Your Comprehensive Guide to "Chinatown" (1974)

Hello there! Welcome to your study notes for Roman Polanski's classic film, Chinatown. This guide is designed to help you understand this brilliant but complex movie, whether you're aiming for top marks or just trying to get a solid grasp of the basics. We'll break down the plot, characters, themes, and film techniques in a simple, step-by-step way. By the end, you'll see why Chinatown is a masterpiece and feel confident analysing it for your exams. Let's get started!


Section 1: The Basics - What is 'Chinatown' All About?

Context and Genre: Welcome to Neo-Noir

Before we dive in, let's understand the film's style. Chinatown is a perfect example of a genre called Neo-Noir.

Don't worry if that sounds complicated! Think of it like this:

  • Film Noir ("black film" in French) was a style of crime film popular in the 1940s and 50s. They were shot in black and white and usually featured a cynical detective, a mysterious and dangerous woman (the femme fatale), a dark city setting, and a feeling that everything is doomed.

  • Neo-Noir ("new black") takes these classic ingredients and updates them. These films are in colour, but they keep the dark themes, complex mysteries, and morally grey characters. Chinatown is perhaps the most famous neo-noir film ever made.

Did you know?
The main plot of Chinatown, involving the theft of water, is loosely based on the real-life "California Water Wars" in the early 20th century. Powerful businessmen in Los Angeles did secure water rights in a way that destroyed farmland in other areas, all to help the city grow.

Plot Summary: A Twisted Trail

The plot of Chinatown can feel like a maze. Here’s a simplified breakdown of the key events. The story follows a private investigator, J.J. "Jake" Gittes.

  1. The Simple Case: A woman calling herself Mrs. Mulwray hires Jake to see if her husband, Hollis Mulwray (the chief water engineer for L.A.), is having an affair. Jake gets photos of him with a young woman.

  2. The Complication: The photos are published in the newspaper. The real Mrs. Evelyn Mulwray shows up, threatening to sue Jake. He realises he was set up.

  3. The Murder: Hollis Mulwray is found dead – drowned in a reservoir during a drought. It's clearly not an accident. Jake decides to investigate the real story.

  4. The Investigation: Jake uncovers a massive conspiracy. Powerful people, including Evelyn’s father Noah Cross, are secretly buying up cheap farmland. They are illegally dumping fresh water to create a fake drought, which will make the land they bought incredibly valuable once a new dam is built.

  5. The Dark Secret: The mystery gets personal. The young woman with Hollis wasn't his mistress; it was Evelyn's sister... and her daughter. Jake forces the truth from Evelyn: her father, Noah Cross, is the father of her daughter, Katherine. This is the horrifying secret at the heart of the film.

  6. The Tragic End: Jake tries to help Evelyn and Katherine escape to safety in Chinatown. But Noah Cross and the police are there. In the chaos, the police shoot and kill Evelyn. Cross takes his granddaughter/daughter Katherine, and the police cover everything up. Jake is left defeated and broken.
Key Takeaway

Chinatown starts as a simple infidelity case but spirals into a complex web of murder, corruption, and a dark family secret. The main mystery is not just "who killed Hollis Mulwray?" but about the abuse of power that controls the entire city.


Section 2: Key Players - The Characters

Understanding the main characters is essential. Each one represents a key idea in the film.

J.J. "Jake" Gittes: The Cynical Detective

  • Who he is: A smart, confident, and somewhat sleazy private investigator who specialises in "matrimonial work" (i.e., spying on cheating spouses).
  • His Journey: He starts off just wanting to make money, but as the mystery deepens, his curiosity and a reluctant sense of justice take over. He thinks he can figure it all out, but the evil he uncovers is far beyond his control.
  • His Past: Jake used to be a cop in Chinatown. Something bad happened there where he "was trying to help someone and only ended up hurting them." This past failure haunts him and foreshadows the film's ending.

Evelyn Mulwray: The Femme Fatale with a Secret

  • The Archetype: At first, she seems like a classic femme fatale – a beautiful, mysterious woman who might be dangerous. She is secretive and hides things from Jake.
  • The Reality: We soon learn she isn't evil. She is a tragic and damaged victim of her monstrous father. Her secrecy is not to trick Jake, but to protect her daughter Katherine and hide her terrible past. This twist on the femme fatale is a key feature of neo-noir.
  • Symbolism: Evelyn has a "flaw" in her iris. This small imperfection is a visual clue that there is something hidden or broken beneath her perfect, wealthy exterior.

Noah Cross: The Face of Evil

  • Who he is: Evelyn’s father and Hollis Mulwray’s former business partner. He presents himself as a powerful, respectable old man, but he is the film's villain.
  • His Motivation: Absolute greed and a desire for control. He wants to control the city's water because, as he says, "Either you bring the water to L.A. or you bring L.A. to the water." He is buying the future.
  • The True Monster: His evil is not just financial; it's deeply personal and moral. He represents the idea that the most powerful people are above the law and capable of the most horrific acts. His famous line reveals his worldview: "You see, Mr. Gittes, most people never have to face the fact that at the right time and the right place, they're capable of anything."
Key Takeaway

The characters in Chinatown are more complex than they first appear. Jake is the flawed hero who can't win, Evelyn is the victim disguised as a femme fatale, and Noah Cross is the respectable monster who represents total corruption.


Section 3: The Big Ideas - Major Themes

To really analyse a film, you need to talk about its themes. These are the main ideas the story is exploring.

