Big Screen Peter: Chinatown

Editor’s note: Peter Lewis has agreed to use whatever it is you call his writing style to provide some measure of analysis to those folks who still go to a theater to see a movie. Enjoy.

review by Peter Lewis

“Chinatown,” starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, is a legendary film. Not solely because it is one of the greatest noir films ever created, but because it was also the last film Roman Polanski made in America before fleeing to Europe (for a deeper understanding of Polanski, I’d suggest watching “Roman Polanski: Wanted & Desired,” a documentary film by Marina Zenovich).

"Chinatown" is part detective/crime drama and part psychological thriller set in 1937. It features Nicholson as J.J. Gittes, a former beat detective turned private dick in Los Angeles. Hired by a woman to determine whether her husband was committing adultery, Gittes slowly uncovers much deeper and more sinister machinations than run-of-the-mill adultery.

One of the defining features of the film is its singular script. Penned by Robert Towne, it is rightfully lauded as a masterpiece of screen writing (though it should also be noted that Polanski made several important changes, i.e. altering the script so that the audience would discover the clues just as Gittes does and axing the voice over narration by Gittes), featuring distinctive conversational patterns amongst characters and their thrillingly murky motives. To say that it unfolds slowly would be to give most an incorrect perception, for while it does proceed in a methodical manner, it is a tense procession that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats throughout.

The film unfolds solely through the eyes of Gittes. We know what he knows and thus the film is a subjective exercise in which Gittes appears in every scene. In part because of this, the film rightfully cemented Nicholson’s place as a bona fide Hollywood star, garnering him his fourth Oscar nomination. His performance is spot on throughout the film. He seems to truly exist as Gittes with his hardened exterior and severe moral compass.

Over the years, the title of the film has gained an intense level of discussion, since the film doesn’t actually take place in Chinatown. At the time, Chinatown was a den of mixed identities and languages. The Los Angeles police department was never quite sure whether they were helping or hurting, so as Gittes relates to Dunaway in a fit of pillow talk, the official edict was to do “as little as possible.” In his capacity as a private detective, Gittes rejects this mindset.

With an unwavering dedication to uncovering the truth, he actually seeks to do as much as possible. As a result, Gittes is thrust in the midst of an ongoing imbroglio with large implications for the southern California landscape. In many ways he is solely a dupe and serves as a microcosmic metaphor of Chinatown itself. He continues to strive to make a difference, to make things right. It’s an active delusion since he could never truly be sure whether his actions were having a positive effect. Yet, instead of choosing to do as little as possible, he continues to strive toward something greater than himself, making Gittes one of the great tragic roles of our time.

As a result of his decision to flee, Polanski continues to be a polarizing figure in America. And while people may have varying opinions of his actions, it cannot be questioned that “Chinatown” stands as one of the great American films of the 20th Century. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. If you have, watch it again.

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