Chinatown

Outline for the Presentation

Chinatown

Introduction

n      Chinatown is a story that revolves around the drowning of the Los Angeles water commissioner, during a drought. The heavy behind this murderous move to control the city’s water is Noah Cross, who also is the father-in-law of the commissioner.

Characteristics that classified it as a Classic Film Noir

n      Protagonist- J.J “Jake” Gittes, a hard-boiled detective. A wisecracker, who alternates between cracking jokes and politeness. He is a former cop whose involvement in the Mulwray case echoes him back to Chinatown where he worked once as a police officer. Seem to be an impression of classical noir protagonist such as Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon

n      Femme fatale- Evelyn Cross Molwary, the wife of Hollis Molwary, daughter of Noah Cross. She is not definitely the femme fatale like the heartless Phyllis Nirdlinger in Double Indemnity, a woman with both a secret and a deadly agenda. She had a secret but not a deadly agenda, is a twisted cross between a femme fatale and a doomed victim

n      Antagonist- Noah Cross, father of Evelyn and Katherine. A wealthy well-known man, Cross a sociopath believes that no law, either legal or moral applies to him. His crimes range from incest, to land fraud, to murder. All of which he commits without shame and remorse.

n      Visual styles

n      Low key lighting-Associated with a bleak light/dark contrasts and dramatic shadow patterning.

n      Shadows- The shadows effect of a Venetian blind or a banister rods cast upon, an actor, a wall or an entire set.

n      Camera angle- Here is one camera angle effect. The rearview mirror; is when a wide lens is used and pan in close to give the audience the aspect of what the P.I. is looking at

n       Detective film noir- Hard-boiled private eye, cigarettes effect, a protagonist that functions as a detective figure, a narrative that follows an investigation.

Characteristics that classified it as a Neo-Noir:

n      Thugs, gangster, hoodlums

n      Violence

n       Nudity, Interracial Sex, Incest

Conclusion:

 Chinatown- the dishonesty of authority figures; the corruption of the American Dream; the helplessness of common people in the face of evil. Famous quote, “                                Forget Jake. It’s Chinatown.”

Source One:

Noir as a Genre

Written by Sanil

Quote from the source: In addition, films noirs began to deal with taboo subjects; such as, nudity, homosexuality, interracial sexual activity, incest, rape, abortion, profanity, criminal acts and the use of drugs. American films in the 1920s and 1930s before film noirs barely ever covered these topics. However, due to censorship, many films in the late 1960s and 1970s have less explicitness of all the taboo topics. Therefore, distinguishing the films noirs of the 1940s and 1950s from the neo-films noirs of the 1970s and later.

Significance: I select this quote to explain how classic noir barley covered incest, rape, drugs and… And how the films made in the 70’s had more of an open and direct way. As you will notice in the movie Chinatown, the incest between father and daughter.  

           

Source Two:

Film Studies 205: Chinatown

  By Seo Young Park

Quote from the source: Women characters in film noir were being more ambitious than guy character and have strong personality; however there were some changes after neo-noir came. Evelyn is character who has both of femme fatal and week-hearted sides of her. Even though she had femme fatal character, it’s different from what early film noir have described women character. Because she didn’t attempt to seduce Gittes to achieve her own goal, this scene shows Evelyn’s internal mind statement, herself as a victim, also how strongly or calmly she was dealing with all the problems. Unlike most of other film noir, she ended up as a victim without being any harm to anyone in the movie.

Significance: This quote relates to how Evelyn Molwary was more of a victim in Chinatown and that she brought no harm to anyone. She was not your typical femme fatale as you will see in a classic noir film.

Palmer, R. Barton. "Chinatown and the Detective Story." Literature Film Quarterly 5.2 (1977): 112. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 23 Apr. 2011.

In this article the author compares Chinatown with the movie “Rosemary Baby” and the play “Sophocles Oedipus the King.”  In the movie Rosemary Baby, the author will state that both Rosemary and Evelyn were raped and both tried to protect their child from evil. In the play Sophocles, he mentions that both Chinatown and Sophocles have protagonist that are trying to seek the truth. This article it had no mention on the noir elements. 

  

Johnson, Brian D. "'Chinatown' comes back to haunt him." Maclean's 122.40 (2009): 117. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 23 Apr. 2011.

