Chinatown: is it really the best screenplay ever written?

[@BrendaGarcia-ty2ml]

I'm a huge learn by example person, so your channel is amazingggg thank you so much!

[@ScriptSleuth]

You're welcome, Brenda! Thanks for watching.

[@Firsk]

He missed the most important thing. Every single scene includes Jake and is told from his perspective. The story never leaves him. The audience never sees anything that Jake doesn't see. They never learn anything apart from Jake learning it. And that is what gives the story the feeling of visceral reality.

[@nahlijgod]

!!!!!!!

[@joegamer6914]

yes

[@dotsyjmaher]

SO TRUE

[@joogullae3456]

GENIUS!!

[@lemorab1]

Most important is that Jake has a flawed perspective and he is an unreliable narrator. He thinks he is two steps ahead of everyone, when he is actually several steps behind.

[@ojacobsen3727]

A useful lesson from Chinatown - it doesn't really matter so much if the audience understands "the plot" as long as they get "the story".

[@ScriptSleuth]

Exactly. It's all about the audience's experience.

[@shuroom57]

Well said. This is why I like a movie like M*A*S*H 100 times better than swashbuckling bullsh💩t movies, which DO have a plot ---- just the _same, tired, hackneyed plot_ .

[@kennethlatham3133]

Years and years ago, I used to frequent a Cheers-like bar in my hometown; all kinds of characters and conversations were there on a nightly basis. One of those nights I met a guy who was casually speaking to his friends in snippets of dialogue from Chinatown. I joined in with him, much to his delight, and we would continue this practice every time we crossed paths at the bar. Late one evening, a lively shrill girl near us was playfully shooting her friends around her with a water pistol, arm outstretched. Bill smiled with delight as I held out my hands to her and did John Huston: "Evelyn! You're a disturbed woman! You cannot hope to provide.....!" She looked at me and Bill like WE were crazy. I miss Bill still; he was a Vietnam vet who was in the process of drinking his awful memories to death. One of the last things I asked him was, which Hollywood release-to-date (1992) most accurately depicted his experience in war-time Vietnam. Of all the lot---Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, etc., he immediately answered: "Casualties of War', with Michael J. Fox. This might be a good choice for you to feature in your next film screenplay breakdown.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Great story. Thank you for sharing!

[@drewprice8468]

Great stuff…those kind of friends are fun

[@uarenowondirecthotlinetoGod]

All cracking films. I watched a lot of Vietnam films as well . Very good indeed.

[@j.a.a.x8818]

Honestly this is some of the most underrated content on KZbin

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thanks for the kind words.

[@richarddecredico6098]

hahahahah no it isn't this is just the same ole same ole that is available on a dozen other stupid channels made by people that should go get a real job instead of riding the coattails of other artists

[@KevanRCraft]

Reading the original screenplay is an experience you'll never forget much like watching the movie Chinatown itself, both are masterpieces!

[@ScriptSleuth]

Agreed! It's also good to read scripts so you can see what makes it to the screen.

[@mortalclown3812]

​@@ScriptSleuth 💯

[@Jimmy1982Playlists]

_"Yaaaaa, the heat's murder..."_ That line always gave me chills.

[@thetop100films]

The screenplay of Chinatown by Robert Towne is often hailed as one of the greatest ever written. No wonder it won an Oscar! 🏆🖋

[@Ruylopez778]

Great examples! Have you covered 'motifs' in any other videos? We also get a puzzle hint the first time Gittes goes to the Mulwray residence. We see him spot something shiny in the pond, and try to fish it out before Evelyn arrives, which sets up an expectation there is a clue, presumably evidence, thrown into the pond (water again) to hide it. This raises a suspicion in both the house and Evelyn. When we saw Hollis' body, he was missing his glasses. We also later hear about the salt water in the lungs and the supposition that the body was moved. When we return to the pond, we're aware there's something unresolved about it, and when the glasses are fished out, we correctly presume that Hollis was drowned there, and make the connection between the salt water and the glasses. We think we've been clever in making this association at the same time as Gittes. It's only when Evelyn says they aren't Hollis' glasses, because they are bifocals, that we remember Noah had similar glasses at the table in his meal with Gittes. It isn't even a massive leap for us to conclude that Noah is involved in the murder, as the story has established conflict between them, and motive. Then we learn a personal motive that Noah has to get Hollis out of the way, and how evil he truly is. This also makes sense because Hollis and Katherine never looked affectionate together, which is also why we are suspicious of the whole case at the start, and finally we know why. It's also fun that Curly basically serves to introduce Gittes' profession and character in the beginning [along with setting up a false expectation of what the story will be], but is useful later on, and we don't even need an explanation why his wife has a black eye, or why he is willing to help. It is another example of Gittes outsmarting those around him, even though it is ultimately futile.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thanks for the insights!

