List of Crap #115: Top 50 Movies of the 70s Countdown!

[Pak-Man]

It lives in a weird kind of obscurity. I think just about everyone's HEARD of it, but nobody has any clue what it's like. It just had a sort of viral title that people love.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Pretty sure back in the 80s I had AOTKT on VHS, or maybe I rented it, watched it once and about the only thing I remember is the thought that it didn't fit the "so bad it's funny" category, and it wasn't funny on it's own, so never understood it's cult status.  I guess "viral title" would explain it.

[Johnny Unusual]

#9

82 Points, 4 Lists, #1 CJones

You're dumber than you think I think you are.

Year 1974

What's it about?

Jake Gittes is a PI.  Usually, the job is to report on infidelities.  His most recent client is Evelyn Mulray who wants evidence that her husband Hollis, the chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.  He follows him, gets some pictures of him with a woman and overhears him refusing to make an unsafe water resevoir.  The next day, Gittes pictures are published in the paper and Gittes is confronted by Evelyn Mulray... who isn't the same woman as his client.  Realizing he's being set up, Gittes decides to see Hollis only to find that he's been drowned.  Gittes finds himself investigating the mystery, only to find that the real Evelyn Mulray is the key to the mystery.

What's it REALLY about?
The corruption and graft in America and in society in generally and the depths people will seek to maintain and grow their power and the evil that their power allows them to indulge them.

Legacy
In addition to being a legendary film and one of the earliest examples of neo-noir, the film brought a lot of attention to the criminal side of land dealings and water rights, with the film loosely turning the actual California water wars into a mystery story.

Trivia
At the time of filming, Jack Nicholson had just embarked on his longstanding relationship with Anjelica Huston. This made his scenes with her father, John Huston, rather uncomfortable, especially as the only time Anjelica was on-set, was the day they were filming the scene where Noah Cross interrogates Nicholson's character with "Mr. Gittes...do you sleep with my daughter?"

Johnny's Thoughts
Chinatown is one of my favourite noir movies.  It's a damned shame that Roman Polanski turned out to be such a creep (and it sounds like he was kind of a terror on the set of this movie, but thankfully probably not committing any sex crimes at the time.  I hope.) because the film has great direction.  It also has a wonderful script by Robert Towne and the leads are all really strong, as well as John Huston a genial villain with a deep well of evil in him.

[George-2.0]

Yay, Chinatown - or as the President probably calls it... "Ghinatown".

Brilliant movie, brilliantly acted, directed, with one of the all-time great screenplays. Hands down my favorite movie of the 1974 film season.

And man, Nicholson was on fire from the late 60s to mid 70s (he did great work in great films later, but he was on an amazing streak in this period, which featured some of his finest performances)

Oh, and I love the poster.

[Johnny Unusual]

It's a great poster.

[Edward J Grug III]

Godfather is great, but was a near miss on my list. Actually surprised to see it land higher than II.

I didn't really care for Chinatown. Possibly it was too hyped up for me before I saw it? Not sure.

[CJones]

Yes, Roman Polanski plead guilty to statutory rape in the US. What's less well known, is that, while he was promised a plea deal, in reality the Judge intended to entrap him and sentence him to 50 years in prison once he was in the court room. His lawyer found this out, which is why Polanski fled the country. Meanwhile in France 1977, his homeland, there was an unrelated petition to do away with "age of consent" laws altogether.

Also, remember that just prior to this, Polanski had been married to Sharon Tate, who was 8 and a half months pregnant with their child when she was butchered by the Manson cult.

Things are rarely as cut and dried as the "morality police" would have you believe.

[Edward J Grug III]

Yes, Roman Polanski plead guilty to statutory rape in the US. What's less well known, is that, while he was promised a plea deal, in reality the Judge intended to entrap him and sentence him to 50 years in prison once he was in the court room. His lawyer found this out, which is why Polanski fled the country. Meanwhile in France 1977, his homeland, there was an unrelated petition to do away with "age of consent" laws altogether.

Also, remember that just prior to this, Polanski had been married to Sharon Tate, who was pregnant with their child when she was butchered by the Manson cult.

Things are rarely as cut and dried as the "morality police" would have you believe.

Who cares what he was promised? He doesn't deny sleeping with a 13 year old. And has been accused by at least three other women.

Take your rapist defending somewhere else.

[Edward J Grug III]

If you want to discus the movie, go nuts - If you want to talk about how we should all feel sorry for a rapist, show yourself out.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

just prior to this

Eight years is not "just prior".

Besides, lots of people go through horrible stuff, lose parents and spouses, and don't become pedophiles.   

She was 13, no grey area there, no 13 year old looks 18.  Why do people keep defending the guy?

Man, this LOC is full of land mines....

[Cyrusso]

It lives in a weird kind of obscurity. I think just about everyone's HEARD of it, but nobody has any clue what it's like. It just had a sort of viral title that people love.

I got it the beginning of last year when they released it on DVD/BD from Amazon, I watched it once and a lot of the jokes feel very Airplane!-ish. So appeal factor is imho not a problem.

[Edward J Grug III]

It lives in a weird kind of obscurity. I think just about everyone's HEARD of it, but nobody has any clue what it's like. It just had a sort of viral title that people love.

Return of the Killer Tomatoes is more my jam.

[Johnny Unusual]

[Cyrusso]

One day I'll have to check Amazon to see if they got that on DVD/BD.

[Edward J Grug III]

Pun extremely intended.