Genre Grandeur September Finale – Chinatown (1974) – The Girl That Loved to Review

For this month’s final review for Genre Grandeur – Movies of the 70’s, here’s a review of Chinatown (1974) by Sherise of The Girl That Loved to Review.

Thanks again to Sherise of The Girl That Loved to Review. for choosing this month’s genre.

If you missed any of them, here’s a recap:

This month we had 9 reviews for GG:

Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory (1971) – Tom
A Clockwork Orange (1971) – Reut
Fiddler on the Roof (1971) – MovieRob
Taking of Pelham One Two Three, The (1974) – MovieRob
Evil Roy Slade (1972) – SG
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) – Kim
Star Wars (1977) – MovieRob
Grey Gardens (1975) – Anna
Chinatown (1974)- Sherise

Thanks to everyone who participated this month!

In addition, I watched and reviewed 4 additional movies from this genre for my Genre Guesstimation series. 1 of them will be now included in my own favorites of the genre.

Nashville (1975)
Great Santini, The (1979)
Alien (1979) *
Taxi Driver (1976)

Next month’s Genre has been chosen by me. In honor of the month when Marty McFly came to visit us here in 2015, I have decided that we will be reviewing our favorite movies featuring time travel.

Please get me your submissions by the 25th of October by sending them to timetravel@movierob.net Try to think out of the box!

Let’s see what Sherise thought of this movie:

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Chinatown (1974)

To me this is not only the best film of the 70’s, but it’s also rare in that it is a perfect film. There is not a single thing I would change about it. Everyone involved in the film was at the height of their creative power and they all combine to make a truly amazing work of cinema that endures to this day. Obviously this is my favorite film. Well one of them (there are so many). To me the only other film that comes so close to perfection is David Fincher’s Seven. But even it upon multiple viewings can drag in some parts. But Chinatown is always riveting in both its darkness and its humor. It has a prefect, haunting score. The cinematography is amazing; the way shots are framed and how the camera moves, the lighting. And the acting is superb from the playboy of the 70s, Jack Nicholson, to the mesmerizing femme fatale, Faye Dunaway, and an amazing cameo from the great John Huston.

I’m not going to get into specifics about the film as I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who hasn’t seen it (although that’s difficult with the way it has pervaded pop culture). Chinatown was made in the 70’s, but it’s plot is set in the 1930s. The movie perfectly blends together the classic 1940s film noir elements with the gritty, rebellious nature of 1970s films.

Chinatown is a very affecting film. It’s story of corruption, both moral and political, is shockingly dark. The struggles of its characters leaves an impression on the audience long after the film is over. But there are also brief moments of levity (this for instance). The film’s end, while it is the most contested part, is also the strongest aspect of the film. My boyfriend hates the ending, and I’m sure he’s not alone. But to me, and to the director, Roman Polanski, it is the only way that the film could end. With a dark, realistic twist that emphasizes the cruelties of life. This is one film in which the ending is something that could happen in the real world instead of a Hollywood fairytale ending. This dark reality is why Chinatown endures.