The article is about how the author compares Polanski real life with the movie “Chinatown”. He talks about how in the movie there are certain scenes that relates to Polanski life. He points out how the plot involves the sexual abuse of a teenage girl and a corrupt L.A justice system which hits real close to home. Johnson will quote some scenes to show that what was said also hits home with Polanski. Like the scene where Jake finally confronts Noah Cross about Evelyn and her daughter/sister. And Cross saying “See, Mr. Gittes, most people never have to face the fact that, at the right time and the right place, they’re capable of anything.” With this quote the author saying that Cross showed no remorse, just like Polanski.  

  McGinnis, Wayne D. "Chinatown: Roman Polanski's Contemporary Oedipus Story." Literature Film Quarterly 3.3 (1975): 249. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 23 Apr. 2011.

This article talks about Paul D Zimmerman a writer from Newsweek. Hoe Zimmerman states in the article “Blood and Water,” “Chinatown makes a moral statement of significance about recent U.S. politics and the potential for evil in all human aspiration” (74). In the article, McGinnis will also compare Chinatown with Sophocles, but more so the character Jake Gittes and Oedipus. How both tried to figure out the source of the corruption.  

Cordaiy, Hunter. "Through a lens, darkly: teaching CHINATOWN." Screen Education 54 (2009): 119-124. Communication & Mass Media Complete. EBSCO. Web. 23 Apr. 2011.

The article attempts to analyze “Chinatown,” by describing it as a reconstruction of a noir story, or homage to the tradition of noir cinema. It sticks to the historical rules of the genre, deceiving and seducing. The article will go into more details about the concept of the movie in the noir elements. The detective and story structure, the irresistible femme fatale, dark places and fault lines. How the detective or private eye, is one of the most recognisable characters in noir storytelling.

Novak, Phillip. "The Chinatown Syndrome. (Cover story)." Criticism 49.3 (2007): 255-283. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 23 Apr. 2011

The article presents a criticism on “Chinatown,” it will focus on the characters of Jake Gittes and Evelyn Mulwray. The disagreement on whether Jake’s problem is naïveté or worldliness. If Evelyn simply reprises the role of the femme fatale. What the connection between Evelyn and Chinatown have with each. It criticizes how the ending does not conclude with the triumph of the heroic detective, but end with a sense of confusion.

Chinatown

Although Chinatown is considered to be a noir film, it does break some rules of film noir-like not being in black and white but in color. It is a great murder/mystery that contains some elements of a film noir genre - the protagonist, a detective or investigator who usually portrayed as a greedy loner; a beautiful sensual femme fatale who will use her charm to seduce the protagonist, a plot that usually deals with the dark aspects of humanity-greed, murder, deceit and paranoia, low key lighting, and shadows. Chinatown is a movie about a hot temper PI seeking the truth and a nervous sexy femme fatale with an unusually background. It will tell one plot but suddenly splits into two double-plot; that of the water plot and the incest plot. Although seemingly different at first glance, both plots are in truth related to each other, deceit, murder and greed. The movie will have shadows and some dark and light contrasts. The low key lighting tends to keep some of the scenes dark and gloomy especially in the night scenes. The daytime scenes had a brown and washed out-yellows tint to look like a golden tone this was so that is wouldn’t look so bright from the sun. Although Chinatown may not have the voice over narrator, the story is told through a former LAPD now P.I. named Jake Gittes. Who will investigate a famous cheating husband. Meets the femme fatale Evelyn Mulwray, but she is not your typical femme fatale; she is insecure, nervous, and she holds a secret and turns out to be the lone character with pure motive. Chinatown is a movie that you would want to see again and again. You will be shocked and surprised.

Work Citied

Cordaiy, Hunter. "Through a lens, darkly: teaching CHINATOWN." Screen Education 54 (2009): 119-124. Communication & Mass Media Complete. EBSCO. Web. 23 Apr. 2011.

Johnson, Brian D. "'Chinatown' comes back to haunt him." Maclean's 122.40 (2009): 117. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 23 Apr. 2011.

McGinnis, Wayne D. "Chinatown: Roman Polanski's Contemporary Oedipus Story." Literature Film Quarterly 3.3 (1975): 249. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 23 Apr. 2011.

