| | | Special Collector's Edition.
Features: DVD, Collector's Edition
A 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 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.
"...wonderfully brooding...not only one of the greatest detective films, but one of the most perfectly constructed of all films." TV Guide
"An outstanding picture." Variety
Editor's Note
Many films from the 1970s allow even the most gripping narratives to flow with the consequences of real life. CHINATOWN is a classic film whose intrigues and adventures culminate in life-changing moments for its protagonist, Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson). Director Roman Polanski's classic neo-noir detective story is set during a heat wave in 1930s Los Angeles, where residents suffer from a water shortage due to an ongoing drought. With stellar contributions from composer Jerry Goldsmith and screenwriter Robert Towne, whose script recalls the hard-boiled cynicism of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, CHINATOWN is a complex and superbly crafted period drama that has become Polanski's most critically acclaimed film. Private investigator Gittes runs a sleazy detective agency. When a client (Diane Ladd) hires him to spy on her "husband," who is rumored to be having an affair with a younger woman, Jake uncovers a plot against the man--but this is only the tip of the iceberg. Still to emerge are a sex scandal implicating the real wife (Faye Dunaway), with whom Jake is destined to become more closely acquainted, and a real estate swindle of tremendous proportions devised by her tycoon father (John Huston), backed up by a vast network of corrupt city officials and landowners who make life hell for the private eye. This story crystallizes the impact of a chance meeting with the romantic ideals of the early 1970s, when the American urban landscape and economic power structures were in flux.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital Mono | | Audio: French, Spanish, Portugese Dolby Digital Mono | | Dubbed: French, Spanish, Portugese | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portugese |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Paramount |
| Release Date: 11/6/2007 |
| Running Time: 130.333333333333 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1974 | | Catalog ID: 122444 | | UPC: 00097361224442 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English, French Dubbed, Portuguese Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Winner (1975) | | | British Academy Awards, Jack Nicholson, Best Actor | | | British Academy Awards, Roman Polanski, Best Direction | | | British Academy Awards, Robert Towne, Best Screenplay | | | Golden Globe, Roman Polanski, Best Director - Motion Picture | | | Golden Globe, Jack Nicholson, Best Motion Picture Actor - Drama | | | Golden Globe, Robert Towne, Best Screenplay - Motion Picture | | | Golden Globe, Chinatown, Best Motion Picture - Drama | | | Oscar, Robert Towne, Best Writing, Original Screenplay |
| Memorable Quotes| "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown."----Walsh (Joe Mantell) to Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) | | "It looks like half the city is trying to cover it all up, which is fine with me. But Mrs. Mulwray, I...near lost my nose! And I like it. I like breathing through it. And I still think you're hiding something."----Jake Gittes to Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) | | "I'm just a snoop."----Jake Gittes |
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| | Professional Reviews | Sight and Sound
"...[Polanski] handles the mechanics of the plot with a ruthless brilliance that is immediately involving..." 09/01/1974 p.243Entertainment Weekly
"...Incomparable..." 05/29/1998 p.83 Chicago Sun-Times
"...Like most noir stories, CHINATOWN ends in a flurry of revelation....For Nicholson, the role had enormous importance..." 02/06/2000 p.5 Total Film
"...A film noir masterpiece that never stops screwing with your head..." 07/01/2000 p.102 Premiere
"Faye Dunaway quivers, John Huston looms, but Nicholson's Gittes seems untouchable inside..." 04/01/2004 p.65-6 Uncut
"[T]he director's dark wit questions the conventions of noir, and exhales stylish seediness." 09/01/2004 p.135 Empire
5 stars out of 5 -- "Jack Nicholson lends J.J. Gittes nervy sharpness, and John Huston fills villainous Noah Cross with menace..." 12/01/2007 p.224 ReelViews 10 of 10
"Chinatown is unquestionably one of the best films to emerge from the 1970s, a period that has been called the ""last great decade of American cinema"" by more than one movie critic. The production, which went in front of the cameras without a final script, marks the high-water point in the careers of both lead actor Jack Nicholson and director Roman Polanski...Ever since film noir reached Hollywood, the detective has become a type, with film noir being his playground. It takes a Herculean effort to transform this type into a character and to replace the formula with a story, and Chinatown's success in both of these regards is one of the reasons it is universally viewed as a classic. The movie is a nearly flawless example of movie composition, with close examination revealing how carefully it was put together. For those who take a less studious and more visceral approach to movie viewing, it's also worth noting that Chinatown is a superior thriller - one that will keep viewers involved and ""in the moment"" until the final, mournful scene has come to a conclusion." - James Berardinelli
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