Chinatown
Episode description
This week on That '70s Movie Podcast, Jonathan and Michael were joined by Ron Brownstein as we opened up the floodgates on the 1974 neo-noir thriller, "Chinatown."
Ron has written extensively about Los Angeles in the 70s, and he regaled us with stories about the making of the film and, in particular, the drafting of Robert Towne's screenplay, which we all agreed is one of the greatest ever written.
We also talked at length about Faye Dunaway's otherworldly performance as Evelyn Mulwray, John Huston's enigmatic (and metaphorical) Noah Cross, Jake Gittes' motivation (and crucial error), and, above all, how Chinatown subverts the noir films of the '40s and '50s with a New Hollywood sensibility.
When it comes to 70s cinema, it doesn't get much better than Chinatown, and while you may think you know what you're dealing with when it comes to this film... believe me, you don't (that is it until you listen to this episode)!