[@rollydoucet8909]

The bifocals found in the tidepool belonged to who? Mulwray didn't wear bifocals.

[@Ruylopez778]

@@rollydoucet8909 The bifocals belonged to Noah Cross. He lost them in the garden while drowning Mulwray (or one of his thugs was drowning him). We the audience connect the glasses with Mulwray and salt water in his lungs and conclude the pond is the murder scene (as does Gittes). But we don't know who the murderer is, simply that we are suspicious of everyone. When Katherine says Mulwray didn't wear bifocals, it means someone else is presumably involved (since it fits that the murder happened there). Once we find out that Katherine's daughter is her sister, it provides further motive to incriminate Cross (and it also establishes how evil Cross is). None of this is conclusive until Gittes confronts Cross.

[@rollydoucet8909]

@@Ruylopez778 That makes perfect sense. I saw this film when it first debuted and several times since, but the bifocal thing never seemed to click. Thank you.

[@Ruylopez778]

@@rollydoucet8909 No problem. I haven't seen it for a while, but Cross has eye glasses on the table when he has lunch with Gittes, and maybe we see him reading a newspaper? Although this is after the murder, so he has a spare pair. McKee (and others) say that Chinatown is modern retelling of Oedipus Rex, so the motif of seeing/eyes/blindness runs through the whole movie.

[@elizabethj8510]

Hey there, kitty kat! Chinatown is 50 years old and still strong and relevant. Thank you to all who made it a masterpiece of neo noir. NB foreshadowing of Evelyn's death: visual references to eyes (glasses, binoculars, broken watch face, fish head, etc.).

[@Swarm509]

One thing I like about this screenplay is that nobody is really "stupid" in the sense that they cannot think for themselves or figure out things. They may be ignorant of all the facts, but not just an idiot like so many movies try to make out characters (or the audience). Midway through Jake mentions that the police lieutenant is quite good at his job, and near the end (with the dead women) he pieces together why she has Jake's number and that she must of been impersonating Evelyn Cross to hire him. A nice little detail in a movie full of them.

[@Stratmanable]

@Swarm509 "Must have", not "must of". The contraction of "must have" is "must've", which sounds like "must of". The difference is that "must of" doesn't make any sense.

[@monacojerry]

So what are all the horses about in the movie? I understand the theme of "water" but notice all the horses; pictures of horses in Jake Giddes office, Seabiscuit on a newspaper, horse racing in the background on the radio in the morgue, a picture of Evelyn Mulray with a horse on Hollis's desk, Evelyn mentions she was riding bareback, not to mention all the horses that appear in various scenes.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Great catch! I hadn't picked up on that.

[@MrGeneralWei]

I noticed that too, I think it had relation with Jake being a strong willed hard worker, BUT he was being rode/led around by characters with actual agency and motives

[@MaxEPR]

Interesting question. It may have just come from his childhood. My great-grandfather, who would have been Robert's father's age, also had paintings and photos of horses in the rooms in his house. I never thought to ask about them.

[@gymshoe8862]

I watched it three time in a theater, at least four times on disc and a few more times online--It is interesting every time, and I learn more each time I see it--its very complex, the acting is excellent by all, costumes excellent as well, you are transported back to the 40's. The score is superb throughout! I'll keep trying to understand it in the future. What a view of LA!

[@kamuelalee]

Awesome breakdown of a genius script! Thanks for posting, keep up the great work.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@ScriptSleuth]

So what are your thoughts? Is Chinatown the "greatest" screenplay ever written? I'd love to hear your votes for the greatest script!

[@felixhirst7209]

The producers

[@felixhirst7209]

Citizen kane

[@felixhirst7209]

Sunset boulevard Some like it hot

[@ScriptSleuth]

@@felixhirst7209 Excellent choices.

[@izzmond3676]

Network Sweet Smell of Success Taxi Driver

[@idioume1]

Best Reviews on KZbin!

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thanks, Issa!

