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Watched Chinatown yet again tonight. I'm even more awestruck this time around. Towne and Nicholson. Their peak.

Posted by: goodvibe61 on Aug 28, 01:44

It's perhaps the most lauded screenplay of all time. Probably this or Kane. Robert Towne understood this genre, and he obviously had a tremendous gift for understanding the way people talk to each other. The story is just note perfect all the way through.

And what's so fascinating is that the ending is not what was originally thought out, and that Polanski rewrote the ending! Oh my! Polanski was right! And it's that tremendous ending that gives the film that certain, Criss Cross, Out of the Past kind of feeling. But Robert Towne really hit an artistic home run with this screenplay. The intricacy of it never ceases to amaze; the number of balls being juggled, and to have them all land so perfectly, for it to leave you so pulverized. It's a beautiful thing to behold.

And Jack! This is the one. The whole film, every moment, relies on his performance. You have to believe the guy's been around, he's seen it all, he's been through the deepest of the valleys already. You just don't expect that a guy like Jake Gittes could be fooled again. This is Nicholson's greatest performance. It is truly one of the most majestic and tragic performances ever. What a character, and what an amazing performance.

The way Towne wrote Faye Dunaway's character! 20 minutes from the ending Gittes still thinks she's probably the villain! He picks up the phone and calls Escobar on her! And Noah Cross is such a great villain. Nicholson watching him take the girl away with him at the end is just suffocating!

The technicals in this film are perfect. The locations, this is a masterpiece of locations. the cinematography, the set design, the amazing trumpet led score, on and on, what a film.

Just think, in one year we got Nicholson as Jake, and Pacino in Godfather 2, and Hackman in The Conversation. Three masterpieces of acting. And none of them won the Oscar! I guess that figures.

I love Chinatown. Maybe one day we'll get a Criterion of it.

Viewing it again, I doubt if a film like this would get a sniff of anything these days. I doubt anyone in the system would go near something like this. There just wouldn't be an audience for this. I think about how back in a year like 1974, these were POPULAR movies! Chinatown won the weekend....in it's twelfth weekend of release. The Conversation won its opening weekend, just think about that for a second. That film won a weekend. Chinaown was the number one film through the summer months. Think about that. It seems almost impossible today.

You're a nosy fellow kitty cat....

Watched Chinatown yet again tonight. I'm even more awestruck this time around. Towne and Nicholson. Their peak. goodvibe61 Aug 28, 01:44

That's why the 70s was the greatest era in cinema, IMHO {nm} numbersix_99 Aug 28, 02:42

Agreed (list of my favorites inside) ~JPV~ Aug 28, 06:56

You could say that about any genre an then what movies would you have left to make? {nm} JDolphin Aug 28, 13:19

Oops -that was supposed to be in response to Choosenoone post (maybe he has magic powers that stop people responding to his posts :) ) {nm} JDolphin Aug 28, 13:20

I'd only count about 1/3 of your list and add these in JDolphin Aug 28, 13:47

and '75 might have been the best oscars. Chinatown, Conversation and Godfather 2 were all nominated for Best Picture. {nm} Moviesnob Aug 28, 09:53

+1 {nm} lesana Aug 28, 03:05

great film jmt-nl Aug 28, 04:37

funny, was talking about box office performances and how the quality of films have changed in the last 40 years. lobogotti Aug 28, 05:28

Well, a subjective take, but. . . second gary Aug 28, 07:17