CHINATOWN 1974

Screenwriting and cinematography analysis for "Chinatown" (1974)

            At one hour and 38min, JJ Gittes arrives at the home of Ida Sessions to question her about her role in deceiving him at his office in the beginning of the movie, only to find he is too late. Gittes arrives at Idas’ door and discovers that not only is her doorbell broken, a section of the glass on her door has been shattered. The shattered window on Ida’s door is already illustrating to us that a forced entry has occurred and creates an unsettling feeling of extreme caution. Someone has already paid her a visit, someone who was not welcome.

(some behind the scene shots of director Roman Polanski working with the actors)

       As Gittes swings the door open, he surveys the room from outside, again conveying a sense of caution. Throughout the whole movie there is a reoccurring technique that Roman Polanski and Robert Towne use to put you in the shoes of Mr. Gittes. Often we see Gittes filmed from the back. The camera follows him from behind, observing what it is he is discovering.  The clues are presented to the audience as Gittes is discovering them. This gives the audience the feeling that they are (like Gittes) a private investigator working with him to help solve the crime. We feel as though Gittes is bringing us along for the ride so to speak as a master craftsman would do for his apprentice.  As he enters the still room, the camera follows close behind mimicking the point of view of Gittess’ phantom partner (the audience). Gittes opens the bedroom door and leans forward to peer in. The camera copies his leaning motion and it too surveys the room from behind him as a partner would. Gittes then walks into the hallway and discovers a head of lettuce lying motionless on the floor.

                 The image of the lettuce on the ground is also illustrating some things for us. For one, it seems to be a very unusual place to keep produce. Sitting on the floor, it tells us that something unusual has happened here. Most people do everything they can to see that produce never touches the dirty floor. This situation presented before Gittes and the audience was clearly out of the ordinary. Second, the lettuce has become wilted. This conveys time using the simplest of indicators, degeneration of organic material. The fact that the lettuce has become brown tells Gittes (and the audience) that he is way too late. A significant amount of time has passed since the lettuce came to be on the floor.  The camera follows the scattered groceries and reveals to us what we’ve been expecting. Ida is dead and Gittes is far too late.

(The majority of the producers did not agree with this silly bandage
over Nicholson's face. It took a lot of work to nail down a great actor for the part
and they didn't want to cover his face for nearly half the movie)

         Gittes picks up Idas’ wallet and shuffles through it. The camera angle while the wallet is in the frame mimics Gittess’ point of view. Again, you are discovering the clues as they are presented to Gittes. The bright sunlight that envelops the wallet is helping reveal the clues that the wallet contains, bringing “to light” the secrets it contains. As he puts back the purse where he found it, Gittes peers across the room and takes interest to something that is out of the frame. The camera swings across the room racing to discover what it is Gittes has noticed. As Gittes pushes on the partially open door, the darkness is cut by an intense flashlight beam. The piercing and imposing beam of light illustrates to us “there is a real threat in here”. Gittes has been caught. He hasn’t committed any crimes, but little does he know, the man behind the murder has been manipulating events in such a way that again brings Gittes face to face with the police.

      The discovery of Gittes at the home of Ida by the police is very incriminating for Gittes. This illustrates to us that the police are suspicious of Gittes and you can’t blame them. As Gittes flicks on the light the two officers are revealed. Guittess’ old friend Capt. Lou Escobar steps forward and meets Gittes in the doorway. Here we see a screenshot that is split into two very different lighting arrangements. On one side we have the officers occupying a room flooded with light. On the other side we have Gittes presented to us in neutral colors. The officers no doubt represent the law, justice, etc. The pairing of the bright room and the presence of the law embodied by the two officers is undoubtedly alluding to the biblical metaphor of “the shining light of justice”. One could argue that Gittes is in a “grey zone” presented in neutral colors because he indeed represents a halfway between the law and private citizens. That is, he used to be a policeman but has since built his own private investigation firm. If there was any question that this shot is conveying Escobar’s role in this matter as “the shining light of justice”,  the concrete evidence comes from the beam of light bouncing of the top of Escobar’s’ hat. This is the best depiction of the word “shine” one could hope to capture. The refracted light is not a mistake at all; it’s a tool to help stylize the shot.

       Since the majority of the light is coming from behind Escobar, it creates a shadow that falls on his face. This too is conveying some things to us. We need to remember that Escobar and Gittes have a history together. They were both on the force together in Chinatown long ago.  In order to become a good police captain, Escobar must relinquish any reservations or feelings of friendship he might have with Gittes. In order to find true justice he must let go of his preconceived notions about Gittes, in effect, just like lady justice, becoming blind. The shadow on Escobar’s face is a clear representation of the popular metaphor, “justice is blind”.

     Escobar emerges from the room and walks across the Kitchen with Gittes. As they get to the phone, we see another officer (representing the law) appearing in the living room. The officer turns on the living room light, flooding the room with the same type of artificial light we saw in the bathroom. This combination of the bright light and another policeman is instrumental in mounting the tension. Gittess’ exit is now blocked. He now must comply in the name of the law. When they get to the phone, Escobar completes the ambush by flicking on the kitchen light enveloping all the men in the symbolic light of justice. Gittes no longer has the upper hand, and for the first time in the movie is completely helpless and at the mercy of someone else.

                   These stylized cinematic elements are enabling Roman Polanski and Robert Towne to convey this story to us in a more effective way. They do this by putting on the surface the deeper meanings that lie beneath. In this scene, visually, Escobar is the embodiment of justice, and that’s what Robert Towne wants you to feel. We must in a sense look at everything in movies on a literal level. “Very little in a movie is left to chance”.