[@bill2953]

It helps if the head of Paramount at the time - Robert Evans RIP - likes your script and puts his top people on the development staff. The script went through several rewrites but all in all, remained true to Towne's essence.

[@mortalclown3812]

You deserve a lot more subscribers, bruh. Great channel. Humbly presented and told with a scholar's unerring eye for the right details. Props. Subbed.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thanks for the nice comment!

[@dotsyjmaher]

Absolutely WONDERFUL....

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thanks for watching!

[@veritas6335]

This is an excellent class in screenwriting, and entertaining to watch as well. Riveting! Well done.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Cheers!

[@Shindai]

This is the second or third video I've just watched on Chinatown, and as someone who considers themself a student of film, I'm embarrassed at how much I miss. Though it's not really my genre, tbh I didn't enjoy it, but having things like this pointed out, I'm starting to respect it more, and appreciate the writing even if I didn't enjoy the movie

[@ScriptSleuth]

Hey Dani! Glad it was helpful to you.

[@TheItalianScreenwriter]

Love it!

[@prussianjunker1777]

Well done sir, I do appreciate it. great work . . ! !

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thanks for watching!

[@saiganesh7944]

You are very good at your work ....🤩🔥

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thank you. Those are kind words.

[@gmalexander1035]

You are very good at selecting the best movie clips to demonstrate how a screenplay tactic is employed. Could we though have more exposition by you while the movie clips are running, to drive your lessons home into the minds of the viewer?

[@ScriptSleuth]

I could probably do a little more. I just don't want to spoon-feed the viewer what they can already figure out themselves.

[@gmalexander1035]

@@ScriptSleuth , I understand, but in this particular piece I found the clip montages quite lengthy and would have been grateful here and there for brief observations that would have helped me stay on track. But you’re the boss!

[@ScriptSleuth]

@@gmalexander1035 Agreed. Some of the clips are too long and can demand too long of an attention span. I'll be more cognizant of it for future videos. Thanks for the feedback!

[@bulwaburaczana2775]

Great screenplay, great directing, great acting!

[@ScriptSleuth]

Agreed!

[@user-sr5rm6td5s]

Thank you for your effort

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thank you for watching!

[@jeffsibley6005]

Love the videos! Great breakdowns on the nuance of screenwriting

[@ScriptSleuth]

Cheers!

[@littletravelblog7589]

Wow, this video was very interesting and, in fact, useful. Thank you very much)

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thank you for watching!

[@jlovebirch]

Point Blank (1967) is an under-appreciated gem.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Haven't seen that one yet. I'll check it out!

[@kgus123]

Saw it again about a month ago, thought it hasn't aged well. However, It's an interesting relic of its time -- incorporating avant-garde innovations into a genre piece -- and certainly worth watching in that frame of mind. OTOH, a lot of people with good taste still love it.

[@Jeredos]

As always, amazing video essay!

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thanks, Jere! And thank you for the awesome support.

[@syumich12]

Ton of work goes into this. Keep up the good work. Thanks.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Seth, thank you for recognizing that. Most people have no clue and forget I'm doing this for free.

[@elroytheking2017]

This was very good. For motifs, I thought you might have mentioned one part of a pair flawed like the watch or even Gittes’s nose.

[@ScriptSleuth]

I'm sure there were many more that I missed!

[@evep5689]

I guess he's crafty but he is not clever though, and that's exactly what propels the plot forward again and again, his vanity. His major flaw is that he thinks he is clever, yet again and again he cannot see what's just in front of his eyes. Until the very end, his vanity is what stops him from saving the characters played by Dunaway and her daughter/sister.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Interesting. Thanks for the insight!

[@kennethlatham3133]

@Greg Elchert And therein lies the similarity, later referred to, to his tragic experience in Chinatown.

[@TheRealFamespear]

One of the best screenplays I can remember is for “Treasure of the Sierra Madres.” I’d like to hear your take on it.

[@ScriptSleuth]

@@TheRealFamespear Love that movie!

[@andreagrazianodibenedetto1464]

Thank you for this, I liked the video and the scenes. Maybe I would have preferred a little more commentary, but it's still very good. Keep up the good work!

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thanks, Andrea!

[@clash79]

It’s crazy that this video has so fewer views than The Godfather one. This movie is at least as good, and many people consider this the greatest screenplay of all

[@ScriptSleuth]

Yeah, it seems that people view the videos on movies they like, and not so much for their screenwriting merit.

