6070 (6070) wrote, @ 2007-05-09 00:58:00

CHINATOWN (1974)
This "detective movie" is more than a detective movie.

It attempted to be a bigger film about American society. In 1974, Americans watched the first president of the United States resign because he was caught lying and would have been impeached. They also learned that the military had consistently lied to them about the Vietnam war.

Stories about America's past also came out and it looked like our history wasn't nearly as perfect and as glorious as people were taught in school.

In Chinatown, a private eye named Jake Gittes comes face to face with the corruption that built not only Los Angeles, but America as well. It is all about money and power. Who has it. Who stays in control. Who can buy "the future" as Noah Cross puts it.

The most famous scene in the film is the revelation of "My sister!/my daughter!" The incest is the nasty rape of decency and the "innocent" child is the one thing Noah Cross and his daughter battle to the death over. You can discuss the metaphor of this if you want. What sequences stood out for you and why? What feeling did this film leave you at the end?

Brookshield Tran (Anonymous) 2007-05-10 13:06 (link)

Overall I thought “Chinatown” was moderate. I thought it would’ve had more action…I liked how the film showed how Jake Gitters got more and more clues and put this whole mystery together which consisted of one mystery leading to another. It was fun to put the pieces of the puzzle together as well. You find yourself trying to solve these series of mystery with Jake and try to predict and make reasonable hypothesis. When the movie started, what caught my attention was the fact that the cast and crew credits were rolled in the beginning of the movie and I thought that, that was strange because usually the credits roll at the end of the movie. Jake is a clever and somewhat nosy/curious man. I liked how he pretended to be that one man and how he annoyed that woman in that office so much that she went back into her boss’s office and got him to see Jake. There seems to be this unknown side of Jake that lived in Chinatown and that life somewhat remains a mystery to us. At the end Jake learns the corrupted truth of America. I think that the rape represents what money can do to you and how it affects/influence others. The struggle between Noah Cross and his daughter represents the battle between power and justice. The “innocent” child is supposedly America or what has became or what will be America. Innocence never lasts long. Or maybe it can represent the new President or possibly the old president. The scenes beside the revelation scene that stood out to me were the sex scene and the car accident scene. The sex scene because to me it represented the two sides of Jake (they are both smoking). The female on the right seems to be more sophisticated and full of knowledge, the male on the left side seems to be ignorant and more laid back. Complete opposite. The car accident scene because that was the only scene where there was a car accident and because that was the only time or the first time that you feel that Jake has been cornered and has little chance of escape, but you still hold your breath and hopes he does find and escape. The scenes with the kid on the horse also stood out to me because he was the only kid in the movie and he seems to know about stuff, more than Jake. I also noticed that this movie was done in Jake perspective, everything he sees we see. This film gave me a feeling of shock and confusion. I was shocked that they killed the woman and that Noah took the younger girl. I thought that the shooters missed and that they got away. They were so close…I wonder what Noah will do to that poor girl, since he did rape his own daughter and believes that there comes a time where you can do anything. I was confused but after thinking about the film and replaying the events in my mind over and over again I think I got the basics. Noah ahs money and is in power. He controls everything even the cops. He killed his daughter’s husband, raped his daughter, got her pregnant and now has a daughter/granddaughter. He is also doing something illegal with the water. You see that America is not what it seems and underneath all that glorious American history there is deception and corruption. And that in America if you have the money, you have the power to control and “buy the future.” (Reply to this) (Thread)

Ashley Lozano (Anonymous) 2007-05-10 14:54 (link)

This movie was okay. there wasn't much action in the beginning, but then towards the end it gets inetersting. Some parts weren't needed. The beginning was really boring. I was cracking up in the scene where the lady kept saying daughter sister and Jake kept slapping her for it. That was hilarious. That's so disgusting sleeping with your father, how can someone do that. When Jake came over the first time to the the ladys house and he saw something in the water i knew it was a key part of him figuring the whole mystery out. The sex scene was funny because the guy had bigger nipples than the girl. I didn't like the end.I didn't want the lady to die. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Julie-Ann Dela Cruz (Anonymous) 2007-05-10 16:37 (link)

