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Chinatown
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Chinatown (1974) More at IMDbPro »

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Chinatown (1974) -- A private detective investigating an adultery case stumbles on to a scheme of murder that has something to do with water.
Chinatown (1974) -- Clip: Your husband was murdered
Chinatown (1974) -- A private detective investigating an adultery case stumbles on to a scheme of murder that has something to do with water.
Chinatown (1974) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
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Director:
Roman Polanski
Writer:
Robert Towne (written by)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Chinatown on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
20 kesäkuu 1974 (USA) more
Genre:
Mystery | Thriller more
Plot:
A private detective investigating an adultery case stumbles on to a scheme of murder that has something to do with water. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 18 wins & 22 nominations more
User Comments:
A very classy, consistently engaging and dark detective story more (327 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

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

James Hong ... Evelyn's Butler
Beulah Quo ... Maid
Jerry Fujikawa ... Gardener
Belinda Palmer ... Katherine
Roy Roberts ... Mayor Bagby
Noble Willingham ... Councilman
Elliott Montgomery ... Councilman
Rance Howard ... Irate Farmer
George Justin ... Barber
C.O. Erickson ... Customer (as Doc Erickson)
Fritzi Burr ... Mulwray's Secretary
Charles Knapp ... Mortician
Claudio Martínez ... Boy on Horseback
Federico Roberto ... Cross' Butler

Allan Warnick ... Clerk
John Holland ... Farmer in the Valley

Jesse Vint ... Farmer in the Valley
Jim Burk ... Farmer in the Valley (as Jim Burke)
Denny Arnold ... Farmer in the Valley

Burt Young ... Curly
Elizabeth Harding ... Curly's Wife
John Rogers ... Mr. Palmer
Cecil Elliott ... Emma Dill
Paul Jenkins ... Policeman

Lee de Broux ... Policeman (as Lee DeBroux)
Bob Golden ... Policeman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Warren ... Driver (uncredited)
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Directed by
Roman Polanski 
 
Writing credits
Robert Towne (written by)

Roman Polanski  uncredited

Produced by
C.O. Erickson .... associate producer
Robert Evans .... producer
 
Original Music by
Jerry Goldsmith 
 
Cinematography by
John A. Alonzo 
 
Film Editing by
Sam O'Steen 
 
Casting by
Jane Feinberg 
Mike Fenton 
 
Production Design by
Richard Sylbert 
 
Art Direction by
W. Stewart Campbell 
 
Set Decoration by
Ruby R. Levitt  (as Ruby Levitt)
 
Costume Design by
Anthea Sylbert 
 
Makeup Department
Hank Edds .... makeup artist
Susan Germaine .... hair stylist
Lee Harman .... makeup artist
Vivienne Walker .... hair stylist
 
Production Management
C.O. Erickson .... unit production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael Ader .... second assistant director
Hawk Koch .... assistant director (as Howard W. Koch Jr.)
Lee Rafner .... second assistant director (uncredited)
 
Art Department
Bill MacSems .... property master
Gabe Resh .... set designer
Robert Resh .... set designer
L. David Gordon .... draper (uncredited)
Mike Reedy .... property maker (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Clint Althouse .... boom operator (as Clint Althaus)
Bob Cornett .... sound editor
Charles Grenzbach .... sound re-recordist
Larry Jost .... sound mixer
Howard Beals .... sound editor (uncredited)
David Dockendorf .... sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Roger Sword .... sound editor (uncredited)
John Wilkinson .... sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
 
Special Effects by
Logan Frazee .... special effects
 
Stunts
Jim Burk .... stunts
Steven Burnett .... stunts (uncredited)
Alan Gibbs .... stunts (uncredited)
Hal Needham .... stunt coordinator (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Hugh K. Gagnier .... camera operator
Earl Gilbert .... gaffer
Bernie Schwartz .... key grip
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Richard Bruno .... wardrobe
Jean Merrick .... wardrobe
 
Editorial Department
Florence Williamson .... assistant editor
 
Music Department
John C. Hammell .... music editor
Arthur Morton .... orchestrator (uncredited)
Uan Rasey .... musician: trumpet solo (uncredited)
 
Other crew
May Wale Brown .... script supervisor
Gary Chazan .... assistant to producer
Wayne Fitzgerald .... title designer
Lee Sollenberger .... animal trainer (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
131 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Stereo
Certification:
Iceland:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:16 | UK:15 (video rating) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Brazil:12 | West Germany:16 (f) | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | UK:X (original rating)
Filming Locations:
1972 Canyon Drive, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA more
Company:
Paramount Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Ranked #2 on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 greatest films in the genre "Mystery" in June 2008 more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: Among the items in Ida Session's pocketbook, which Gittes rummages through is a social security card which is 1970s style with blue and red ink, not the 1937 style which had only one color, and a different look. more
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.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Over There: Situation Normal (#1.8)" (2005) more
Soundtrack:
The Vagabond King Waltz more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
128 out of 179 people found the following comment useful.
A very classy, consistently engaging and dark detective story, 3 tammikuu 2005
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

Jake Gittes is a former cop turned private detective. When he is contracted by a Mrs Mulwray to find out if her husband is having an affair, he takes to trailing Water Company Executive Hollis Mulwray. Mulwray appears to only have water and a dry riverbed on his mind but eventually they catch him with a young woman, although almost immediately the news gets leaked to the papers and Mulwray goes missing, only to turn up dead. At this point the real Mrs Mulwray comes to Gittes threatening to sue him for his involvement and Jake realises that he had been set up to set up the Mulwrays. He continues his investigation into the murder only to find a conspiracy involving thousands of gallons of water being wasted during a drought and the mysterious presence of Mrs Mulwray's father, Noah Cross.

As a fan of film noir and tough detective movies, I am too often put off by modern entries into the genre that try to replace atmosphere and intelligence by just having nudity and swearing; the genre managed atmosphere without these in the forties and fifties but yet modern films seem to rely on them. With Chinatown however, everything works well as a homage to the best years of the genre and, as such, is very well set in the period and is of suitable presentation even if the material and tone is darker and harder than would have been allowed years ago. This is not to say it is just a copy and paste from better films because it isn't and indeed stands out as one of the best detective noirs I have seen in ages. The plot is always going to be the most important thing and it gets it spot on throughout, doing the proper thing of starting with a simple story and continually building it more and more complex as it goes. Unlike some other "classics" of the genre, Chinatown manages to do this without ever losing the audience and I found the plot to be both rewardingly complex but yet still very easy to follow.

Needless to say, things are very dark and the script is convincingly dark and miserable, leading to an ending that is as depressing as I've seen – not so much in what actually happens but also in the wider implications for the characters that the credits prevent us from seeing. Director Polanski does a great job of putting this story in a lush setting that produces a real strong sense of period but also manages to always be showing us the darkness coming through subtly throughout the movie. Of course it helps that he also has a great cast to work with. Jack Nicholson is iconic in this role and, if I had to pick one film to act as an introduction to Nicholson then it would be this one. He is tough yet damaged, upright but seedy and he brings out his complex character well. Dunaway has less screen time but is just as impressive with a similarly dark role. Huston adds class and manages to ooze menace while also coming across as a harmless old man. The support cast are all fine but really the film belongs to these three, with Nicholson being the stand out role.

Overall this is a very classy film that has stood up very well to become a well-deserved classic. The story is complex, mysterious yet simple to follow; it is dark and seedy without relying on swearing or nudity to set the atmosphere. The direction is great, with a real atmosphere and sense of time and place that is matched by a great collection of performances delivering a great script.

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