[@clash79]

@@ScriptSleuth Of course. But what I don’t get is the fact that The Godfather is so much more popular. Anyone who really enjoys great crime movies is likely to see Chinatown as equally exceptional

[@johnradovich8809]

I’ll take this over both Godfathers anytime.

[@ThomasMcGauley-m7z]

I don't get mad, my lawyer does.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Support the channel on Patreon and get access to more videos: patreon.com/scriptsleuth CITY OF GOD CRIES AND WHISPERS DO THE RIGHT THING IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

[@mobiuspaw494]

Thank you for helping me scratch an itch. I am obsessed with this film. Still traumatised by the last scene. Why did Jake call Noah Cross ? He could have been a true hero.

[@ScriptSleuth]

I think he just wanted him to get arrested by the detectives, no?

[@ReedRichardsPhD]

I never understood the stopwatch scene. But I always wanted to tho 😭

[@Floralgamingdisplay]

It was a little detective trick he used. We see him open his glove box and it's full of similar watches. He then checks his own wrist watch to get the current time and adjust the new watch to tell the current time and starts the watch ticking. He then places it under the wheel of the person he is investigating. The reason he does this, is because when that person then gets in their car and drives off, they will break the watch and therefore stop the mechanism leaving the watch stuck on the time the mechanism was broken. Later on, Jake would presumably come back to collect the broken watch. And now he has a good idea of when his person of interest left and how long they had been at the location. It's just a clever trick Jake used to keep an eye on his target without risking being made by physically being there. And it's cool little character detail that his glove box is full of those watches because it lets us as the audience know that this must be a trick that he uses fairly often.

[@veritas6335]

Thanks for this! Please give us your tips on other great films. Here are some of the best and my favorites: Casablanca, Some Like It Hot, Rebecca, The Cowboys, The English Patient, The Third Man, Dances With Wolves, Gone With The Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Gradúate, Mississippi Burning, All About Eve, Animal House, M*A*S*H, My Fair Lady, Clear and Present Danger, Remains of the Day, Witness for the Prosecution, Marathon Man, Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story (the first one), From Here to Eternity, Charade, Zorba the Greek, La Strada, Lawrence of Arabia, Patton . . . well, I could go on. But that should get you started.

[@tyroberts2261]

The Big Sleep, The Miracle of Morgan Creek, The Friends of Eddie Coyle or The Seven Samari which feels like the shortest 4 hour movie ever. At the end I wanted more.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Excellent suggestions! Thanks for your comment.

[@markant9534]

@@ScriptSleuth Was Nicholson a better actor than Bogey? This character seemed like a more modern version of the character Bogart played in the big sleep, both Jack and Bogart look charismatic in those 30`s-40`s style hats.

[@EddyTheMartian]

Really great video, and amazing movie.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thanks, Eddy!

[@elliottroses]

YES!

[@ScriptSleuth]

Hee hee. Enjoy!

[@elliottroses]

Script Sleuth The point about putting exposition in conflict great. Oftentimes I’ll find new writers try to build the world in one fell swoop but by having the characters use information against other characters is a much more intriguing way to give that same info

[@ScriptSleuth]

More videos are available exclusively for Patreon members: Breaking Bad City of God Cries and Whispers Do the Right Thing Forrest Gump It's a Wonderful Life - Part 1 It's a Wonderful Life - Part 2 Memories of Murder The Lives of Others For access to these videos, go to: www.patreon.com/scriptsleuth

[@Dr.Kananga]

Two Jakes.

[@ScriptSleuth]

@@Dr.Kananga Logical!

[@georgeegermayer6528]

how about angel heart? very much appreciate your work here

[@ScriptSleuth]

@@georgeegermayer6528 Haven't seen that one! I'll add it to my watchlist. Thanks for the comment!

[@VenkateshRM-zh2xi]

Persona By Ingmar Bergman

[@Griffinmc]

Who told Bekins moving company that there was a shot of one of their trucks in one of your clips? Presto! A Bekins ad coincidentally appears in the middle of your video! Should we get Gittes to investigate?

[@ScriptSleuth]

Whoa

[@bluecollarlit]

This is so good.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thanks, Carson!

[@cadekort7054]

It's up there for sure

[@martinobrien7110]

More than . Lines that are said at the start of the movie ( the Glasses in the Pond etc ) make complete sense by the end .

[@1995yuda]

Is this the 3rd Draft? I can't find the final draft, the 3rd one is different from the movie and I read Robert said once the script was down they didn't stray from it at all. Help?

