There are so many films that come out every week let alone every year, aren’t there? We can get so caught up with trying to keep up with the latest awards contenders, box office hits, and culturally relevant pieces that we just don’t have enough time to turn back the clock and check out films from the past. But it is so important to expand our horizons and experience the art that has set the stage for today’s cinema. You might need to find the time, so it is important to make wise choices with what you spend that time watching. Whether we head back 10 years, 50 years, or even 100 years, there is great cinema throughout the years. But let’s rewind the clock and here are some reasons why you should check out… Chinatown (1974)
The Writing
How do you make a mystery feel so fresh after a century-plus of crime thrillers? You do it by delivering some special writing. There is so much detail in every scene of this film. The clues and reveals are always built somewhere. There is not a single character or occurrence that feels wasted or left hanging. The mystery at the core of this film is so intriguing and satisfying that other films have been echoing it for decades. There is something truly compelling about the murder mystery at the core of Chinatown and all the subplots and bigger picture themes thread so perfectly into it. The tension plays out perfectly as this story reveals layers at a perfect pace to create one of the best moving and engaging mysteries you will find on film.
Jack Nicholson
Wait… Jack Nicholson has lower gears? It is hard to get past the bigger and larger-than-life turns that Nicholson has taken in his acting career. The Shining, Batman, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and The Departed all asked Nicholson to go BIG. But Chinatown lets the natural charisma flow while allowing him to regulate from calm and cooler than winter and getting fiery at the right moments to really sell the emotions of the character. This might be a “Crazy Jack” performance, but it certainly belongs at the top tier of his career. He helps create one of the most iconic investigators in the history of film.
The Supporting Cast
There is so much talent that goes into creating Chinatown. Faye Dunaway is a revelation as she brings the complex and tormented Evelyn to life. John Huston is one of the most iconic figures in Old Hollywood and he brings that towering reputation and presence to his role as the devious and cunning Noah Cross. There are plenty of recognizable and talented faces in the film even though some of them have smaller roles like Burt Young, Bruce Glover, and James Hong. Each performer (no matter how much screen time that they are given) sells their role and space in the story so well.
The Period Aspects
Los Angeles has rarely looked so great on screen, has it? The cinematography captures the unrelenting power of the sunlight as well as capturing the foreboding presence of the night. The costuming is incredible with Jake Gittes wearing one of the most iconic suits in all of film. There is something special about that light suit and fedora combination. Those bandages on the nose become an incredible touch too. The vehicles are strikingly beautiful and mask this harrowing mystery in the glitz and gleam of L.A. Each characters’ costumes, vehicles, and residences help build their depth and sometimes they even make for clever additions to this twisting plot.
Peak Noir
The influx of the original noir boom might have been long gone by 1974 but this neo-noir breathes so much life into this iconic and beloved genre. Gittes is such a pitch perfect noir sleuth with a code of conducting but some loose aspects of morality. Evelyn Mulwray is an unknowable femme fatale better than most. The mystery and the ambiguity layer this film to give it such an impactful and classic feel. All the way up to its iconic final line, this noir will get you longing for trench coats, fedoras, and old school black-and-white cinema.
