Thursday, 7 January 2010

Neo-noir: China Town

Chinatown, released in 1974, had a specific aim to be a modern film noir. Characters, such as the cynical private eye and the femme fatal were emphasised to give the classic noir essentials.


JJ 'Jake' Gittes (Jack Nicholson) is a private detective who seems to specialize in matrimonial cases. He is hired by Evelyn Mulwray when she suspects her husband Hollis, builder of the city's water supply system, of having an affair. Gittes does what he does best and photographs him with a young girl but in the ensuing scandal, it seems he was hired by an impersonator and not the real Mrs. Mulwray. When Mr. Mulwray is found dead, Jake is plunged into a complex web of deceit involving murder, incest and municipal corruption all related to the city's water supply.

No comments:

Post a Comment