[@jessicapinkman-hd4bw]

jake isn't clever he just believes he's more clever then he really is

[@SBSChristianMedia]

I love this channel

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thanks for tuning in!

[@SBSChristianMedia]

@@ScriptSleuth do you plan on doing all of the top 101 voted guild screenplays?

[@ScriptSleuth]

@@SBSChristianMedia Eventually!

[@SBSChristianMedia]

@@ScriptSleuth AWESOME! Keep up the fantastic work, your audience will find you and your quality is top notch! Re watching now :)

[@kevinbirnbaum6460]

"Blue Thunder" had a great script.

[@bluecollarlit]

Can you do Body Heat, Lawrence Kasdan, 1981?

[@ScriptSleuth]

Great choice! Noted.

[@creedecriswell634]

That was a great movie!

[@fortniteburger7878]

Chinatown is definitely the best screenplay in my book

[@ScriptSleuth]

Can't really argue with that!

[@screenwriterabdullahh.erak2778]

Can you please analyze Knives Out for us?

[@ScriptSleuth]

Oooooh... Good one...

[@reyesplace1096]

The mad magazine parody was excellent

[@ruly8153]

This movie could get very confusing at times but I wasn’t surprised since it very inspired by Raymond Chandler whos work was also the inspiration for the big Lebowski... but the ending was amazing and it had great moment leading up to it Great dialogue, great structure, great screenplay 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Robert Towne

[@Daniel-sh3os]

What do you mean by great structure when you are talking about a screenplay?

[@ScriptSleuth]

I agree. For example, The Big Sleep always seems to confuse the hell out of me, and yet it's completely satisfying to watch. Thanks for the comment!

[@ScriptSleuth]

@@Daniel-sh3os This is a hotly debated topic, but I'd say it means the story moves along at a satisfying pace, with the characters striving to achieve their goals and running into obstacles. Audiences, even if they don't know what exactly goes into a great story, are very smart nowadays and can feel it when the first act is too long, for example.

[@Daniel-sh3os]

@@ScriptSleuth Thanks for the reply. I have always wanted to see a great script about the Lindbergh kidnapping with a big Hollywood budget. Do you think another movie will ever be made about the kidnapping?

[@ScriptSleuth]

@@Daniel-sh3os No idea. I'm definitely not the right person to ask about that! 😅

[@albertopiergiorgi5980]

The original version of Robert Towne's script provided in the ending that Faye Dunaway's character would survive while John Huston's character would be defeated. It was Polański, during production, who decided on the ending we have... If Polański had stuck to the screenwriter's version then "Chinatown" would not have been probably what it became in the cinema history we know today...

[@SockMonkey007]

Rango would be a fun script to cover.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Can you believe I still haven't seen that movie? Adding it to my watchlist.

[@SockMonkey007]

@@ScriptSleuth It would definitely make a fun companion piece. Kiddie's First Chinatown.

[@dazedconfused5594]

pls bro can you do one for Blade runner 2049

[@martinobrien7110]

Just Classic . Up there with Casablanca .

[@ScriptSleuth]

Casablanca, the most classic of them all!

[@VenkateshRM-zh2xi]

Can you cover "Persona" by Ingmar Bergman ...I shall be obliged to you..

[@ScriptSleuth]

I did Cries and Whispers for one of my VIP patrons on Patreon.

[@louisg3598]

If you ever have the chance to read the actual screenplay I highly recommend it - even if you don't plan on being a screenwriter or filmmaker.

[@LoveOneAnotherHeSaid]

Robert McKee's "Story" backs up Towne as the gun screenwriter. That book is commonsense all the way. Tools and rationale.

[@capilton4030]

Here's some well-crafted dialogue: GITTES: Mulvihill, what are you doing here? MULVIHILL: They shut my water off, what's it to you? GITTES: How'd you find out? You don't drink it, you don't take a bath in it, maybe they sent you a letter. Ah, but then you'd have to be able to read. (Mulvihill moves toward Gittes, angry.) GITTES: (continuing) Relax, Mulvihill, glad to see you. (to Yelburton) Do you know Claude Mulvihill here? YELBURTON: Hope so. He’s working for us GITTES: Doing what? YELBURTON: Frankly, there's been some threats to blow up the city reservoirs. GITTES: Any Particular reason? YELBURTON: It's this darn drought. We've had to ration water in the valley. Farmers are desperate -- but what can we do? The rest of the city needs drinking water. GITTES: Well, you're in luck, Mr. Yelburton. YELBURTON: How's that? GITTES: When Mulvihill was sheriff of Ventura County, rum runners landed tons of booze on the beach and never lost a drop. He ought to be able to hold onto your water for you. Any other favorite scenes in the script, anybody?

