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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page research paper/essay that discusses Chinatown as homage to film noir by comparing it to The Maltese Falcon. Bibliography lists 7 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khchmal.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
The film noir protagonist, rather than a "hero" in the traditional sense of the word, was frequently a "solitary, alienated individual," whose actions, while justified by his own moral code,
trended a fine line between the law and his own moral sensibilities (Broe 22). The following comparison between the film noir classic The Maltese Falcon and Chinatown demonstrates that Chinatown
should also be considered a film noir classic. Chinatowns credits are set against a sepia-tinted art deco background that is filmed in the 1:33 screen format, which suggests immediately
the classic films of the 1940s. This is accompanied by a haunting score that provides an appropriate mysterious mood that is also evocative detective fiction and the film noir world.
Set in 1937, the opening scene shows J.J. (Jake) Gittes (Jack Nicholson), a former cop, now a private detective in his Los Angeles office. The tone of The
Maltese Falcon is, likewise, established with the opening credits, which roll over the image of the legendary statue, with the statue casting a dark shadow caused by an off-camera, angular
light source. This introduction includes an expositional scroll that relates the legend of the statue, and a slow pan of 1940s San Francisco follows, which eventually focuses on a window
bearing the legend "Spade and Archer." In both films, the editing is subtle and seems to blend together effortlessly, creating a cohesive and coherent visual narrative. Chinatown director
Roman Polanski intentionally craft his film as a homage to earlier film noir. For example, Chinatowns villain is played by John Huston, who, 33 years earlier, directed The Maltese Falcon
(Homerman 260). Also, film critics have long commented on the similarities between Evelyn Mulwray, the female lead in Chinatown, and the typical "femme fatale," who is a standard feature
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