i dont have much to say about this film. the beginning made me sleepy it was dull & lame and i wanted to go home. as it got to the middle where the guy finds out that the women that came to him wasnt the wife the story line became more interesting. there was lots of twist to the movie like teh wife, the buying of land, & etc kind of reminds me of the movies today like the departed in how everything was involved and how they portray someone to being the bad guy but really its another guy. that was interesting. what i found funny is how the music went along with the scenes and personally i didnt think it went along with the scenes because the music would be as if something bad is about to happen but nothing did he was just walking and i thought that was weird. i dont know. its funny how fake the guy they got out of teh water looked like. the scene which shocked me the most i think it shocked teh whole class was the sister/daughter the intensity of the scene for awhile you think shes crazy but then you hear the truth your just in total disbelief. it was sad seeing her die & the daught/sister being taken in the hands of noah it just gives you this creepy feeling. its pretty interesting seeing history put into this way rather than our typical glorious heroes that they portray in our history. that in fact there was corruption and i never would have realized it because i never would have ever thought about it that people actually went so far to making there needs met and by any means. it gives you a different outlook. oh ya the slashing of the nose it really gave an effect of 'ohhhh those guys are bad' but in reality the guy just slashed his nose nowadays in movies they go so far as stabbing the person on the leg but the effect that it had back then was totally different from now. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Ivan Almario (Anonymous) 2007-05-10 21:42 (link)

very confusing movie.um.all i knew is that someone killed someone for knowin somethin about the water in LA. anyways, dont know why the movie is called chinatown because it didnt even take place in chinatown and well chinese people played little role in this movie. ok about the questions...Everyone knows that people who has money now and back then have the power. Their is no movie where a poor person or homeless controlls the cops or how people live. People who have money will always stay control of the cops or things they do what we call "bad". i didnt understand anything that Noah Cross said because for me i felt like the whole movie he was just mumbling. well i think he said the person who has money controls the future.i dont know.jus a guess. "mother/daughter" scene very ewww but funny how Gitts jus slap the S**t out of her.haha.ok wut stood out was the nose cutting.i mean that hurts. I felt like it in the end they jus wasted their time because the women died, Noah Cross gets away wit the water supply thing, and Gittes didnt really save anyone. My Opinion. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Diana Munoz (Anonymous) 2007-05-10 22:44 (link)

This movie was ok, it was a little slow at first, and I didn't really see where they were going with anything. It got clearer when they cut the nose of Jake. This is one of the sequences that really got stuck in my head, when he was almost drowned with that sudden burst of water, and then he almost got his nose cut off. At this point I was thinking of how things were so messed up, I thought that he might just get a "verbal" threat about sticking his "nose" where it doesn't belong, but no... the next thing I knew he was getting his nose cut off. It was kind of ironic; he stuck his nose where it didn't belong so he he got it cut off, its like "curiosity killed the cat", and his nose is the cat. Another sequence it the one where he is in that orchard and I think I remember he was being shot at... well anyways. I thought that it was a little too much for the people to be chasing people for just sitting there, they HAD to be doing something in order to be getting that riled up. And of course, the famous "My Sister/My Daughter" scene. At first I was like "Damn either she can't get a hint or she like being hit", after that I felt really sorry for the lady, she had gone through so much trouble, and now she even had the cops after her. It was a brain twister, it was like: "He was fighting his daughter over her daughter who was also his daughter AND granddaughter which makes their daughter his daughters sister and her own aunt?". WTH! That was crazy! And so unexpected! I like films that have unexpected things in them. In the end, I felt that this film left me with a sense of injustice, and impurity in the world. You always see these types of things on the news, well... not ALWAYS, but you get what I mean, and you always feel sorry and angry that these things can happen, but you always feel kind of secure and unconsciously say "eh, that'll never happen to me" or "that's not something I'll ever witness", and let it out of your mind, but this film left me thinking, "are we really that safe... with anyone... anywhere..." (Reply to this) (Thread)

Van Ardon (Anonymous) 2007-05-10 22:52 (link)

This movie wasn't really as provocative as the previous films we've seen, but it is a bit more violence than the others. But i guess i already know that its all about and power in this world, not just this country alone, but the entire world. It can relate to the scene of the early 70's how US became more corrupt and people were finding it out. Its the way Noah Cross was in movie but not really towards the end, he's the representation of the US government and the people was represented by JAck Nicholson, the one person that never gave up in finding the right person behind this all. Along his way he finds a lady friend that he probably liked, but he also used to get what he wanted,and at the end suffered the consequenses. Ya that scene about the "My sister!/my dtr!?" thing was pretty weird, at first you have to think about it, and then the word rape crosses ur mind about the dad and the dtr. But the one scene that can relate to the whole corruption of the government against the people was the scene at the end, when all came apart, and the girl got shot and a big scandal happened in the middle of chinatown. And what does the police say to JAck, "go home" something like that as if he didn't see anything, "forget about it, im doin you a favor" right somewhere along those lines. And that probably is a scene that best describes the situation at the time of that era. Hush and just put it under the rug, kinda thing. Like cospiracy stuff. Vietnam. So over all it was slower than the other films, but it lead to the ending of the movie where it made sense, it all came together piece by piece. ANd its all about the future, pockets of the big people, doesn't matter about the little peo[le of america, no say at all. (Reply to this) (Thread)