[@GetMeThere1]

Video just started, but: just for fun I put into youtube search "Jasper Lamar Crabb"....and this came up, lol EDIT: I also once searched for "Road Warrior Dinki Di", and a clip of the right scene was at the top of the list, lol.

[@ScriptSleuth]

That's crazy! Thanks for that fun tidbit.

[@HughMcBryde]

There is always Jake's relationship with Guns. Throughout the movie there is a theme that if you live by the Gun, you DIE by it. Jake is unhesitatingly VIOLENT when necessary, but he kicks a gun away when he has the opportunity to pick it up. Jake and Evelyn speed away shortly thereafter, are fired upon, but they aren't harmed. Evelyn reaches up and touches her eye. At the end of the movie Evelyn pulls and uses a gun, she speeds away, and is fired upon. She dies. The exit wound is...her eye.

[@delmofritz3964]

Yes it is the greatest script ever written.

[@antonioandolini6466]

Not sure why the movie's called Chinatown. How much of it actually takes place there ?? The very last scene ??

[@ScriptSleuth]

Good point!

[@hodell82]

That was actually a point of contention when Towne first conceived of the idea. He argued with both Polanski and Robert Evans that Chinatown was not so much a place as it was a state of mind. It was a "place" where good intentions fall under the weight of corruptive reality. In fact, in the original srcreenplay, Towne didn't have a single scene in Chinatown. His plan was just to have Gittes reference it. Polanski, correctly, came the conclusion that you can't have a movie called "Chinatown" without having at least one scene there. Near the end of shooting, Polanski actually conceived of the ending of Evelyn Mulray dying in Chinatown. That ending also actually went against Towne's original conception, whereby Evelyn Mulray shoots her father and gets away with her daughter/sister.

[@antonioandolini6466]

@@hodell82 It seems more like they just decided to create some backstory on the reason WHY it's called Chinatown, instead of just fessing up that the reason it's called Chinatown, is because it sounds cool, exotic & mysterious & no other reason beyond that.

[@myfonk6961]

Definitely the best script to just read.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Agreed, it's a good one to read!

[@capilton4030]

@@ScriptSleuth where are you obtaining scripts?

[@BurchallGj]

But HOW does "working girl" Ida sessions know about "one of those people" --- in the obits ?

[@capilton4030]

Here's Gittes with a metaphor on the limits of ethical behavior: CROSS: Would you call him a capable man? GITTES: Very. CROSS: Honest? GITTES: As far as it goes. Of course, he has to swim in the same water we all do .

[@capilton4030]

Noah Cross explains himself: GITTES: Then why are you doing it? How much better can you eat? What can you buy that you can't already afford? CROSS: The future, Mr. Gitts. The future. Now where's the girl? I want the only daughter I have left. As you found out, Evelyn was lost to me a long time ago. GITTES: Who do you blame for that? Her? CROSS: I don't blame myself. You see, Mr. Gitts, most people never have to face the fact that at the right time and the right place, they're capable of anything. Take those glasses from him, will you, Claude?

[@bharasiva96]

Yes

[@capilton4030]

Gittes sums up his experience working in Chinatown: GITTES: To me it was just bad luck. EVELYN: Why? GITTES: You can't always tell what's going on. (He turns to her). Like with you. EVELYN: Why was it bad luck? GITTES: I was trying to keep someone from being hurt. I ended up making sure that she was hurt.

[@transvestosaurus878]

yes

[@sonicbroom8522]

Screenplay is great, but I must say the plot was very complex and confusing at times. This is one of those movies that requires multiple viewings, and I don't like movies that do that on purpose.

[@ScriptSleuth]

I feel the same way about The Big Sleep. I've seen that several times and I still can't keep things straight! 😅

[@TheKeithvidz]

guy with the blade is the director - trivia.

[@ScriptSleuth]

I also read that the knife folded easily away, but only in the right direction. Polanski purposely didn't tell Jack Nicholson which way the knife was being held, so you can see Nicholson genuinely scared in that moment.

[@TheKeithvidz]

@@ScriptSleuth Here, here. Learned something new.

