US Cinema of the 1970s:Corruption, Neo-Noir, and

Chinatown

Prof. Julia LeydaMay 3, 2023

quiz

Describe the final scene in Chinatown in as much detail as you can: location, action, cause and effect, characters, and of course, plot. Did you expect that ending or not?

film noirfrom French “black film” because of dark imagesoriginally a group of 1940s-50s movies with dark

visual imagery and dark themes; happy endings?

not agreed upon as a “genre”; visual style / mood

postwar / Cold War atmosphere of cynicism, fear, betrayal, mystery, mistaken identity, dystopia

unlike most Hollywood movies, noirs don’t show Americans what they want to believe is true

conventions of classic film noirdark visual imagery and dark themes: chiaroscuro

lighting, night scenes, crimedisillusioned anti-hero struggles against

corruption, crimeoften detective narrative or quest for truth or

informationfemme fatale (deadly woman) uses her sexuality

to manipulate, control menex.: Double Indemnity, Gilda, Cat People, In a

Lonely Place, The Killers, Mildred Pierce, Night and the City

cultural critic Mike Davis on LA“sunshine or noir”: history of noir in Los

Angeles as a paradox, dialectic of sunshine and noir

1930s and 40s noir authors Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain, Chester Himes

Orson Welles called LA “a bright, guilty place”

LA as capitalism itself, both utopia and dystopia

Hollywood as “dream factory”CA as western frontier (“wild west”), sunny

agricultural paradise

neo-noir and revisionist noirfrom 1970s on: movies with dark visual styles, themesoften revise race, gender, history, sexuality, or setting still feature some noir conventions, but not all:

corruption, crime, femme fatalemood of cynicism, fear, betrayalnot always happy endingsprotagonist not heroic or even center of conflict, more

victim or dupe of outdated valuesex.: Chinatown, Klute, Blade Runner, One False Move,

Bound, L.A. Confidential, The Grifters, Sin City

corruption in US societypolitical: The Godfather, Part II (1974), Nashville (1975), All the President’s Men (1976)government conspiracy: The Parallax View (1974), Three Days of the Condor (1975)police: Dirty Harry (1971), Super Fly (1972), Serpico (1973), Soylent Green (1973)corporate: McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971), Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973), Network (1976), Coma (1978), Alien (1979), The China Syndrome (1979)

Chinatown fits all of them!

critics: Michael Ryan & Douglas Kellner

[neo-noir] signaled the death of political liberalism, which found itself suddenly powerless against the economic realities of corporate capitalism and the military-industrial complex

Chinatown is a striking articulation of mid-seventies cultural pessimism

critics: Vernon Shetley the double plot

water plot (political) and incest plot (family)both involve inappropriate ownership, confusion of

public and privateNoah Cross represents unbridled capitalism and

individualism consuming everything he wants (“the future!”)John Huston: cowboy / pioneer image, “likable” strong

manwomen and Chinatown: mysterious, unknowable,

dangeroussexist and racist notions ascribed to Jake (or the film

itself?)

discussion questionsChinatown is often interpreted as a

commentary on American society in the 1970s, although it is set in the 1930s. Why do you think that is?

Do you agree with the critics interpretations of Chinatown? In what ways yes and in what ways no?

visual style: framing

framing: the way a shot is composed, and the manner in which subjects and objects are surrounded (‘framed’) by the boundaries or perimeter of the film image, or by the use of a rectangle or enclosing shape (such as a shadow, mirror, door or hallway) within the film image

interpreting framinghow does the framing in these shots

support the movie’s meanings?

relationships among the characterscharacters’ mental or emotional stateatmosphere or mood of the scene visual metaphors of the movie’ s themes

framing: doorway

framing: background

framing: mask

visual style: mise-en-scène

mise-en-scène: (Fr. “putting into the scene”) all the elements placed in front of the camera and within the frame, and their visual arrangement and composition: settings, decor, props, actors, costumes, makeup, and lighting

interpreting mise-en-scenehow does the mise-en-scene in these shots

support the movie’s meanings?

relationships among the characterscharacters’ mental or emotional stateatmosphere or mood of the scene visual metaphors of the movie’ s themesforeshadowing of events later in the plot

mise-en-scène: lighting

mise-en-scène: lighting, costume

mise-en-scène: décor, costume

mise-en-scène: décor, costume

mise-en-scène: props, decor

mise-en-scène: setting

mise-en-scène: setting

mise-en-scène: décor, position

discussion questionHow does the framing and mise-en-scene

in Chinatown express the movie’s themes of corruption and plots of water rights and incest?