China Town
ChinaTown, directed by Roman Polanski, is a non-traditional hard-nosed detective film made in the 70's. The typical elements of character type are there; J.J. Gittes (a private detective in LA) played by Jack Nicholson is the central character, sharing the spotlight is Fay Dunaway playing the femme fatale Evelyn Mulwray. This film breaks all types of norms when compared to the hard-nosed detective films it is modeled after. The film is filled with allusions to the Big Sleep, especially taken from scenes of Marlowe and Vivian. Chinatown has formal elements indicative that it is going to be in the style of traditional Film Noir hardboiled detective, until you examine the characters' personalities next to the story content. The end of the ChinaTown has a major change from films like the Big Sleep or even the Maltese Falcon. J.J. Gittes ends up with nothing. He loses the girl he loves to a bullet; he loses the girl he is trying to protect to the sinister villain Noah Cross. The last shot of the film leaves the audience with no hope for the future. Gettis is back in ChinaTown, the place he has an obvious contempt for, the city that took his ex wife's life. As the cam
As in the Big Sleep the main female character is trying to cover up and hide a disgraceful scandal. In the Big sleep it is a picture depicting a vulgar act; in ChinaTown it is the secret that Evelyn's sister is the product of an incestuous relationship she was having willingly with her father. In doing this she is also trying to keep her evil father Noah Cross away from her sister/daughter. Evelyn's frantic behavior, in contrast to the Vivian, might be attributed to the magnitude of the issue. Unlike Vivian, Evelyn is also covering up something from herself, something that is horrendous, unnatural. Her motives are not purely selfless. Polanski chose to use the classic style associated with the hard-nosed detective. The film is shot almost completely from Gettis point of view, the first person point view. This gives us the impression that we are watching the mystery unfold at the same time he is. The narrative form is exemplified in the scene where Gettis is on bridge, watching Hollis Mulwray talk to the little boy on the horse in the flood plain. We start with an establishing shot of Hollis's car driving down the riverbed. Then it cuts in tighter on Hollis. The next cut is of Gettis watching the scene through binoculars. In use of the film noir this narrative form we are left with no clue as to why Hollis is in the riverbed, what was said in the discourse with the boy on the horse or what Hollis is looking at on the hood of his car. At the same time neither does Gittes. Polanski creates a character that is totally twisted. She is so petrified by her guilt that just watching her cringe from the subject makes the viewer uncomfortable. Evelyn is like the femme fatale of the 40's and 50's because she ends up luring the protagonist into dangerous circumstances and then only divulges information when nearly forced to. Yet Evelyn breaks this archetypical character pattern. She is the victim like the one she is trying to save. She is a casualty of the life
Some common words found in the essay are:
Sleep Eveylyn, Hollis Mulwray, Noah Cross, Gettis ChinaTown, Marlowe Vivian, Vivian Evelyn, Gettis Marlowe, Evelyn Mulwray, Marlowe Gattis, JJ Gittes, noah cross, detective film, hard-nosed detective, femme fatale, scene gettis, hardboiled detective, relationship willingly father, impression watching, marlowe vivian, relationship willingly, private detective, hard-nosed detective film, incestuous relationship willingly,
Approximate Word count = 1340
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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