WTF Happened to Chinatown?
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- Roman Polanski’s Chinatown is considered by many to be one of the greatest detective stories of all time. It’s widely viewed as one of the greatest films of the seventies, with it sporting one of star Jack Nicholson’s most iconic performances, with him playing hard-boiled private eye Jake Gittes. The film was nominated for eleven Oscars, and while it only won one for Robert Towne’s screenplay, its legend looms large. In fact, just recently, a book called The Big Goodbye by Sam Wasson was written about it and is considered a modern classic as far as books about Hollywood go. While director Roman Polanski is a controversial figure - to put it mildly - no one can deny the film’s power.
In this episode of WTF Happened to this Movie, we look into the making of this neo-noir classic. The making of the film was fraught with drama, including a leading lady (Faye Dunaway) who often hated her director (for legitimate reasons) and an early, disastrous screening that led to a complete overhaul of the movie’s soundtrack at the 11th hour. We also dig into how it was planned as the first in a Jake Gittes trilogy, but only one more film, The Two Jakes (which Nicholson directed himself), would be made, and it would turn out to be a bit of a disaster.
This episode is written by Eric Walkuski, edited by Ric Solomon and narrated by Mathew Plale. Do you think Chinatown is as good as its reputation suggests? Let us know in the comments!
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#Chinatown #JackNicholson #wtfhappenedtothismovie
This is one of my all-time favorite movies. Polanski, Nicholson, Dunaway, Towne, all at their best. Of a time when movies were actually good...
Don’t forget John Houston, as well.
Thanks for the Spoiler Alert. I'll be back later.
It's kind of darkly hilarious that Jack Nicholson's life mirrored the famous twist. His "sister" was really his mother, and his "parents" were actually his grandparents.
Very bizarre.
Wow
Sounds like another famous guy from the West Coast in this time; Ted Bundy.
Sounds like my father. Born little over a decade later than Nicholson.
Kinda awkward for Nicholson to play a character like that.
Not only Nicholson but also Polanski. He raped an underage and got away with it .
going to have to finally watch these movies, i'm a fan of "LA CONFIDENTIAL".
"Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown", and "She's my sister AND my daughter!" are two of the most iconic lines. Even if you've never seen the film, you'll instantly know them.
Definitely
I actually think this ending is sooo stupid. Like after everything that happened - forget it - it's Chinatown :D Really? Overall the movie was good, but the ending blows
@Arūnas This was 1974. America was reeling from Watergate, The Vietnam War, and there was a general feeling of distrust and powerlessness against government and other forces that had already pre-planned our destiny. No matter how hard we try to help and do the right thing, at the end of the day, we have done nothing except hurt the person we were trying to help. Sound familiar? It's better to do nothing because at least you won't make it worse. An exercise in nihilism. Yes, it blows. So...forget it, it's Chinatown.
@@43nostromo that's an excellent explanation, but it doesn't fix the ending. It's like what if in shining instead of freezing jack kills himself? It doesn't work. Just like in Chinatown. They goofed it. This ending isn't sad, or helpless - it's dumb. It's out of character. I'd say it's on the level with "it was all dream" endings where they have no idea how to finish it.
True, because I recognized the reference on Inside Out.
Best detective film ever.
Best Noir ever. Even if it was in warm colors.
This is probably my favourite Polanski film & I've found it gets better on subsequent viewings.
It's funny that years later you see Chinatown basically "Who Framed Rodger Rabbit?" without the toons.
In fact - they wanted Nicholson!
They even homage Chinatown where Rodger flicks through pictures of his wife playing pat-a-cake.
LOL....IF ONLY Robert Towne had thought up Noah buying up TOON Town!!😂😂
Actually, the script of Who Framed Rodger Rabbit is the script the planned third sequel to Chinatown. The third Chinatown movie was supposed to be about the freeway system in LA and the death of public transit.
But since the second Chinatown sequel, The Two Jakes, bombed so badly the third one was never made. It would have been interesting to see how the third movie would have turned out if the second had done better
Although "The Two Jakes" certainly wasn't anywhere near as good as "China Town", it wasn't actually that bad either. I remember Jack Nicholson complaining that the film wasn't promoted as it should have been, at the time.
All I know is don't hang out with Polanski at Jacks house if you are a 13 yo girl.
Even though it’s nowhere near as good as the original, I actually love The Two Jakes. I’m sure it would make a fine WTF Happened To video as well. Hint hint.
One of my favorite movies of all time! It came out the year I was born.
Interestingly, I didn’t like the movie when I first saw it, but liked many parts of it. I rewatched it years later and enjoyed it completely. I guess rewatches sometimes help form opinions better than just seeing something once
A movie that plays better as you get older I think.
truly a “ masterpiece “ Robert towne a genius to write such a brilliant screen play. A masterpiece of a movie , the cast brilliant , Nicholson , Dunaway -match made in heaven.
It was crafted so well that it rewards you as you get older and hopefully wiser.