Corruption: Power, Greed, and Water

This is the central theme. The plot about stealing water is really a metaphor for how power corrupts everything.
- Political Corruption: The city's leaders are in on the scam.
- Financial Corruption: Noah Cross is destroying lives for profit.
- Moral Corruption: The most shocking corruption is personal – Cross's abuse of his own daughter.

Analogy: Imagine water is like the internet. Someone who controls the water/internet in a city controls everything: who can build houses, who can run businesses, who gets rich. Noah Cross is trying to own the "internet" of 1930s L.A.

The Futility of Good Intentions

This is a very pessimistic, or negative, theme. Jake tries to do the right thing. He tries to expose the water scandal and, more importantly, he tries to save Evelyn and Katherine. But he fails completely. His actions lead directly to Evelyn's death. The film suggests that against a system this corrupt, one person's good intentions are useless and can even make things worse.

Appearance vs. Reality

Nothing in Chinatown is what it seems on the surface.
- Appearance: Hollis Mulwray is having an affair. Reality: He was investigating the water scandal.
- Appearance: There is a natural drought. Reality: The water is being dumped on purpose.
- Appearance: Evelyn is a manipulative femme fatale. Reality: She is a terrified victim.
- Appearance: Noah Cross is a respectable city father. Reality: He is a rapist and a murderer.

The whole film is about Jake peeling back layers of lies to find a truth that is more horrifying than he could imagine.

Key Takeaway

The core themes are interconnected. The thirst for power leads to widespread corruption. This corruption creates a world where nothing is as it seems, and any attempt by an individual to fix it is ultimately futile.


Section 4: How the Story is Told - Filmic Techniques

For your exam, you must discuss HOW Polanski tells the story. Focus on these key film techniques.

Cinematography (The Camera's Eye)

  • Point of View (POV): This is super important! The camera almost never leaves Jake's side. We, the audience, only know what Jake knows. When he is confused, we are confused. When he gets a clue, we get it too. This technique puts us in his shoes and makes the mystery more intense. He is in every single scene of the movie.

  • Framing: Notice how characters are often framed through windows, car windshields, or half-closed blinds. This creates a sense that we (and Jake) are spying, or that the characters themselves are trapped.

  • Colour Palette: Unlike old black-and-white noir films, Chinatown is in colour. But the colours are muted – lots of beiges, browns, and dusty yellows. This sun-bleached look makes the city feel dry, tense, and morally decayed, even in the bright daylight.

Mise-en-scène (Everything in the Scene)

  • Setting: The film is set in 1937 Los Angeles. The beautiful cars, elegant clothes, and sunny landscapes contrast sharply with the ugly moral corruption underneath.

  • Costumes: Jake's suits are always sharp and professional, even when he gets beaten up. This shows his desire for control in a world of chaos. Notice the bandage on his nose for most of the film – it’s a constant reminder of his vulnerability and the violence just beneath the surface.

  • Props as Symbols: The broken glasses Jake finds in the pond are a key symbol (a motif). They represent a "broken vision" – the inability to see the full, horrible truth. They belong to Hollis, but they end up implicating Noah Cross.

Sound and Music

The film's score by Jerry Goldsmith is iconic. The main theme, played on a lonely, haunting trumpet, isn't an action theme. It’s slow and sad (melancholy). It perfectly captures the film's mood of loneliness, tragedy, and nostalgia for a time that never really was. It tells us this is not a story with a happy ending.

Key Takeaway

Polanski uses every tool available to tell his story. The subjective camera (Jake's POV) immerses us in the mystery. The mise-en-scène contrasts a beautiful surface with a rotten core. The music sets a mood of sadness and inevitable tragedy.


Section 5: Putting It All Together - The Ending

"Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown."

This is one of the most famous final lines in movie history. Let's break down what it means.

On the surface, it’s a warning to Jake to walk away and not get involved. But the meaning is much deeper:

  • "Chinatown" as a Symbol: In the film, "Chinatown" is not just a location. It is a symbol for a world where logic and justice do not apply. It's a place where evil wins, the powerful get away with anything, and trying to help only makes things worse.

  • History Repeats Itself: Jake admits that in his past as a cop in Chinatown, he tried to protect someone and failed. Now, at the end of the film, he has done the exact same thing again, but with even more tragic consequences.

  • The Ultimate Message: The line is a statement of complete despair. It means the corruption is too deep, the system is too broken, and the only sane response is to look away. There is no hope here. Forget it.
Quick Review & Common Mistakes

Let's do a final check to make sure you've got the key ideas!

Quick Review Box:

  • Genre: Neo-Noir
  • Protagonist: J.J. Gittes
  • Central Conflict: A single investigator versus a totally corrupt system.
  • Key Symbols: Water (control of the future), Jake's broken nose (vulnerability), Evelyn's flawed eye (hidden secrets), Chinatown (a world without justice).
  • Main Theme: The overwhelming power of corruption and the futility of trying to fight it.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your Essays:

  1. Just retelling the plot. Don't just say what happens. Explain why it happens and what it means. Use words like "this symbolises..." or "this reveals the theme of..."
  2. Calling Evelyn a typical femme fatale. Your analysis will be much stronger if you explain how she subverts or changes this archetype. She is a victim, not a villain.
  3. Saying the film is just about a water scandal. Always remember the water plot is a metaphor for the deeper, more horrifying personal and moral corruption of Noah Cross.

Great work getting through all of this! Chinatown is a rich and rewarding film to study. Take your time, re-watch key scenes, and think about how all these different elements (characters, themes, techniques) work together to create such a powerful and unforgettable story. Good luck!