Novak, Phillip. "The Chinatown Syndrome. (Cover story)." Criticism 49.3 (2007): 255-283. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 23 Apr. 2011

Palmer, R. Barton. "Chinatown and the Detective Story." Literature Film Quarterly 5.2 (1977): 112. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 23 Apr. 2011.

Blog #10 "The Girl Who Kissed Barnaby Jones" and "Kinship"

In blog #10 we were to select two stories that will describe the elements of a classic noir and a neo-noir. The story “The Girl Who Kissed Barnaby Jones” to me follows the classic noir element; it has its femme fatale, Cherie a washed-up actress who killed a man and also has its male protagonist Tate who will do anything for her for sex. She gives him the sex, but in return he must help her get rid of the body. Before he can get the why, he finds himself facing the barrel of a gun. He drives off to a supermarket call 911. He now notice that there a set of headlights coming at him and see her behind the wheel. All he can think of is how beautiful she looks.

I fell that “Kinship” has the element of a neo-noir; it has its male protagonist Tomas, an ex-gang member, who at times will have flashback growing up in the neighborhood. He will be influence not by a femme fatale but by evil using revenge to hurt someone for someone else. You see Tomas cousin Veronica has a son name Emerson, he has a disability condition. He is constantly being bullied and beat-up by a kid at school. Manny Emerson father had confronted the bully’s father but gets beat up himself. So Tomas’s anger takes control by getting revenge on the bully’s father.

Blog #9 "Memories"

Growing up in the Los Angeles area, I felt that both writers did a great job in describing the locations. “The Kidnapper Bell,” took place in L.A. near the L.A. River and “City of Commerce” took place in Commerce. As I was reading both stories, it had brought back memories as a little girl. I remember seeing the cat’s faces in the L.A. River, also the graffiti along the cement walls as we drove to L.A. I also remember seeing the Southern Pacific Yard Station when we would cross the Broadway Bridge to go to Pasadena. I recall see all the trains coming and going. I also remember pass thru the City of Commerce, the truck stop, the outlet malls, the Crowne Plaza Hotel/ casino on our way to visit relatives in Norwalk. I recall one time we had to stop at the hotel just for a second on our way home, to use the restroom. You could see the casino, and it did look like Vegas to me. Again both writers description of the location was right on.

                     

 

                                                           

Blog #8, "Hollywoodlandia"

I choose option 3, out of the two stories; I enjoyed “Morocco Junction 90210”and would recommend the story to my female friends. I don’t think that the male gender would enjoy reading it, not as much as the other story “The Method.” Why did I chose Morocco Junction over The Method, I found that The Method was a little to much for me, especially the language, and how there was too much detail regarding the sex. Where Morocco Junction 90210, was a little of my style to read, the language was not as bad, and there was no sex detail. I am not totally saying that The Method was not a bad story to read and not to recommend it, it wasn’t. I did enjoy reading it; I like the twist on how Holly found out that her Richard was the same Richard that Mariah (an old actress who Holly befriended) had an affair with and got a restraining order on him. Again it was just not my type of story.  Not like Morocco Junction 90210, it was a story about Eloise an elderly woman living in Beverly Hill, takes her life to save her family from being humiliated when and if they found out that she had an illegitimate son. How she had sold her jewelry to give her illegitimate son a good upbringing. This to me was sad, in how the people in Beverly Hill would discriminated someone and their family just because they did not fit into the BH life style.     

Leimert Park vs. San Marino

 I choose to write about option two. Reading the two stories, I found that the difference there is between the two would be the ethnic and language. “Dangerous Days” takes place in Leimert Park; you could say it is a Black/Mexican community where the violence there is high. The housing is low income housing. There will be payback shooting, such like Blacks killing Chicano and Chicano killing Blacks. You will have the gangster and drug dealers taking over the community. People tend to know nothing when a shooting accords. And there is the language; it is more of a slang style language, such like Spanglish, and Ebonics. “Midnight in Silcone Alley”, takes place in San Marino, an upscale housing and businesses community. People there will have a higher standard living. Its community is made up of Asian culture. They have their share of violence but not as bad as. The language is not as harsh as the language in “Dangerous Day.” Comparing the difference with ethnic and language you would have to say that San Marino is a place where people would like to live to bring up a family, more so then living in Leimert Park.

