Chinatown, 1974.
Directed by Roman Polanski.
Starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Hillerman, Perry Lopez, Burt Young, and John Huston.
SYNOPSIS:
The classic Chinatown makes its 4K Ultra HD debut with a stunning transfer, a trio of new bonus features (along with legacy content), and a copy of the sequel, The Two Jakes, on a Blu-ray disc. Highly recommended for fans of the film.
I feel the need to start this review by acknowledging that it’s I think it’s a shame that Roman Polanski has not been punished for his crime. However, I am willing to separate the art from the artist, given the slippery slope such a stance can create, so that’s all I’ll say on the matter.
In this case, the art is Chinatown, which still holds up today. Robert Towne wrote the script, Polanski directed, and Jack Nicholson starred as Jake Gittes, a private eye whose investigation into marital infidelity spirals into a life-or-death situation involving anger over water in Los Angeles.
“Anger over water” might seem odd, but, as a character points out in the film, Los Angeles was built next to a desert, so it has water needs that are actually still a point of contention today.
In this imagined scenario, the year is 1937 and Jake is hired by someone who isn’t who she claims to be. As he digs into the case, the unfaithful husband turns up dead, and soon he’s fending off law enforcement while trying to find out what the hell is really going on.
“What the hell is really going on” turns out to be one of the most scandalous familial reveals in Hollywood history (it’s right up there with “No, Luke, I am your father,” as far as I’m concerned). In the end, all Jake can do is shake is head at what one of his associates tells him in an iconic line: “Forget it, Jake, it’s Chinatown.”
This is the movie’s first spin on 4K Ultra HD, and the presentation is pretty much flawless. You can quibble over whether any 4K version of a movie really showcases the film as it once appeared in theaters, but, like most other 4K releases, this one of Chinatown is the end of the line for this film. Any improvement in picture quality would only benefit the very small percentage of people who have home theater setups with huge screens.
As an added bonus, Paramount also commission a trio of new bonus features for this new entry in their Paramount Presents line. Two of them feature film historian Sam Wasson looking back on the movie’s legacy as well as the planned trilogy that never came to fruition. (“A trilogy?” you might ask. More on that in a moment.)
The other new extra is Chinatown Memories, in which producer Hawk Koch looks back on his time as an assistant director for the movie. That must have been quite an experience, working with a director and a cast who were all hitting their prime. (Yeah, sure, except John Huston, who was in his late 60s at the time.)
Beyond that, the 4K platter is filled with legacy extras, starting with a commentary featuring Towne and famed director David Fincher. As you might imagine, it’s an excellent, oftentimes scholarly, discussion of the movie. It’s the kind of track that makes you feel like you’re sitting in a film class and the professor just brought in a couple high-caliber celebrities.
The rest of the bonus features are of the making-of variety, starring Towne, Nicholson, Polanski, producer Robert Evans, and others talking about the movie from the earliest ideas for it to the finished product. The infamous trilogy comes up here too.
Finally, we have an appreciation with thoughts from Steven Soderbergh, Kimberly Pierce, Roger Deakins, and James Newton Howard, along with a tribute to Jerry Goldsmith’s score, which was one of many incredible pieces of music he wrote during his storied career. I always appreciate it when lesser-known creatives get their turn in the spotlight too.
The original theatrical platter rounds out the platter, and a code for a digital copy is included too.
Now, about that trilogy: The other bonus feature in this edition is a copy of the sequel The Two Jakes, which is found on an accompanying Blu-ray. Also written by Towne and directed by Nicholson, this Chinatown follow-up was released in 1990 to tepid reviews and very little box office activity, which killed the plan for a third movie.
The Two Jakes is set about a decade after the first movie, with Jake Gittes again looking into marital infidelity, this time in a case brought to him by a man also named Jake (Harvey Keitel). Once again, Jake finds himself in mortal danger as he launches his investigation, and a couple characters from the first film show up again, including detective Lou Escobar (Perry Lopez), who we learn was injured while serving in World War II.
Unfortunately, the film is a bit of a mess. I’m not convinced that the voice-over narration adds much to the story, and there are moments where the tone abruptly shifts into slapstick comedy, such as when a woman walks into Jake’s outstretched arm and knocks herself unconscious. (Side note: I’m not a fan of the violence against women in either film, but I do realize that Jake is not supposed to be a likable protagonist.)
Nicholson also seemed to want to draw attention to his efforts behind the camera with some “look at me” shots, like the first one, which features a close-up of Jake’s shoes on a desk while Keitel’s character explains his situation.
No bonus features are included for The Two Jakes, nor is there a code for a digital copy, but if you’re a fan of that follow-up, that’s another reason to grab this copy of Chinatown.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
