Chinatown

Darren Milliron 11/29/11

Movie- "Chinatown" -1974

Language- English

Director- Roman Polanski

Runtime- 130 minutes

Awards-

Academy Awards- Best writing, original screenplay

BAFTA Awards- Best Director / Best Actor / & Best Screenplay

Bodil Awards- Best Non-European Film

Edgar Allen Poe Awards- Best Motion Picture

Fotogrammas de Plata- Best foreign movie performer

Golden Globes- Best Director / Best Motion Picture / Best Actor / & Best Screenplay

And many many more...

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Chinatown was definitely an interesting film and a genre I would put it in would be like a modern day Noir film. The film was shot in color which is not the norm for a Noir but it still had all the other characteristics. Also typical of Noir films is low lighting which the movie was full of, except during the day I guess. The crime, curious detective, suspense, and of course the girl where all present in Chinatown except the ending was not one to be expected. Most movies the good guy wins, but in this film that was not so. But hey, it's Chinatown.

An article we are going to look at is from the Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert. In this article he talks about the genre a little bit and he said, "later actors were able to slip into the role of noir detective like pulling on a comfortable sweater. But great actors don't follow rules, they illustrate them." Jack Nicholson did an exceptionable job in Chinatown and it shows in the amount of awards the film won. Another thing Roger Ebert mentioned in the article was ""Chinatown" was seen as a neo-noir when it was released -- an update on an old genre. Now years have passed and film history blurs a little, and it seems to settle easily beside the original noirs. That is a compliment." I found that statement to be intriguing because I even called it more of a "modern day" Noir film.

Another article from EBSCOhost written by Wes Gehring and talks about the "dark" side of Chinatown. The movie had murder, violence, sex, and corruption. On top of that it ended with the bad guy winning and getting away with a lot of serious crimes. The detective is defeated at the end and the typical luring Noir female was killed at the end. These traits made for a good movie and really leaves one with a different feeling from other films. The article ends with a statement that nobody can disagree with, ""Chinatown" is a masterpiece of the dark side."

In my opinion Chinatown is a late era Noir film with a more modern touch than older Noir films. The film was full of suspense yet there were some scenes where nothing much was happening at all. The dark low light nature of the film is typical for Noir but at times it seemed to dark to the point where you can't tell what's really happening. Other than that the acting was fantastic and the plot was fantastic. The ending was unexpected when the bad guy won and that's just not how I expected it to all end.


http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20000206/REVIEWS08/2060301/1023

http://library.kean.edu:2055/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=111&sid=ce029896-033d-48da-827a-d0db614d32f9%40sessionmgr115&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWNvb2tpZSxpcCx1cmwsY3BpZCZjdXN0aWQ9a2VhbmluZiZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmU%3d#db=aph&AN=27538546

The Searchers

Darren Milliron 11/1/11

Movie- "The Searchers" -1956

Language- English

Director- John Ford

Runtime- 119 minutes

Awards-Directors Guild of America: SGA Award (nominee)

National Film Preservation Board: National Film Registry (winner)

Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films: Best DVD classic film release (nominee)

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The Searches started off with amazing images of the American west and for a 1956 film it must have been the modern day high definition. Even by today's standards the scenery and camera shots were just absolutely stunning and if the movie wasn't in color it wouldn't be able to give the viewer the full affect. At times the movie did seem to be slightly racist but the use humor helped to lighten the mood from the serious parts of the western. The movie had a little bit of everything from comedy to adventure and even over 55 years later it still has to wow an audience.

I always write the first paragraph (above) then look at an article by Roger Ebert and every time he always mentions everything I thought of. For example he said "In ''The Searchers'' I think Ford was trying, imperfectly, even nervously, to depict racism that justified genocide; the comic relief may be an unconscious attempt to soften the message." It's either we think alike or perhaps this is what John Ford was trying to do intentionally. He went on to say "Ford had an unrivaled eye for landscape, and famously used Monument Valley as the location for his Westerns, camping out with cast and crew, the company eating from a chuck wagon and sleeping in tents. Wayne told me that making a Ford Western was like living in a Western." Apparently the landscape for the film was carefully selected and for good reason, to wow the audience. It worked.

Another article talks about how democracy in the movie seemed to not apply to the west and west was law less and truly wild. Great movies can sometimes alter peoples thinking of something, in this case the west. The fact that it's based on the early beginning of our country sparks the interest in the minds of the people. Was that how it really was? The author even said "The american imagination has always been captivated by the drama of the frontier" People wonder how our country, now a civilized and lawful place, could have so different in the span of about two human life times.

The Searchers was the best western I have seen thus far. All in the same movie I was mad, happy, amazed, laughing, in suspense, sad, and in deep thought. Any movie that can do that while maintaing a good plot and good story line is a master piece in my opinion. Roger Ebert even said this about some of the scenes." These shots are among the treasures of the cinema." With a suggestion like that you know that this movie not only inspired films to come but sets the standards high for future film makers.

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http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20011125/REVIEWS08/111250301/1023

http://library.kean.edu:2055/ehost/detail?vid=6&hid=112&sid=d069dcad-fb43-4fca-906a-2d8e2d51a510%40sessionmgr115&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWNvb2tpZSxpcCx1cmwsY3BpZCZ

jdXN0aWQ9a2VhbmluZiZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmU%3d#db=aph&AN=36984657