MoNiiKaY ZaVaLa (Anonymous) 2007-05-11 00:06 (link)

wow. the whole "my sister/my daughter" event was really sick. that is horrible how that dirty old man chose to take advantage of his teenage daughter. his sick mentality is evident when he told the detective that there was a "time and place" for everything. I thought that the movie was rather dry and boring at some parts, but the end did get rather interesting. I expected the movie to have the typical hollywood ending, where the character escapes and lives happily ever after. I loved the scene where the woman's car is driving away from the police, but after a couple of bullets are shot, the car decreases in speed, then completely stops, ending with her head on the horn. It reminded me of the scene where jake and the woman are in the car together, after he sees her daugther in the house, and she hits her head on her loud car horn on accident. So i guess that since foreshadowed her future demise. i felt rather defeated after the movie ended. she just dies, and the future of her daughter is left uncertain. im sure she's going to end up living with her "grandpa" as he referred to himself. im assuming that the cycle of sexual abuse is going to occur all over again. i heard that the director's girlfriend was murdered, so since he had a pessimisstic outlook because of it, he decided to change the ending and have the woman get killed instead of escaping from the police. I need to watch a movie with a happy ending, because all of this sadness is too much. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Patricia Silva (Anonymous) 2007-05-11 00:18 (link)

This film started of slow and although it did end up getting exciting by the middle by then I took me some time to figure out what was happening. Despite that I think that I've got a good handle on what happened throughout the whole film including the metaphor of the rape and the daughter. The innocent child probably represents America. Like the girl America was young and innocent when all of a sudden its people found out that there was corruption and lies all over the place including all the way on top with the president. The rape could probably represent the corruption and lies happening. In the film the rape also represents the power struggle that rich people like Noah Cross have for the future of America. They don't care who they step on and harm as long as they obtain the future of an America losing its innocence. One of the sequences that stood out for me the most was of course the famous scene with "My sister/my daughter". At first I thought that Evelyn was having a breakdown where she was unable to tell the truth. But then when she said that the girl was both her daughter and her sister, that was when it clicked in my mind that her father has raped her. This stood out to me the most because when I first met Noah Cross I knew there was something not right with him but his appearance and manners just made him seem like a greedy old man. However his faults turned out be much deeper then I first thought. This scene adds to the whole feeling throughout the movie that you can't trust anyone. A father is supposed to be someone that you could place all of your trust in but Noah shows us that even the most thought of trust worthy person can betray you. The other sequence that stood out for me was the final show down at the end of the film. For a second I thought that Evelyn and her daughter would be able to escape but apparently the rich and powerful always win. The part of that sequence that poped out at me the most was the one where Noah takes the girl away while she is screaming for her mom. It kind of makes me wonder if history might be repeated with his daughter/granddaughter or if he actually cares about her. The entire sequence seemed to steal the final and only innocene that was left in the film. By the end og the film I was feeling angry because the only people that could defend themselves where the ones with the money. While I was watching the girl being taken away I was imagening who if I was in her place I would have punched Noah but she of course was defenseless without Evelyn. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Robyann Jumaoas (Anonymous) 2007-05-11 00:29 (link)

This movie wasn't really great. It was kind of boring. This film, however, differs a lot from the other films we've seen. To me, this film seems more..... modern and it had a story going. When you said that this was the adult version of Roger Rabbit, I thought, okay, so someone is going to be framed and there's going to be the seductive wife; which there was. I think Roger Rabbit was a more interesting film! There were quite a few scenes in this movie that stood out for me. One scene that stood out was the scene where Jake is spying on Mr. Mulray and he's facing the ocean. Now that I think of it, I realize that that was a form of foreshadowing. It's because Mr. Mulray is facing the ocean--water, which is the resource everyone is killing for. And then ironically, Mr. Mulray dies of salt water. Another scene that stood out was when that “midget” sliced Jake’s nose for being nosey. That was clever because he punished Jake’s nose because he was nosey…. That must have hurt. Another scene that stood out was where Mrs. Mulray felt uneasy and insecure while waiting for Jake in his office. She pulls out a cigarette only for Jake to point out that she already had a cigarette going. That was funny because she tried to play off being cool but then you can sense her uneasiness and fear. And of course, the “daughter/sister” scene was, in my opinion, the highlight of the movie. After seeing Mrs. Mulray getting slapped, the movie really caught my attention. I thought that Mrs. Mulray was lying and I thought she was being stupid, but unfortunately, I was wrong. That’s so gross. Wouldn’t their child have a bigger risk of deformity because of the close relation? Well, anyways, I didn’t except something like that to be revealed in this movie. I wonder why Mr. Cross did that to his own daughter. Now I see how Mrs. Mulray’s response to Jake about how it IS possible that her father could have something to do with it and he was a dangerous man. Their situation is one of the strangest because you’re not really sure of how to directly follow the society’s norms. Do you treat her like your sister? Or do you treat her like your daughter? I think Mrs. Mulray chose to behold the mother position because in the movie, you can sense the motherly instinct of Mrs. Mulray. At the end, this film left me asking, “Why? Why did Mrs. Mulray have to die?” That was sad. I knew at the very first sound of the beep, I knew Mrs. Mulray died. That’s sad because she finally got her daughter/sister and then she was ready to live a normal, quiet life with her. But NO she had to die. Everything went downhill from there. Now I guess, the daughter/sister is left with her father/grandpa and then Mr. Cross might even do something GROSS with her and might have a grandchild/great-grandchild! Ew! (Reply to this) (Thread)