I might need a rewatch. Think the hype ruined it for me and I enjoyed L.A. Confidential better. Will give Chinatown a rewatch
Oscar-Winning composer Jerry Goldsmith created a brilliant and iconic score in only two weeks after the score by Philip Lombardo was rejected at the 11th hour. As usual, Goldsmith elevates mediocre movies to good. And great movies to classics.
No mention of John Huston? 🤔
I was surprised by that too, maybe it's because nothing complicated went on. He just turned up, did his scenes and went home home without any drama.
I had seen Chinatown growing up, but I never really watched it until the first weekend I spent away from home, my freshman year in college. It was 1993 on a bitterly cold Sunday afternoon in the great city of Pittsburgh. The wind whipped off the Monongahela River, across the Blvd of the Allies, right into my dorm room window. I was both hung over and coming down with the flu. I had a little 13'inch color tv with a broken antenna. Chinatown never looked so good. Polanski's direction. Robert Towne's script. Nicholson's acting. It was like a vintage car firing on all cylinders. The labyrinthine plot that had at one time confused me, suddenly made complete sense. It was a thrilling ride that made me totally forget how bad I was feeling and how homesick I was. A great movie could do that to you. I have seen Chinatown many times after that, but it never was as wonderful as it was on that day over thirty years ago.
Oh shut up
Save it for your novel...
When I first saw 'The Two Jakes' I became confused trying to follow the plot. About ten years later, (As in the movies, the pages of the calendar tore off and flew by), an older and more mature me, rewatched the film and discovered just how great 'The Two Jakes' really is. Thank you Jaaack for going back and making the film. AND...go Lakers!!!!
What the hell r u talking about
The only major change was the ending, as Roman Polanski came up with it, since the original ending was happier with John Huston’s death and rain coming after a drought. I like the movie as it is, but wish to see how that original ending would turned out with the rest of the film intact
I would have preferred that over the ridiculous one we got in the final film.
@@jothishprabu8how was it ridiculous
@@ryantarbadildo8765maybe you must be blind to find that ending ridiculous
a la *Get Out* alternate endings? It would be interesting to have a second ending to see on a bluray, but that was outside the Overton window of the time. I'm very glad for the more real ending that we got.
Please do WTF happened to Kathryn Bigelow? Please.
Honestly, it's a movie that is so memorable that a parody of it using cartoons and humans coexisting became the second highest grossing movie of 1988. And it's in spite of its director.
The most FRESH review on this old CLASSIC I've ever witnessed! You folks do great work, please keep it up!
I'd love one of these on "The Kid Stays In The Picture" 70's to 80's producer legend Robert Evans.
Insane life
Faye Dunaway was super hot, looks that is. She was still 3 years away from Network. Two pictures of Sharon Tate show she was a beauty.
Yep. Faye was incredible
Two years after Chinatown, Polanski directed and starred in a movie called The Tenant.
That was weird.
such a great film and even better script. watching this vid, makes me want to dig my copy of the script out and watch the film. thanks, joblo, for a welcomed trip, down memory lane.
Chinatown arguably the best detective movie
I love it when I learn something new and exciting in a UA-cam vid. I know a lot (I'm a distant fanboy, not a pro) about the making of Chinatown, but this vid gives me new material. Bravo, JoBlo!!
In my top 10 of all time. Incredible film.
The film also sports one of Faye Dunaway’s most iconic performances.
She's incredible in this
Interestingly, Faye Dunaway starred with Robert Redford in "3 Days of the Condor" which came out the following year: another story of a lone man trying to fight the Deep State, the Powers That Be, call it what you will. Both films reflected their (post Watergate) era, and are relevant to today.
God ! 👁 love Chinatown.
The trumpet from the soundtrack breaks my heart.
Perfect movie 💔
Who Framed Roger Rabbit was one of my very favorite movies as a kid, so when I finally saw Chinatown years later it was basically an extended game of "OHHHH, SHIT, *THIS* IS WHERE THAT'S FROM!"
Bad for glass..:)
Your dialogue is unbearable, literally sounds like a detuned radio 👎🤦♀️x
au contraire, it's fantastic and retro
The 70s will go down as the greatest decade of cinema history, bar none. This and the Godfather Part II, then a year later we get my favorite film of all time, Taxi Driver? Oh, I can't not mention the film that robbed Scorcese's masterpiece of the Oscars biggest award, Rocky.
😊o on
I was with you until Rocky.
Funny how Dunaway is in one of the best & one of the worst movies ever made. NOW- I LOVE ‘MOMMY DEAREST’ but I recently learned it was highly criticized & mocked for being terrible🤷♀️
I watched this film last night and I loved it. It’s a fucking phenomenal screenplay and film! Oh my goodness, do I love this one! Jack Nicholson, John Houston, and Faye Dunaway act their asses off and Polanski directed the shit out of this movie! Truly one of the best films ever made!
So hard to watch this thing; painful in places. Especially the ending. It's such a statement of helplessness and despair; especially painful considering what had happened to Polanski not long before. Makes his scene in the film even more jarring.
