Chinatown Film Themes

The film noir movement was a staple of American cinema but it has been the decline for quite a long time. In response to this, a number of directors have sought to revive this dying genre. A popular example is the period film Chinatown (1974), directed by Roman Polanski and starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and Jon Huston. This film is heavily reminiscent of the neo-noir genre and showcases this quality through it’s use of narrative and visual structures. This film uses noir characters, plots and themes with a slight twist. There is a familiar sense of pessimism and moral ambiguity within the narrative that is shown through the use of dramatic lighting. Chinatown relies heavily on visual symbolism. The film is neo noir in the way it ties its narrative and visual structures to the theme of the inability of mankind to fully understand the world.
The film begins with a faux Evelyn Mulwray hiring the dark and mysterious J.J. Gittes to investigate the whereabouts of her husband to determine if is in fact having an affair. Her husband Hollis Mulwray is the chair engineer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which plays an important role later in the narrative. Gittes agrees to take on the case and begins tailing Mr. Hollis Mulwray. In his duration of his investigation, Gittes finds Mulwray opposing the development of a new reservoir and finds him in the embrace of young women. The photos of said embrace were then published in the next day’s paper. Back at his office Mulwray the real Mrs. Mulwray he informs Gittes that he should expect a