Luis Tamayo (Anonymous) 2007-05-11 00:33 (link)

This film leaves you with a dry taste in your mouth, meaning you need more of it to quench your thirst. The fact that “evil prevails” makes you even angrier and you hope it’s not over, and you as the audience want there to be more so the film can end in a “happy” way. The whole crime is not really solved until the very end of the film, but the innocent woman dies. The bad guy get’s away and probably holds his “granddaughter/daughter” captive, and it drives you crazy because it ends in that way. The sequence that stood out to me the most was the sex scene between Gitter and Evelyn Mulwray because you see it is one of the first time that, Jack gets to unwind and open himself up. The sister/daughter, scene was hilarious, but it really gave insight into what troubled Evelyn. She is forced to hit this nasty secret, and on top of that she was also being accused of her husband’s murder. Because of this, you loathe and hate Noah Cross who is a scoundrel and a liar. This is one of the films shown that is supposed to be the peephole into what is going on in society. This film is going far and saying, “America isn’t that perfect”. The Nixon scandal can totally be referenced here because of the lies and corruption in the one place that is supposed to run with justice. When our government becomes “corrupt” who can we believe? (Reply to this) (Thread)

Cristina Marquez (Anonymous) 2007-05-11 01:06 (link)

This movie creates a sense of uncertainty and disbelief. To think that the government is controlled by money makes me angry but the truth is that I doubt that life truly isn’t this way. In life it is all about who you are and who you know. This movie reminded me of the Truman Show because you get the point that you don’t even know if truth and honestly actually exist. From one lie to another we are lead in different directions no matter what way you look at it. Withholding the truth is something that not only the government does but also parents with their children. The sequence in which Mrs. Murray attempts to retain the truth from her daughter/sister proves to us that even parents are willing to not tell their children the truth to retain their innocence and attempt to not corrupt their minds. The fact is that when you a child the real world does not exist. As children we lived in a fantasy world where everything was fun and games at least that what are parents tried to make it for us. Parents want their children to live the best life they can because they know that as time goes on the dilemma of being an adult can be overwhelming. Being an adult is certainly no piece of cake and we learn that through one form or another. In the movie life is completely corrupted by money and authority. As a detective we all knew that he would have figure out what the truth is for his clients but once his work and his personal life interacted life became difficult. He was getting up close and personal with one of his clients whom he was trying to find truth for but also he ended up trying to find truth about the client herself. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Cilla!! (Anonymous) 2007-05-11 01:20 (link)

The part that caught my attention was when Jake Gittes starts slapping the hell out of the woman when she's telling him that the little girl was both her daughter and her sister. I never thought he was capable of doing that, I really felt bad for the woman because she was telling him the TRUTH. The movie depicts how money really does take complete control of everything and "buy the future" like Noah Cross said. Chinatown was very confusing and slow at times left me very puzzled in some parts like when Jake Gittes would have conversations with the other people that were also working on the case. The ending of the movie was very sad, I didn't expect the woman to die at all. I thought Jake Gittes was going to sacrifice his life for the woman and the daughter for some reason... I think Noah Cross was the main character in the movie because he represented all evil in America. Not only does he control everything including the police, he even raped his own daughter and then after wants to take his granddaughter/ daughter away? He is really one disturbing/insane character the more you think about it. I really feel bad for the little girl, like MoniKAY said, i also think that the whole rape/abuse cycle is going to happen over and over again until someone stops it. Noah Cross still gets away with everything in the end and Jake Gittes is just there left unhappy. The movie overall was just very sad and disappointing. It would have been nice if Jake Gittes and Evelyn left to Mexico together and start a new life. The old rich possessive Noah Cross just had to get his way and this shows us the viewer that money and evil take over in the end still. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Lily I. (Anonymous) 2007-05-11 01:22 (link)