The differeces between film noir and neo noir

Film noir and neo noir are films that date to the early 1940”s and continue into the twenty fist century.  You could say that a film noir and a neo noir will have similar but different elements; they both have a protagonist, corruption, cynical stories, flashback, and a voice over narrators, murder and a femme fatale. The difference will be that film noir is made in black and white, it has low-key lighting, filmed mostly at night, and the femme fatale is more seductive. Where neo noir is made in color; there will be some black and white scenes. More violence, nudity and harsher language, the emergence of a serial killer and the femme fatale is more independent, less reliable on men and it portrayed as pure evil and intelligent woman.

Let’s compare” Double Indemnity” a classic film noir and “Fight Club” a neo noir. With Double Indemnity you use your imagination. Sex is just a passionate kiss. If someone were to get shot it is not graphite. Its femme fatale is more evil, her seductive and sexuality is her main weapon in weaving her web around a man.  Now Fight Club a movie about a white collar male who forms a fight club underground. Fight Club will leave little for your imagination. The language is strong; there is sex, nudity, violence, bloody scenes. The femme fatale in Fight Club is a complete nut case that has a filthy mouth, not beautiful.

In Heather Fireman article she quotes “Noir is not just noir anymore-its evocative power is a kind of vernacular to deal with the condition of modern culture.”  I agree with what she said that noir is not just noir anymore, the kind of language neo noir uses is not enjoyable. 

Blog #5

                                       Dark City: Film Noir and Fiction

 Review of Double Indemnity (1944)

                                          By Christine Lui and Karl Hill

As I was reading, Christine Lui and Karl Hill review on the movie Double Indemnity. I came across one section of the article that caught my attention, it was how they had stated that beside there being a femme fatale there was also a homme fatale. A “homme fatale" would be the male equivalent of a "femme fatale". This was my first impression of Walter Huff in the movie and in the book. He was a man who needed to be in control of the situation, a charmer, some what cocky, felt that he was smarter then everyone else. There were times that he seemed to be pusher.

When Walter Huff had gone to the house of one of the client, he had charmed his way inside, once inside he met Mrs. Phyllis Nirdlinger. He states his business on; why he is there at the same time he is trying to push for Mr. Nirdlinger to renew the policy. As he was leaving he took Phyllis into his arm and kisses her taking control. Both the book and the movie, tells and shows how Walter takes control of the situation with the murder of Mr. Nirdlinger. Telling Phyllis that it must go this way, if not then it won’t work.

Walter Huff the homme fatale of Double Indemnity, using his charm just like a femme fatale, will do anything to get what he wants. But at the end dies for it. 

Walter and Phyllis Reunited Again

Walter Huff and Phyllis Nirdlinger are two people who appear to have an obsession for money. Walter Huff the insurance agent who seem to know how the system works when dealing with money. Phyllis Nirdlinger, the seductive women who will do anything for money. Will work together to murder Mr. Nirdlinger. In doing this he must take his trip by train, because a train accident will pay double indemnity. The murder has been committed. Walter and Phyllis do not see each other, due to the fact that Keyes (Walter boss) had a suspicion on who did it. He tells Walter that he suspect the wife and believe she had an accomplice. Walter knew he had to do something before the company starts to put two and two together.

He felt that Phyllis can hang him. So he decided that the only way to do away with her was to kill her. He had a plan to shot her but it back fired, instead he was shot. Keyes informed Walter that they got the two people that shot him, Lola and her boyfriend. Walter then admit to Keyes that he was the one who killed Mr. Nirdlinger, he felt by doing this it would clear Lola name with whom in had fallen in love with. Forgot to tell you Lola is Phyllis stepdaughter. She meet with Walter after her dad’s death, to tell him that she believes Phyllis was the on who killed her dad. Keyes had told Walter that he must give him a statement and that there will be a reservation for him on a steamer.

The last chapter with Walter and Phyllis whom he has come to hate are reunited on the ship unable to return to the U.S. on their way to Mexico. Contemplating suicide by jumping into the water infested by shark. Sitting looking at the sea, Phyllis says “There’s nothing ahead of us, is there Walter.” Walter replies, “No nothing” (p113). Then Phyllis again says, “Walter we’ll have to wait. Till the moon comes up.” Walter replies, “I guess we better have a moon” (pg114). The moon (pg 115).