[@markant9534]

@@ScriptSleuth Jack stormed into his car off the set in a rage with Polanski who was known for being rough with his actors, both men screamed at each other as they drove in seperate cars, but then soon calmed down and got along.

[@paulmichaelsmith3207]

Just saw this, a late response. When I was an NYU Film School student in the 70s, one of my writing teachers had been Paramount's story editor during the development and production of Chinatown. We read Towne's initial draft plus at least two more. The first draft was a bloated mess (over 200 pages, as I recall); other than a few situations and some dialogue it bore little resemblance to what was shot. Each draft got significantly shorter and better. Polanski's influence? In the last draft the ending was different and far less satisfying than what we see. It's well known Polanski insisted for the story to have any real resonance, Evelyn had to die. Towne disagreed, Polanski prevailed and wrote the devastating ending that works beyond reproach. BTW, some lines of dialogue in Towne's early drafts wound up in Shampoo; mostly about what a screwed up place LA was/is.

[@ScriptSleuth]

@@paulmichaelsmith3207 Great story! Thanks for sharing.

[@Stratmanable]

From an according-to-Syd-Field way, it is.

[@kludgedude]

ChinaTowne

[@alanmckenna5608]

Great to celebrate this movie without once having to really think about Roman Polanski. It's so much more than it's director.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Definitely. It all starts with the screenwriting.

[@kevinrussell6530]

But Polanski thought up the ending they actually used in the film. The original ending was some cheesy happy one, with Jake and Evelyn embracing, Noah Cross still gets shot, and I think he dies and rain starts pouring down. Polanski turned the film into a tragedy, and I think it was brilliant. There weren't enough tragedies back then, maybe still today, and that's unfortunate because you can just about predict every film will have a happy ending. Also, and more importantly I think the tragic ending was better for the story.

[@doriangray7587]

the one who disliked probably has getting cheated by his wife recently

[@ScriptSleuth]

His name is probably Curly.

[@jayethompson3414]

No, it’s Fargo, or The Big Lebowski, but this one is really good.

[@ScriptSleuth]

@@jayethompson3414 Two great films as well!

[@capilton4030]

YELBURTON: My goodness, what happened to your nose? GITTES: Cut myself shaving YELBURTON: Well, you ought to be more careful. That must really smart. GITTES: Only when I breathe.

[@samlyons3552]

I Love You Philip[ MoRIS

[@jellyrollnorton]

I’m a rarity here. Saw Chinatown on VHS in the ‘80s. Great surprising ending, but otherwise kind of dull overall. Tried rewatching it twice since then, including this morning, but lost interest halfway through. (In all fairness, not a fan of the #1 and #2 movies on the greatest screenplays ever list, either :-)

[@louisg3598]

In the film noir style, in most cases it's the seductress fooling the main character (The Last Seduction, Body Heat). In this case, it's Noah Cross who is playing Jake the entire time from the shadows as the truly powerful do.

[@capilton4030]

Gittes has lunch with Noah Cross: CROSS: You may think you know what you're dealing with -- but believe me, you don't. (Gittes is faintly amused by this.) CROSS: Why is that funny? GITTES: It's what the D.A. used to tell me in Chinatown. CROSS: Yeah? Was he right? (Gittes shrugs.) CROSS: Exactly what do you know about me? Sit down. GITTES: Mainly that you're rich and too respectable to want your name in the papers. CROSS: Of course, I'm respectable. I'm old. Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough.

[@jespersichlau4343]

Chinatown is an amazing film, one of the best films ever made IMO, but the script is not the best ever written. When you learn about the story of how the script and the final film came together it is very clear what we see on the screen was not in the Robert Towne script.

[@capilton4030]

Gittes visits the city morgue and gets Morty the coroner's take on events: MORTY: (a cigarette dangling out of his mouth): Jake, what are you doin' here? GITTES: Nothin', Morty, it's my lunch hour. I thought I'd drop by and see who dropped dead lately. MORTY: Yeah? Isn't this something? Middle of a drought and the water commissioner drowns. Only in L.A.

[@jackme906]

As little as possible.

[@bulwaburaczana2775]

This is Towne and Polanski's screenplay.

[@Justdont693]

The room is better.

[@N_Loco_Parenthesis]

Nobody ever said it was. Clickbait.

[@cathyhudson7735]

Prince of Tides

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@richarddecredico6098]

No. There is no such thing as the best ever ,,, what a dumb idea get over it