This film was very interesting and it shows many things about America and our culture. I didn't agree with some things that happened, but overall it was a good film. It kind of gave me the chills to see how the government works and how people with money can get away with anything. I already knew that they could, but I didn't imagine that something so great for the economy and its population was being kept from them. It makes me think about the question "Are we really safe?" Another sequence that stood out to me was when the woman went to a house in responce to a phone call. What made it wierd was when she was giving a girl pills and water. I didn't know what was going on at this point. The first thing that came to mind was that the woman was crazy and was holding the girl hostage. When she told Gittes that the girl was her sister, I didn't believe her. It seemed as though she was lying, or at least like she was leaving something out of the things she was saying. The Sister/Daughter sequence was extremely intense. When she first said "She's my sister...my daughter", I thought that the lady was dumb for not being able to come up with better lies; lies that could actually be real. But when she kept on going back and forth, "sister...daughter...sister...", I finally comprehended what she meant and I felt sorry for her. What dissapointed me was the ending of the film. The woman died, and the man, Cross, was left free, with the girl. He wasn't arrested or anything. That wasn't fair. This shows that the America revolves around money. Money=Power=Corruption. With money, anyone could get away with anything. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Katherine Atehortua (Anonymous) 2007-05-11 01:44 (link)

i was confused during this movie.What i really like about this movie was how everytime Jake found onething out BAM! it would lead up to something else. When jake was investigating the murder, that lead up to him finding thousands of gallons of water being wasted during a drought and the mysterious presence of Mrs Mulwray's father, Noah Cross.I wasnt really good at putting all the pieces together. When jake started putting the pieces together i knew something was going to happen to him.When the guy told jake he was being nosey i didnt think the dude was going to cut his nose. i thought a few punches would have gotten the message across but they wanted jake to really get the point. But since jake is the private eye i knew he wasnt going to stop there. He was going to get to the bottom of everything. PLus he was gettting paid lots of money. Jake had a tough and upright personilty. The scene that i really like was when Jake and Evelyn went to check out the nursing home, he talked his way in and talked to the old lady and got some information out of her. It was pretty smooth and evelyn just went along with it Another scene i liked was when jake was sitting in Evelyns car, after he had followed her to her sister/daughters home.When Evelyn just leans in and her forehead touches the horn and the car beeps. It was a funny. Towards the end i knew what was going on and i didnt like it one bit. How can somebody dosomething like that. (Reply to this) (Thread)

richard rodriguez (Anonymous) 2007-05-11 02:18 (link)

well lets see i thought the movie's story line was good but the movie itself was very weak. I like the whole detective trying to figure out the hidden mystery thing and the few moments of adrenaline action it had. The movie i guess needed more twists and turns. I was shocked when the whole sister/daughter scene occured. At first i thought that the girl was crazy and she didnt know what she was talking about, but when she revealed her dark secret I was like.....shocked. Ive never seen a jack nicholson movie like this, and i was intresting to see it. The movie itself i think needed more action based scenes and less scenes were lots of talking was involved because i was starting to get confused. Compared to movies of today like 007 or The Good Sheppard, Chinatown was to me more like a dry movie that had the pontetial to do way better. Seen it from the point of view from someone in the time period it came out i guess i can see why people would like this film. Back in that time when the truth was emerging and the fake people appeared i believe it motivated people when they watched this film. It probably gave its viewers the idea that not every politician, company elite, and city officials were telling the truth and bno one really knew what was going on. At the end of the movie i was surprised the girl was shoot to death even when she was at a far distance the guy had a very good aim to hit her head. I was also left in curiosity to what was Gittes future and the girl that was reunited with her grandfather/father. The bigger story is what would happened to the city of Los Angeles and did the old man succeed in his diabolical plan?. Thats why i thought in the end when the film was finished.The director left me in a state of curiosity because there were stuff still unresolved. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Davis Tran (Anonymous) 2007-05-11 02:31 (link)

Overall I thought that the movie Chinatown was not a good movie at all. I expected more from the title “Chinatown.” I actually thought that the movie will have a lot of actions, consists of Asian people, but it didn’t. In my opinion I thought the movie was boring and weird. The reason why I thought the movie was boring is because I didn’t understand the movie and what the characters were talking about. The movie got so confusing for me that I was completely lost in the middle of the movie. I didn’t know what was actually going on. One scene that stood out to me is the part when the dead guy was discovered. His whole body was shift, frozen, and I think his eyes were open. His body was all blue and the body looks like it had been in the ocean for more than a day. While the cops were dragging the dead guy body out of the ocean, I could imagine his body making a rough sound since the dead guy body was all shift and harden. Another scene that stood out to me is when the rich women with the daughter and sister got killed in the car. She got shot in the head by that one cop that hand-cuffed the detective. I thought the cop position of shooting the women was pretty funny. The cop acted like a cowboy that’s just playing around, shooting bear cans and bottles for the heck of it. Anyway, the women head was pop open and her guts and blood was all over the car. This scene stood out to me because the women daughter and sister screamed loud, squeaky, funny, for a long period of time and at the same time annoying. After knowing that Noah Cross rape his daughter to get a grand daughter and at the same time a child the whole movie plummet, even though I didn’t understand the whole movie. It is discussing and gross. At the end of the film I had a “yes” and an “ewww” feeling. Yes because the movie finally ended and the ewww feeling was about the raping part. (Reply to this) (Thread)

