I must have watched Roman Polanski‘s Chinatown about three times over the last week or so as Paramount’s new Blu-ray (out on April 3) recently arrived and I began digging through its contents. I never received the 2009 Centenial Edition for review, which added an all new audio commentary with David Fincher and writer Robert Towne. That, along with seven additional featurettes and a high-definition transfer and Dolby TrueHD audio track, are included here and make it well worth a purchase. Of course, as far as I’m concerned, this is a movie that continues to grow on me tot he point that, back in 2009, it was one of the five films I listed I would want if I was trapped on a desert island. Watching it again only confirms that choice.
Moody and atmospheric, ripe with director Roman Polanski’s talent for tension, loaded with spectacularly iconic performances and some of the best screenwriting around, Chinatown is an absolute classic. If you weren’t convinced of it already, just pick up this Blu-ray; watch it once; watch it again; listen to the commentary; and explore the features. You’re sure to come away with a profound appreciation of a film almost assured to never be duplicated.
I particularly like how Roger Ebert ended his re-review of the film back in 2000 when he wrote:
Chinatown was seen as a neo-noir when it was released — an update on an old genre. Now years have passed and film history blurs a little, and it seems to settle easily beside the original noirs. That is a compliment.
The “seems” part is what makes the film so good, it’s almost unclassifiable. And in a world where we are so determined to define what something is with conviction I don’t think it’s so easy to do that with Chinatown. The film is timeless in that perhaps it may easily sit beside original noirs, but it moves to its own beat (or, more appropriately, trumpet), the screenwriting and deft talent behind the camera are unlike most movies you’ve ever seen.
It’s a film sure to appeal to fans of ’40s noir, but I think the inclusion of David Fincher on the commentary track is particularly apt as this is a film I could see him making nowadays. In short, it transcends its date of release and I would say it breaks free of its original 1974 release date and is marked as a film for the ages.
It’s a cinematic lesson in storytelling. You can get as much out of watching it as you can listening to it. On top of all the imagery in this film (such as the screen captures I’m about to feature), you don’t even have to watch the film or know what it’s about to get the chills when you hear Faye Dunaway shout her classic, revelatory lines near the film’s end.
Chinatown‘s appeal to David Fincher is obvious, from its attention to detail and just its influence on Se7en alone is clear not to mention Zodiac. It is, however, funny to hear him speak of a scene where Jack Nicholson as Jake Gittes is washed down a drainage canal and how it was done in one take. Fincher looks on and says, “[They] did this in one take, which, of course… I hate just the notion of.” But it’s after this scene that we get to the moment where this new Blu-ray transfer really popped as far as I was concerned.
Caught snooping around the drainage canal by a pair of thugs, Jake is approached by an unnamed man whom he refers to as a “midget” played by Polanski himself. The man then taunts him… placing the knife inside his left nostril…
You’re a very nosy fellow, kitty-cat, huh? You know what happens to nosy fellows? Huh, no? Want to guess? Huh, no? Okay. They lose their noses.
The man quickly flicks the knife up and blood squirts onto Nicholson’s face and with this new HD transfer the gush of red just shines in what has to be one of the most impressive practical effects in film. The simplicity of it, the dialogue on both sides of the cut, Nicholson’s reaction and the sheer effect it has on the rest of the film is astonishing.
The “midget” grins:
Next time you lose the whole thing. Cut if off and feed it to my goldfish. Understand? Understand?!
He understands, covered in blood, still unsure of exactly what he’s gotten himself into, which leads to the next scene and a perfect example of how Polanski is an absolute master when it comes to building tension.
Much of the film is shot over Nicholson’s shoulder, but here the fact we don’t get the full picture means so much more. His nose has just been gnarled. He’s a cool cat private investigator who in the last scene could have drowned in a deluge of water, but once he survives is only concerned with the loss of one of his Florsheim shoes. What does he look like?
Polanski makes us wait just over five seconds before the reveal, first giving us the back of Jake’s head. Just imagine this moment was cut from the film, the absence of these five seconds. Sure, the reveal would still insist on a reaction from the audience, but would it be the same one?
The bandage is gigantic. What is it hiding? Why was it so big? It’s funny, startling and a fine piece of storytelling all wrapped into one image. Jake’s feelings are well understood in the image alone, but he continues about his business and each scene utilizes the bandage to great effect, reminding us of the risk Jake faces as well as propelling the story in directions it may otherwise not have gone.
It is here Fincher calls this one instance “the greatest running gag in movie history“. He’s probably thought about it more than I have, but I would be inclined to agree with him. After all, would the following scene and what happens immediately after it ever have happened had Jake’s nose not been cut? Perhaps, but would it have felt so organic and believable?
Chinatown hits Blu-ray on April 3 and you can click here or on the link below to purchase it. As of the posting of this article it was priced at $18.99 and if you ask me it’s worth every penny.
Now here’s the Nosy Fella clip in its entirety. How did they accomplish the effect? The tip of the knife breaks away as Polanski flicks the knife upwards. Just watch as his thumb moves ever so slightly just before he goes to cut Jake’s nose, releasing a tube in the handle with fake blood, which will then squirt on Nicholson’s face.
Rumor has it Polanski would flip the knife around before filming the scene and Jack was never sure if the knife may actually cut him. Polanski apparently also designed the knife himself, but neither of these last two statements can I confirm via any known authority.
