to do with quality. Aside from the time period in which they were released, please explain to me the similarities between Young Frankenstein and Chinatown. mmm ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/23 "2017-08-28T23:37:28Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > The 70s Nicholson library is filled with classic film > > The Last Detail > **Carmel** Knowledge > Five Easy Pieces > One Flew Over the **Coockoos** Nest > King of Marvin Gardens **Carnal** Knowledge **Cuckoo’s** Nest ---
**Author:** ![anomalous1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@anomalous1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anomalous1)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/24 "2017-08-29T00:02:59Z")
Fantastic… Half of these are available with my cable subscription for free as it is… looks like this weekend will be filled with snacks and lethargy. Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I can’t get enough of watching a quality movie… I used to think they were hard to find, not so much anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/25 "2017-08-29T00:25:35Z")
Have you looked at [the AFI 100 list](http://www.afi.com/100years/movies10.aspx)? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/26 "2017-08-29T00:27:25Z")
THE BIG SLEEP (1946) THE THIRD MAN (1949) THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (1949) KISS ME DEADLY (1955) THE KILLING (1956) All great and well-written crime/noir flicks. Don’t invite your friends – they’re all black and white, and they’ll think you are nutsy-coo coo. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/27 "2017-08-29T04:23:42Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Aside from the time period in which they were released, please explain to me the similarities between Young Frankenstein and Chinatown. > mmm The noise Bert Young makes when he sees the pictures of his wife getting porked in the row-boat in the park and Igor taunting the horses. 😉 I thought we were talking about “older movies”, as in, the '70’s. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/28 "2017-08-29T05:27:56Z")
If you love _Chinatown_, you owe it to yourself to watch the DVD of _Ask the Dust_ with Robert Towne’s commentary turned on. The film itself is not that great, although I enjoyed it, but the commentary has little to do with the action onscreen. It’s all about Towne’s love of Los Angeles and the period depicted in _Chinatown_. The commentary itself is a worthy documentary about L.A. ---
**Author:** ![from\_a\_to\_z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5fc32e/32.png) [@from\_a\_to\_z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/from_a_to_z)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/29 "2017-08-29T05:50:22Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > The noise Bert Young makes when he sees the pictures of his wife getting porked in the row-boat in the park and Igor taunting the horses. 😉 Good one. It was only later that Burt/Curly could look for fulfillment as a beard. Also, [Johnny Marlin](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0549160) is in both movies. Speaking of the same vein, how about [Mean Streets](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070379). ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/30 "2017-08-29T05:52:02Z")
A couple early Scorsese movies, **Mean Streets** (1973) and\*\* Taxi Driver \*\*(1976), are definitely worth your while as is Peter Biskind’s 1999 book, [Easy Riders, Raging Bulls](https://www.amazon.com/Riders-Raging-Bulls-Sex-Drugs-Rock/dp/0684857081), which is a page-turning study of the rise and fall of New Hollywood from the late 60s to the early 80s. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/31 "2017-08-29T20:47:35Z")
_Vigilante Force_ (1976), a Western character study set in present-day. Small town oil boom results in a spiraling crime rate with roughnecks wreaking havoc all over town; sheriff deputizes mercenaries who turn out to be worse than the roughnecks. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/32 "2017-08-29T20:56:27Z")
Special effects were difficult in the old days so movies need to have plots and dialogue and some old stuff called ‘acting’. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/33 "2017-08-29T21:25:29Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > If you liked _Chinatown_, you should check out the sequel, _The Two Jakes_. Many people will tell you it is vastly inferior, but I found it very worthwhile. There was a third film intended, but it was never made. At least, not yet. I’m one who loves _Chinatown_ and loathes _The Two Jakes_. Nicholson directed the latter film, which is probably why. Re: _The Last Detail_. As a career Navy guy, it really rang true to me. I laughed out loud when the three of them were standing out in the freezing winter cold and drinking cold beer. Been there, done that. _Cuckoo’s Nest_ is one of those films where you suddenly recognize actors who went on to be big names, like Christopher Lloyd and Danny DeVito. Great film. I like the old noir movies, and the Bogie and Cagney films like _Petrified Forest_ and _Public Enemy_. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/34 "2017-08-29T21:45:34Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Special effects were difficult in the old days so movies need to have plots and dialogue and some old stuff called ‘acting’. QFT! ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/35 "2017-08-29T22:01:59Z")
The car chases in Bullitt and The French Connection were great because they were filmed on location. CGI would have sucked. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/36 "2017-08-29T22:23:37Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > The car chases in Bullitt and The French Connection were great because they were filmed on location. CGI would have sucked. Well, for Bullitt, with CG the Charger wouldn’t have lost 7 hubcaps during the chase. And you wouldn’t keep seeing the green Bug and the white LeMans so many times. And the chase might have made geographic sense. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/37 "2017-08-29T22:32:14Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Well, for Bullitt, with CG the Charger wouldn’t have lost 7 hubcaps during the chase. And you wouldn’t keep seeing the green Bug and the white LeMans so many times. And the chase might have made geographic sense. As if anyone noticed those things. As for the chase itself, they went for the best most scenic shots…not a trip tic. Almost no one knows the Bay Area anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/38 "2017-08-29T23:01:44Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Well, for Bullitt, with CG the Charger wouldn’t have lost 7 hubcaps during the chase. And you wouldn’t keep seeing the green Bug and the white LeMans so many times. And the chase might have made geographic sense. Along with seeing the same cars parked in the BG, the complete lack of pedestrians is also noticeable in\* Bullitt\*. This was rectified in _The French Connection_ and _The Seven-Ups_ (imo, the best car chase scene ever). All three flicks were produced by the same guy (Philip D’Antoni) and prominently feature the stunt driving of Bill Hickman, wheelman of the Charger in _Bullitt_ and the Pontiac Grand Ville in _The Seven-Ups_, as well as doing most of the stunt driving in _The French Connection_. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/39 "2017-08-29T23:07:04Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > Along with seeing the same cars parked in the BG, the complete lack of pedestrians is also noticeable in\* Bullitt\*. This was rectified in _The French Connection_ and _The Seven-Ups_ (imo, the best car chase scene ever). All three flicks were produced by the same guy (Philip D’Antoni) and prominently feature the stunt driving of Bill Hickman, wheelman of the Charger in _Bullitt_ and the Pontiac Grand Ville in _The Seven-Ups_, as well as doing most of the stunt driving in _The French Connection_. San Francisco made them film the car chase scenes on Sunday mornings to avoid disrupting neighborhoods. Does anyone actually miss pedestrians when we have the awesome scenery to enjoy? ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929/40 "2017-08-30T03:32:43Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > … are definitely worth your while as is Peter Biskind’s 1999 book, [Easy Riders, Raging Bulls](https://www.amazon.com/Riders-Raging-Bulls-Sex-Drugs-Rock/dp/0684857081), which is a page-turning study of the rise and fall of New Hollywood from the late 60s to the early 80s. Seconded. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinatown-1974-movie-recommendations/794929.md?page=3)