angie gonzlez (Anonymous) 2007-05-11 02:42 (link)

i don't really have much to say about this film. not very interesting. didn't really catch my eye... the scene that stuck out to me the most was when that jake guy was continuously slapping the girl when she said, "my sister! my mother! my sister!" & she'd would go on back and forth back and forth, and then the viewer realizes that it really is both her sister and her mother. i thought that was just disgusting... anywho.. this film didnt leave me much of a feeling. except that one of the guys has really good aim to shoot the girl right in the head from far away. other than that, i found the film rather boring because im not the "detective" type of movie person. ehh. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Shivani Narayan (Anonymous) 2007-05-11 02:47 (link)

This movie was an okay movie; in the beginning of the movie it seemed a bit boring. Then I realized this movie has so many mysteries and then towards the end when we found out that the lady and her father has a kid made it interesting. At some point I was very confused because I couldn’t really understand what they were really talking about. Well I thought that the way the girl was screaming when her mother died was kind of funny. The scene that I really didn’t like was when one of the guys had held the detective and the other guy took out his knife and cut his nose. That was so sick, that must really hurt in real life. Also at the end of the movie I didn’t expect that cop to shoot the lady. Once I heard the horn I knew that she died, I didn’t want her to die. That was too much of a blood scene. I felt sad at the end of this movie because the lady wanted to help her daughter/ sister that’s why they were leaving Chinatown. She didn’t want her fathers shadow to fall upon the sister/daughter. I also felt sad because I wanted her and the detective to be with each other. The detective liked her that’s why he let her off the hook and helped her run away. Any daughter would try to run away from their father because of what he had done to her. I didn’t want the sister/daughter to go with her father because he wasn’t a good father to the first daughter so you can’t expect him to be good to his second daughter. I wanted the father to die, his daughter should have shot him more than once. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Marthina Cinco (Anonymous) 2007-05-11 15:33 (link)

The scene that impacted me the most was when noah cross took his daughter/granddaughter after her mother was shot as they tried to escape. this showed that in the end noah won and he would do whatever he had and wanted to do with catherine. this whole sequence proves that power is everything and whoever has it is able to abuse it. as his daughter said, noah cross owned the police and he could be the one behind everything because he was capable of many things. power never restricts anyone and I think this corruption shook the american public making them realize the what even one man can do whether it be noah cross or richard nixon. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Borath Long (Anonymous) 2007-05-11 17:54 (link)

The movie was very slow from beginning until the last moment I saw the movie. I didn’t get to see the ending because I had to go to another class. The scenes that stood out to me was when Jake almost got his nose cut off by those guys. I could actually felt the pain when that happen. The tone of the movie was slow too. For instance the way most of the characters spoke was very calm and not that emotional. Another scene that stood out was the sound of the gunshots every time the water was rushing through. That always caught my attention. I was not sure what those gunshots meant, I thought each time someone was being killed and thrown into the water. I did not get what was happening to the girl in the scene where the lady was giving her medicine. She seemed like she was forcing her to take it and holding her against her will. I missed the ending so I don’t know who that girl really was. Since I missed the last part, I am still confused about what had happened and what the main point of the movie was. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Shannon "BB" Page (Anonymous) 2007-05-14 01:22 (link)

This was an aberrant movie altogether because it was understandible throughout the entire film but I wasn't able to recieve any tangible understanding of the ending. I thought that it was a smart movie nonetheless because of the entire plot and evidence, like goose chases to find out who did what. There was a large amount of corruption though because I thought that the suspect was this person, then it wasn't and it was another, this and that, that and this. Smart. I talked to my grandfather about this movie, and he and I both thought that the scene when he gets his nose cut was gross. The sequences that stood out the most were when he beat up the men that cut his nose and when the women, forgot her name already, revealed that the girl was her sister and her daughter... The ending like I said left me with an emptyness because it ended leaving me to only assume what was going to happen. The mother died and the girl was left to go with her dad/grandfather, and Gittes was left to what? (Reply to this) (Thread)

Rainelee Bernardino (Anonymous) 2007-05-15 15:17 (link)

