Chinatown

Chinatown (1974) is one of the most studied screenplays in film schools and the reputation is earned. Private investigator Jake Gittes is hired to follow a woman's husband. What begins as a routine infidelity case turns into a question about who controls the water supply of Los Angeles. The more Gittes solves, the less he understands. The story rests on real history. In the early twentieth century Los Angeles grew by taking the water of the Owens Valley and leaving that region dry. The film sets that inside a noir structure. Robert Towne's screenplay originally ended happily. Polanski refused and imposed the ending we have. Towne objected for years and eventually conceded that Polanski was right. The final line is among the most quoted in cinema. The small time thug who cuts Gittes's nose is played by Polanski himself. One note: because of the allegations against Polanski, many viewers no longer watch his films comfortably. Decide with that in mind. Good for: film noir, seventies American cinema, and anyone who studies screenwriting. Less good for: incest and abuse are at the centre of the resolution. The ending is merciless.