Chinatown, A Peak into Corruption

Roman Polanski’s renowned film Chinatown calls attention to the role of corruption and reflects the corruption of Los Angeles in the 1930s and 40s. Higher up and millionaire Noah Cross controversially and illegally diverts water to dry farm lands outside of Los Angeles for self-prosperity. Meanwhile, Private Investigator Mr. Gittes searches for the killer of Mr. Mulwray who opposed new water department policies and later he finds out Cross killed Mulwray to keep him quiet about Cross’ plans in the hill country.

            In Mr. Gittes’ investigation he trespasses on the Department of Water and Power land to find out about the inner-workings of the department. He discovers the department is secretly dumping water at night. Two gang looking men approach him and threaten to cut of his entire nose off if he returns. (Upon further research I found that Polanski cameos in a role as one of the threatening thugs.) While the men do not permanently scar Mr. Gittes they violently cut his nose forcing him to have to wear a large white bandage for the majority of the movie. This bandage is visually distracting throughout the movie, which symbolizes the glaring violence of corruption that cannot be escaped. The bandage also serves to reflect Gittes’ personal improvement on the case. By the time the bandage is removed he begins to find out more details in his case.

            In the infamous scene when Gittes slaps Mrs. Mulwray repeatedly to gain information about the woman, we learn she secretly hides the woman her husband had an affair with. More twisted, this woman is Mrs. Mulwray’s daughter and sister. Noah Cross, Mrs. Muwray’s father, raped his daughter at a young age producing an incestual daughter. The idea that Mr. Cross, someone with so much power and influnce, is so personally corrupt reflects the larger city of Los Angeles. In the hierarchy of power and money many leaders were corrupt and this trickles down through their families like it does to Mrs. Mulwray. The widespread dispersal of profanity affects the larger community creating the sense of citywide corruption by the end of the movie. This message is supported by the darkness and Film Noir style of the picture.

            The film ends with the murder of Mrs. Mulwray as she tries to escape the police and more importantly her father who wants custody of their daughter. After the police shoot her driving away her head falls onto the steering wheel honking the car horn making for an overly dramatic ending. This last scene takes place in Chinatown, or the “red-light district,” and as Gittes tries to help the daughter one of his men tell him “Forget it, Jake, it’s Chinatown!” His partner is telling him that Gittes cannot change the way things are. He is commenting that no matter what Mr. Gittes does corruption will continue and that Chinatown is everywhere. Mr. Gittes is only one many but he represents the helplessness of everyone.     

For more Film Noir titles: http://www.imdb.com/genre/film_noir