I thought this film was a bit boring. However there were a few scenes that were suspenseful and thrilling. The part in the film when Jack Nicholson was cut in his nose was pretty unexpected. I thought the two men were just trying to rough him up a bit and scare him. Next thing I know, there's blood. I really didn't like the whole "My sister!/my daughter!" sequence. I find incest and rape very disturbing. Both rape and incest in one I find extremely grotesque. I really dislike the ending how Noah Cross wins the war with his daughter and as his prize he gets his daughter/granddaughter. It gave such an awful feeling because it's just wrong. That shouldn't be how it ends. I fear for the innocent child. LEIBNER!! Why would you show us this film?! OOhh.. I see. I get it. Not everything turns out good in the end. Sometimes evil reigns over good in some cases. The things that you may trust, respect, and honor the most can even deceive and hurt you the most. A "father"- Noah Cross seems to represent the dishonorable and deceitful U.S president and military of 1974. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Chinatown (Anonymous) 2007-05-15 15:29 (link)

The sequence that stood out to me the most was towards the end. It was when The Mother/Sister was driving away with her daughter in the car. I thought it was too exaggerated. The fact that the Mom was shot and the Sister/Daughter wasn't. I kept getting that feeling throught the whole film. Especially when The Mother/Sister had sex with Jack Nicolsen. What did that have to do with the story? I felt like it wasn't necessary. Like it was just a better attempt to keep people interested in the film. Or such as the constant mystery music being played. Yea, it added an extra layer to the film but it seemed cheesy to me. They might as well have made it in black in white. I just think the reason why I got a strange feeling about this film was because I'm used to seeing Jack Nicolsen play different characters that all have to do with mental disorders. And with his role in this film it just didn't catch my interest. ricardo pulido (Reply to this) (Thread)

Joel Pollack (Anonymous) 2007-05-15 15:38 (link)

First off I thought this movie was one of the better ones I have seen in this class. I enjoyed the suspense, the scary music, the plot, the acting, and the action throughout. For me it got kind of slow at times but it was fun to see events unfold as things are gradually put together by the detective. Jake Gittes was superb in sucking the audience into the plot. Through the first half of the movie one is left with the question what is going on? What is happening? This adds to the movie’s worth in that it gets the audience involved, it makes us think a little. A scene that stuck out to me was the part when two henchmen sliced open Gittes nose when he was snooping around at the reservoir. Makes one ask the question, what happens to nosey people? Being threatened, beaten, injured, or worse. This is probably why most crimes are not solved, because people are too afraid to turn the culprit in. The most memorable scene in this film though is when Gittes is slapping the girl silly and with her famous lines (“My Sister, My Daughter!!”) everyone realizes who what where how is everything going on. The Ending scene was sad, horrible, and yet realistic. Evil wins!! The film ends with the feeling of so much suspicion. Making on think that if there are things like that happening in our world today. Money equals power and influence, the more you have the more you can get away with. It does seem that they are above the laws in our socity. Rarely do films nowadays end with the bad guy in winning, but I believe things like this happen quiet often and the only reason why we don’t heat to much about it is that the rich can cover it up well. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Bianca Guzman <3 (Anonymous) 2007-05-15 20:16 (link)

I`m gonna have to agree with everyone else on this one Leibdawg, the movie was pretty dull. I found myself dozing off a bit in the beginning even though I didn`t want to. I knew there was a reason for you showing us this film and I tried to grasp it without missing it by knocking out. I think the point of the movie was that in society, money and power really do prevail, no matter what anyone says contrary to that. In the film, Noah Cross pretty much ended winning. He got the child/granddaughter, his daughter was killed leaving him with no one to deal with in the case of custody over their incestral child. The sequence that stood out to me besides the "Daughter! Sister!" scene was in the end, before the car takes off when Noah Cross is trying to talk to the daughter sayign that he`s her grandfather. He made me angry, what a creep. At the time, I was rooting for them to get away and when all you heard was the horn, i was devastated. He was going to get her afterall. It was sad. This film left me feeling beaten down. Mostly because of how it ended; in death and with the "bad" guy winning. (Reply to this) (Thread)

monica brooke (Anonymous) 2007-05-23 16:53 (link)

This movie was kinda boring. It was kinda gross about noah and his daughter,though.how can you sleep with your daughter? thats just sick.the beginning was really slow and uneventful. the second half gets interesting. I didnt want the daughter to die,but imglad he got his kid/grandkid in the end. there wasnt as much action as i would have liked. overall this movie was ok,but not as good as the others (Reply to this) (Thread)

lizzay casillas (Anonymous) 2007-05-25 01:44 (link)