 I felt that Walter and Phyllis should have had different treatment. They should have gotten a confession from Phyllis. Once they found out that she was invalided. But I guess Keyes know what he was doing when he reunited them. 

Second Thought (blog #3)

Second thought is when someone would start to think that an idea, or a relationship, may not be as good as it sound and are having doubts. How does this fit in with Walter feelings toward Phyllis. There are two unpleasant incidents that show how Walter’s attitude and emotions change. Then there is the final realization that indicates his true emotion.

The first incident is when Walter and Phyllis run into a problem with the husband. The husband was invited to his class reunion. But needed to take the train so that the plan can work, he refused. So Phyllis comes up with an idea, which was to crash the car. This way he had to take the train. Walter was not happy and got short-tempered with her. You had a sense of feeling that Walters’s attitude has changed; she was not following the plan. The other is, the day of the murder. The dirty deed was done and they were on there way home. Walter was telling Phyllis how to drive and she did not like that. They had a heated discussion to where Phyllis told him “Get out! Get out! (53). Again, you get the sense that the feeling they had toward each other is now starting to dissipate.

 The final realization is when Walter is at home putting the final touch on the plan. He then starts to think and knew what he has done was wrong by quoting “I had killed a man. I killed a man to get a woman. I had put myself in her power, so there was one person in the world that could point a finger at me, and I would die. I had done all that for her, and I never wanted to see her again as long as I lived” (54).

A man falls for a beautiful woman. She then convinces him to do a dirty deed. He then realize that it was all for nothing and takes the fall for it.    

Double Indemnity

In the article “Notes on Film Noir,” the author Paul Shrader describes the femme fatale “as a frustrated and deviant, half predator, half prey, detached yet ensnared, she manipulative and is ready to trade shots with anyone”.  With this statement, the reading does fit the film noir aspect. You read about a successful insurance salesman, Walter Huff, who happened to go out of his way to visit a client regarding renewing his policy. He then meets the wife, Phyllis Nirdlinger, a beautiful femme fatale, who will convince the insurance agent to commit her crime by murdering her husband in return she will promise him sex and money. The agent then fells for the femme fatale and agree to help her, knowing that he will risk losing his job. In the beginning of the story, you will read how Phyllis makes you believe that she is not an intelligent woman and does not know how to go by murdering her husband. You will also read how she, in her own way seduce Walter with her charm telling him that when they first meet she like how he went on talking about the insurance. With this manipulation, you will later read how she got Walter hooked. She is a good femme fatale, attractive and  has a destructive effect on Walter.

L.A Confindential (The Neo-Nior 90s article)

L.A. Confidential is a film noir that describe the corruption in Los Angeles in the 1950”s. It is ruled by corrupt politicians and the police who control the activities of the city for their own personal greed. The cops are sworn to uphold the law, and seek redemption in their search for the truth. In the Nite Owl Massacre, there are three very different not-yet-hero cops who are brought together to investigation the massacre. They all have different personalities with unique motivations. They search for the clues; their investigations begin to overlap until it becomes clear that each is after the same thing. In the process they will face their own evils and seek amends.

Bud White, is a cop who prone to violence. At times he takes the law into his own hands. Ed Exley, also a cop, seeks justice by abiding by the law. The golden boy of the police force turns his back on his fellow cops who are corrupt, ignoring the "brotherhood" and loyalty of the L.A. cops. Then there is Jack Vincennes a slick and likable narcotic detective always looking for fame and a quick buck by associating with a journalist.  The three protagonists are initially not heroes, but rather abuse women, take bribes and seek power. However, they are seen as L.A.'s finest-sworn to uphold the law and all three of them seek redemption bringing justice to Los Angeles. Now there is Lynn Bracken (a Veronica Lake look a like) the femme fatale who both Exley and White have an eye for. She is a prostitute who tends to help Bud White mend his errors.

L.A Confidential may not be in black and white but however many themes are still present. Such like immense corruption based on greed and ambition, the constant search for the truth in spite of its danger. The style of the car they drive, the style of the cloths they wear, and the storyline.