I don’t know how many times I have seen it in the past 40 years, I am at the point where I am quoting all the lines even from the most minor characters.
It is now free on Prime, full HD. So I am watching again.
What a great film. That is all
It just occured to me. A lot of films get colorized, just for the hell of it I recentley watched the colorized version of It’s a Wondeful Life. There are so many things in that movie that are now antiques, things on Potter’s desk or in the store where young George worked, wanted to see them in full color.
It was interesting, but will never watch that version again, but I think a de-colorized version of Chinatown could work.
If it’s a good movie it good be very good in color or B&W. I’m not sure what you mean by ‘de-colorized’ though. I saw most movies in B&W when I was child because we only had a B&W TV so any movies or TV done in color were B&W for me. Most of them worked surprisingly well in that mode though. However, just as colorizing film uses several levels of human intervention and technology to improve the resulting product the same could be done to de-colorize film and video. I’m not sure that such things are commonly done currently, but we’ve seen in the growing use of green screen technology that a broad palette of imagery styles is available for artists with the ability to use them.
Having worked needle exchange in Honolulu’s Chinatown while in grad school, my colleagues and I were constantly finding occasion to say, “Forget it, (Name). It’s Chinatown.”
If it’s a good movie it could be very good in color or B&W.
The colorization of classic films is an abomination.
Indeed, when they did that to “Metropolis” (with Pat Benatar songs, which is a different beef), I was not amused.
Been ages since I last since “Chinatown”, and should definitely watch again. Never got around to seeing “The Two Jakes” sequel. (Not sure if writer Robert Towne really embraced it.)
Saw this movie a looong time ago. All I remember is the phrase “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.”, and …
my sister (SLAP)
my daughter (SLAP)
my sister (SLAP)
my daughter (SLAP)
Maybe I’ll give it another watch now that it’s free on Prime.
Fun fact about the sequel, “The Two Jakes”-- never saw it, but apparently it was so boring, and the plot so incomprehenible, I heard a movie theater accidentally switched the order of the first and second reels, and no one in the audience noticed or complained.
I’ve posted this observation before.
My favorite scene in the movie is when Gittes is lunching with Noah Cross. Cross is facing away from Gittes and towards the camera. His face is all smiles as he’s acknowledging someone off-camera. Then Gittes reveals that Cross was seen arguing with Mulwray just before Mulwray’s disappearance. Cross’s face changes from jolly to aghast and you can see the wheels turning in his head as he’s trying to process and spin this - all without turning around so that Gittes can see him.
John Huston is a hell of an actor.
I watched it once. It is pretty boring. Never again.
I love this film for many reasons, not the least of which is being immersed in old Los Angeles. I would love any recommendations of comparable movies.
Sorry, he has a cold.
Um, I watched Hollywoodland (I think that is what it was called) about Old-Timey LA stuff. About the George Reeve murder/suicide/whatever. It wasn’t completely bad.
That is a good one! Even though I’ve seen it, I appreciate the suggestion.
; that is exactly the kind of thing I’m looking for.
It’s difficult to name a favorite scene in such a brilliant film, but I particularly like the sequence where Jake Gittes ventures into the dry LA river and interviews the boy on the horse. The boy doesn’t make eye contact with Jake, and he talks in a disinterested monotone about the water coming in at different places and times. The desolation of the dry riverbed, the boy’s flat affect, the clues that make no sense, and the eerie Jerry Goldsmith score combine to give the scene an otherworldly quality.
Thanks, TP. I’ve seen L. A. Confidential (so good!) but not familiar with the other two. On to my list they go!
For me, it’s when Jake nearly gets washed down the drain, loses his shoe and gets a free nose-job.
The yellow Packard was great, should have been in more scenes. The salt water in the fish pond ploy was a stretch.
It’s kind of Film Noire in color.
I prefer film noir over neo-noir. As such, I would recommend the following as being vaguely related to certain aspects of Chinatown:
Beast of the City (1932) – Not a mystery, but one of the only films noir produced around the time Chinatown is set (years before the phrase “film noir” had even been coined). The story is a bit fascistic, but the climactic cops vs. gangsters shootout is almost worthy of Sam Peckinpah.
I Love Trouble (1948) – A PI (Franchot Tone) traces the history of a rich man’s wife and becomes involved in a complex mystery. Well-written and shot around LA: Westwood Village, Hollywood, Venice (mostly oil derricks), Pasadena and Beverly Hills.
Crime Wave (1954) – Decent crime thriller with excellent supporting cast includes a chase sequence through LA’s Chinatown.
Kiss Me Deadly (1955) – J.J. Gittes is a lowlife PI with pretensions to class, but Ralph Meeker as PI Mike Hammer is a total scumbag. One of the greatest detective movies ever made was shot in Downtown LA (including Angel’s Flight), Hollywood, Malibu and Beverly Hills among other places.