American society has revolved around money from the dawn of time. I cant think of a more perfect time for this film to have been made than during the 1970s. as prior stated the Vietnam was still going on as this movie came out, because of that I bet tons of people were able to relate to the characters in the film. the American public was left as jake was in the beginning of the movie without answers. No wonder so many people protested against the war by the early 1970, Americans questioned were all this power to go to war come from since everyone including politicians were against it. This scenario is symbolic to what was going on in the film. jake questioned how money was able give power. The scene which stood out the most was the scene in which jake put the puzzle together and comes to his conclusion as he is face to face with noah cross. Jake cant believe how much he had been lied to and deliberately lead into believing those lies. Just as the American public must have felt when it they had discovered tons of the government lies behind the Vietnam war. In a sense the end is relevant to todays society. Just as before, the world still revolves around money…as they say “Money Talks” (Reply to this) (Thread)

Michelle Jara (Anonymous) 2007-05-25 12:13 (link)

The sequences that stood out to me we're many. One that stood out to me the most was at the end of the scene of the movie was when the girl's father gets what he wants at the end. Which is to claim his daughter created from rape. Which leads the audience to wonder that the story might repeat itself again. It stood out to me because the moral of the film was showing it's purpose to the audience explaining. That During that era money and power use to come first before justice and equality. Another scene that stood out to me was the famous scene about my daugther/sister for the fact that it created a whole turning point of the story. It led the light to the truth and to the actions of this woman to be happy. This film left me at the end with a feeling of dissapointment for the fact that there was no happy ending. And that noah..the cops work was useless.All he had done had not helped at all. An that no justice was served but evil had won once again!! (Reply to this) (Thread)

matthew spears (Anonymous) 2007-06-01 02:02 (link)

This detective movie wasn't that great. I usually like movies that have mysteries that need to be solved. I am a fan of where on earth is carmen san diego. But this movie wasn't that great. A scene that stuck out is when the dude was hitting that girl because I just don't like seeing that. I know stuff like that happens in real life but I strongly disapprove of girls getting hit by guys it just isn't cool. As far as a feeling is concerned, i was left with a feeling of sleepiness as the movie ended. So all it did for me was make me mad and sleepy. And I couldn't really go to sleep because I was too angry. So yeah, I'm not a fan of this movie. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Cerda, Erika (Anonymous) 2007-06-01 15:00 (link)

This was a very good film from the get go. It was like a mystery that Jake had to solve a the pieces of the puzzles. this movie didn't give me a chance to get bored because in every scene of the film there was the next piece to the puzzle. At some point I did think that the wife was the one who killed her husband because she seem so suspicious. the one scene that could my eye was when she to Jake that her daughter was her sister that scene was so funny but shocking to know that her own father had rape her and now wanted his daughter's daughter or his second daughter how ever he wants to call her to maybe do the same with her. The sequence that stood out to me was at the very end when she drive of with her daughter and all of a sudden all you her is the horn of the car then her daughter screams. At that point you know or she got shot or she's dead. (Reply to this) (Thread)

evette gonzalez (Anonymous) 2007-06-01 16:13 (link)

this film was very confusing. At first i actually thought the lady's husband was in charge for the water release. Well, this film was interesting but confusing. i think this in an inslt to americans and how we live. They are saying that we are a capitalist country. The people with money can buy everything, which is true and they can control everything becase they have money which i think is unfair. It is true that we are capitalists but still Noah cross put land to the names of old people who dont even know anything about owning land. This was made a long time ago yet it is still true today. People who have the money take over and buy and sellland to make more money. These people are the few that own the country. I also think it is unfair to make a movie about a lday who has a daughter who is also her sister. If this depicts American society and how we live our lives then this shows that americans rape their daughters which is true but still i think it is mean because it is like speaking cruely about Americans. the sequence that stood out to me was the part when Jake pretends to be leadng the polece men to Noah cross's daughter but actually gets the mans car and drives away to save her and her daughter. I found that very brave of Jake to risk his life for them. Overall i really enjoyed this film but i didnt like the fact that she dies in the end because of her father owning the police. It is unfair. She should have been able to leave with her daughter/sister. (Reply to this) (Thread)

crystal yescas (Anonymous) 2007-06-05 07:23 (link)

i liked this movie. though it was really long and a little dry, the corruption and the mystery had interested me. the ending is what significantly sticks out to me. the fact that the bad guy with all the money wins because he has all the money is such a downer, but as a metaphor of the time, it explains the uneasyness that Americans felt about their country. The rape of the country's trust was depicted in the incest between his daughter Catherine and him. the fact Noah wins is such a downer because Catherine wanted to get her away from him so that she too wouldn't have a sister/daughter, but the victory of noah is a metaphor of those who are in power and wealthy, pretty much always get away with screwing over the little guy. (Reply to this) (Thread)