Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Paramount
EAN: 0097361224442
Format: Color
Label: Paramount Home Video
Languages: Array
Manufacturer: Paramount Home Video
MPN: PARD122444D
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Paramount Home Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2007-11-06
Running Time: 130
Studio: Paramount Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1974-06-20

Landmark movie in the film noir tradition, Roman Polanski's Chinatown stands as a true screen classic. Jack Nicholson is private eye Jake Gittes, living off the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-war Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite (Faye Dunaway) to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together for one, unforgettable night in...Chinatown. Co-starring film legend John Huston and featuring an Academy Award®-winning script by Robert Towne, Chinatown captures a lost era in a masterfully woven movie that remains a timeless gem.
Roman Polanski's brooding film noir exposes the darkest side of the land of sunshine, the Los Angeles of the 1930s, where power is the only currency--and the only real thing worth buying. Jack Nicholson is J.J. Gittes, a private eye in the Chandler mold, who during a routine straying-spouse investigation finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into a jigsaw puzzle of clues and corruption. The glamorous Evelyn Mulwray (a dazzling Faye Dunaway) and her titanic father, Noah Cross (John Huston), are at the black-hole center of this tale of treachery, incest, and political bribery. The crackling, hard-bitten script by Robert Towne won a well-deserved Oscar, and the muted color cinematography makes the goings-on seem both bleak and impossibly vibrant. Polanski himself has a brief, memorable cameo as the thug who tangles with Nicholson's nose. One of the greatest, most completely satisfying crime films of all time. --Anne Hurley

Customer Rating:
Summary: Chinatown
Comment: Chinatown is a unique film in many ways and is considered a classic. It is generally deemed to be a film noir but i have to admit I had a little trouble seeing it. Many of the plot elements fit the film noir genre but visually it was a little harder for me to see. I enjoyed watching the film but the ending changed my opinion a bit. First of all, the plot and dialogue was very intelligent and I really like that about it. I'm not surprised that script won an academy award; it certainly deserved it. The casting was also very good. Nicholson and Dunaway had a unusual but strong chemistry and the supported cast helped build a believable world around them. Again, as far as considering it a film noir, much of the film didnt feel like one. It had the fairly typical detective plot but so much of the film was shot in bright, outdoor scenes. My major problem with the film was the ending. In a largely objective way, it was okay. I did fit certain themes of the film and brought an odd sort of closure to the plot. But personally, it was too disappointing for me. I just have trouble enjoying a story that ends too negatively. In the end, i think Chinatown was a very intelligent movie that kept my attention but i cant say that i want to watch it many more times.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Chinatown
Comment: What a great movie - and such good acting. Jack Nicolson and Faye Dunaway are superb in this movie.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Mysterious, Moody and Precise...Breathtaking Film Making..
Comment: Say what you will about Roman Polanski's personal life, this film is one of the greatest american noir releases of the last 50 years. Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston are superlative. Jerry Goldsmith's score is moody and resonant, perfect for a story of this nature.

Screenwriter Robert Towne's great contribution to film noir is the subtle subversion of genre convention. Yes, Jack Nicholson is your rudimentary private investigator but his ability to accomplish anything by the end may be null and void. Faye Dunaway is set up as the standard black widow but the truth of her character is far from such. There is also the backdrop of the mystery: Water and power, which was something unheard of at the time of the films release. Then there is the matter of 'Chinatown' itself, which by the end of the movie takes on an entirely different meaning than just another part of the city.

Sharp directing, compelling acting and a score dripping with neo-noir style, this is one of the greatest films of the early 1970's and arguably the greatest American Noir ever produced. Highly Recommended.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: CHINATOWN a masterwork
Comment: Chinatown is a potent reminder that films are more than just the hormone fueled adventures of Dick and Jane. The film takes on a large social issue and shows one mans struggle against the machine in Los Angeles of the 50's. Powerful performances by Nicholson (not a fave) and Dunaway frame a beautifully directed drama demonstrataing the power of film. If you have never seen this film, I highly recommend that you do so. If you haven't seen this for years, reaquaint yourself with a masterpiece.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: "How to Stop a 'Nosebleed'"
Comment: Deeply atmospheric and mysterious. Jack Nicholson is great as a "nosy" private detective. He is really not prepared for the information Faye Dunaway's character lays on him. It is unthinkable, horiffic and chilling--a conclusion not many would easily jump to. Beautifully directed by Mr. Polanski who has a very bit part in the movie.

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