Bruh….don’t drink and narrate!
Movie Rango Major tortoise who controls water controls population. California water wars - glaciers disappearing it can be worst. This winter was wet around the world thanks God.
Wikipedia
Your voice sounds like Kermit The Frog 😂😂😂. But don't worry my voice ain't any better 😅😅😅
I find it awfully bizarre that Polanski is the director of this film and decided that he would be in the movie, specifically as a hood welding a knife and cutting Nicholson's characters face. It's just rather weird and a tad bit messed up if you think about it. He was grieving the death of his pregnant with who had been stabbed multiple times, killing her and the baby. Then again Polanski is a very fucking bizarre man. #RIPPER 😅😅
The times have changed. Considering how bad the old times were, I'm saddened, angry, and confused that the new times aren't better. "What has changed? The means of destruction only."
Idea: turn the original script into a series, and get the director of Yellowstone to make it.
Superior review. Perhaps copyright issues kept the haunting Chinatown soundtrack out of this excellent discussion (?).
That frenetic, coke-head style of narration was out of style 5 years ago.
I wasn't happy about the ending, but I guess it was its purpose all along.
This has my favourite Film line of all time "Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough".
That ending broke my heart. A very well made film!
First
Good movie....the ending was such a disappointment
That Polanski fella sounds like a very rude boy
He bad
Well, he's a saint compared to Hanoi Jane, who helped kill American soldiers in Vietnam.
@@filmbuff2777 Delete your comment quick, before people see you suggested Roman Polanski for sainthood
His nose injury keeps switching sides. You'd think they could keep track of that.
Did it really??? I never noticed
@@JoBloOriginals Just watch the video again, it keeps switching back and forth. Wonder if it was to tease the audience.
@@JoBloOriginals That's because it doesn't switch sides. I've seen the movie between 5 -10 times. The motif of a damaged left side is used throughout the film.
The joke he tells before he meets faye Dunaway 😊
The title of this video is counter productive
best movie ever
Hard to tell?.. Is it all about the money, or all about the girl?.. Or a bit of both?..
I’m betting on a bit of both..
Noah Cross wants both. He defines evil the instant the viewer meets him and will commit whatever evil is necessary to get....BOTH. The movie teaches us to recognize the Noah Crosses we'll all meet.
Leading man plays half the film with his nose wrapped in gauze. Gorgeous fame fatal gets smacked silly and the bad buy gets the (very young ) girl . A noir filmed in full color snd a mint '34 Ford coverable gets wrecked. A classic, I tell ya, a classic
Donald Trump's role model is Noah Cross. Donald loved the ending and wants to pardon Roman Polanski for that witch-hunt of a scandal.
They made a sequel, it is AWFUL.
as mentioned in this review, The Two Jakes sucked onkey ongs.
There's a fan theory that since the third movie was basically shelved forever, the script eventually got repurposed into Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which yeah I can kinda see.
Forget it Jake, Joblo's gonna tell us WTF happened to Chinatown.
A script that delivers more depth with every viewing. This script is often used to teach screenwriting. 👍💖
fantastic review. loved it. You gotta do the Two Jakes. I watched Chinatown because of the Two Jakes. thank you
Both Faye Dunaway and Roman Polanski have denied the urine story
I'll just stick with "Spenser for Hire."
And, it's one helluva great film.
Out of the black question but what is the general public consensus on Roman Polanski??? From what I've seen, he did something pretty despicable, but has gone on continuing to make critically acclaimed movies.
Out of the green answer: he's complicated. Disgusting human, amazing artiste.
How about WTF Happened to Buried (2010)?
I agree The 70s will go down as the greatest decade of cinema but I recently watch this movie and I didn't enjoy the second half at all.
It’s pretty grim
What didn't you like about it? I thought it was perfect from front to back
Loved the Flick! 🎉
No te entiendo, separa los dientes al hablar.
It may be the greatest screenplay of all time, but the ending left me cold. I have no interest in seeing it again.
HEAVY ending - one of the grimmest of all time.
@@JoBloOriginals and that's one reason why a lot of us enjoyed it
we need a 3de movie
Why did he ask the resting home director if they accept Jews?
He wanted to get a look at the list of residents.
1. Detract attention away from his true reason for being there, and act as if he wanted to see the roster for simply bigoted preferential reasons.
I honestly think this movie is very overrated. Just my opinion.
Well if you don't even *begin* to explain, then it's...just like your opinion, man.
I just watched this movie and I hated it. I love Roman Polanski's movies such as Repulsion, The Fearless Vampire Killers, the Ninth Gate and Rosemary's Baby. However, Chinatown is a heavily toolled, overly laboured and an unsubtle movie. I love the noire setting and the 1930's fashion but the screenplay is garbage, goes nowhere and has a bad ending. There are no moments of wonder, the plot is very vague, the conclusion seedy and horrible. It's one of the most horrible and overrated films I have ever seen.