BIG'S BIG MOVIE LIST

I've thoroughly enjoyed what little noir film I have experienced in my life. The gritty murder mysteries and seedy romances of 40s and 50s cinema were actually the B movies of their day; dark, low-budget affairs that used extremes of light and shadow to fill in screen space on what was otherwise a sparse set. The troubled hero yearning for redemption, fighting goons, booze, an city hall along the way. I had no idea going into the opening credits, but Roman Polanski's “Chinatown” was a daring rehash of the old noir method, transporting the viewer to mid-century Los Angeles in a time of drought and deception.

Jake “J. J.” Gittes (Jack Nicholson) is a private investigator in 1930's Los Angeles during a crippling drought that has the local agriculture on the edge of going bust. Gittes is hired by a woman to investigate her husband, Hollis Mulwray (Darrell Zwirling) the chief engineer for the city Water Department, as she is suspicious he is having an affair. After some digging, Gittes discovers what appears to be Hollis visiting his paramour, and releases scandalous photographs to the press. In the resulting fallout of this discovery, Gittes inadvertently starts to unravel a thread that reveals a web of lies, conspiracy, and murder that covers the entire City of Angels.

I discovered in my research that this movie is used as an example of a superb screenplay, and it is pretty close to perfect. Lean and sharp dialog and Polanski's direction make this a very pleasant experience, particularly for anyone with an affinity for noir or 40's and 50's cinema. Chinatown was filmed in 1974, so the methods and equipment are a bit more advanced than the noir its spawned from, but I like to think that the “new school” delivery helps rather than hinders the overall effect of the film (though I cant be sure in my heart of hearts that “old tricks are the best tricks”)

Ridiculous paneling needs to come back as a trend in car design. Please.

"One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest"