Country/Region of ManufactureUnited States of America
Director of PhotographyJohn A. Alonzo
Costume DesignerAnthea Sylbert
Production DesignerRichard Sylbert
ReviewsSight and Sound - ...[Polanski] handles the mechanics of the plot with a ruthless brilliance that is immediately involving..., Entertainment Weekly - ...Incomparable...
Additional InformationDirector Roman Polanski's neo-noir detective story is set during a heat wave in 1930s Los Angeles, whose residents are suffering from a water shortage as a result of an ongoing drought. Private investigator Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) runs a detective agency specializing in matrimonial strife and infidelity. When a client posing as the wife of the L.A. water commissioner hires him to spy on her husband, who is rumored to be having an affair with a younger woman, Jake uncovers a plot against the commissioner--but this is only the tip of the iceberg. Yet to emerge are a sex scandal implicating the actual Mrs. Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway), with whom Jake is destined to become more closely acquainted, and a real estate swindle of tremendous proportions devised by her father, powerful tycoon Noah Cross (John Huston), who has a vast network of corrupt city officials and landowners backing him up.<BR>With stellar contributions from Robert Towne, whose script recalls the hard-boiled cynicism of the writings of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett; director of photography John Alonzo; production designer Richard Sylbert; and composer Jerry Goldsmith, CHINATOWN evolved into a complex and superbly crafted period drama that represents Polanski's most critically acclaimed film.
Movie/TV TitleChinatown
ComposerJerry Goldsmith
Sound sourceDolby Digital 5.1 Surround
AwardsBest Screenplay Written Directly For The Screen 1975 - Robert Towne