Chinatown Story Analysis

Chinatown is a movie about a private eye named Jake Gittes who is brought into a conspiracy involving a drought, a death, a dam, and family intrigue. It has an intriguing, complicated plot with a depressing ending, but that is a main characteristic of film noir.

There is no real narrator, for the story tells itself. The implied narrator is Gittes, for the story follows his actions and where he goes and what he knows.

The spectators add to the atmosphere of not being able to control all of the corrupt and horrible things around them; this movie creates a feeling of not being able to do anything to make the world better, or at least not enough. For example, the valet doesn't know what to do when Gittes and Evelyn are fighting over whether or not to "talk" more.

We fill in some of that gaps such as how Gittes comes to his conclusions while on the case and why he is going there, especially with the scene in the library; it took me a little while to figure why he was there. Also, it is implied that Gittes and Evelyn sleep together, as well as when Evelyn is shot and horn blows.

The time is presented chronologically; everything is in order. There really isn't any flourishes on the time order. It is probably classical, for it cuts to the parts that the director wants us to see, but is still in chronological order.

The genre is neo-film noir, for it is a color film made after the 1950s that has elements of film noir. It is a very dark, gritty movie at times; there is no "sugar-coating" the truth, like original film noir. It uses color to emphasize the light and dark, similar to film noir.

This movie says that at the time people were probably wary of government conspiracies, even within their own government.

The narrative tells of basic human traits such as greed, desire, and idealism. Many people try to force their ideals on other people, but they cannot change the way the entire world is. Gittes was a man with flaws and wished that the world had a better sense of right and wrong, but in the end the entire world is like Chinatown in his view: you cannot do anything.