Chinatown (Special Collectors Edition)Description
Landmark movie in the film noir tradition, Roman Polanskis Chinatown stands as a true screen classic. Jack Nicholson is private eye Jake Gittes, living off the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-war Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite (Faye Dunaway) to investigate her husbands extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together for one, unforgettable night in...Chinatown. Co-starring film legend John Huston and featuring an Academy Award-winning script by Robert Towne, Chinatown captures a lost era in a masterfully woven movie that remains a timeless gem.
Amazon.com essential video
Roman Polanskis brooding film noir exposes the darkest side of the land of sunshine, the Los Angeles of the 1930s, where power is the only currency--and the only real thing worth buying. Jack Nicholson is J.J. Gittes, a private eye in the Chandler mold, who during a routine straying-spouse investigation finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into a jigsaw puzzle of clues and corruption. The glamorous Evelyn Mulwray (a dazzling Faye Dunaway) and her titanic father, Noah Cross (John Huston), are at the black-hole center of this tale of treachery, incest, and political bribery. The crackling, hard-bitten script by Robert Towne won a well-deserved Oscar, and the muted color cinematography makes the goings-on seem both bleak and impossibly vibrant. Polanski himself has a brief, memorable cameo as the thug who tangles with Nicholsons nose. One of the greatest, most completely satisfying crime films of all time.
--Anne HurleyRate Points :4.5
Binding :DVD
Brand :Paramount
Label :Paramount Home Video
Manufacturer :Paramount Home Video
MPN :PARD122444D
ProductGroup :DVD
Studio :Paramount Home Video
Publisher :Paramount Home Video
UPC :097361224442
EAN :0097361224442
Price :$14.99USD
Lowest Price :$7.87USD
Customer ReviewsCan there be anything more noir than that? Rating Point :5 Helpful Point :0 This film is a masterpiece because it is nothing but what we expect and we expect something different at every single moment of it, so that we are disappointed and surprised and held breathless every fifteen minutes when one of our expectations goes down the chute. At first we think it is one more private eyes business or investigation in some kind of affair with some married man. But it does not fit at all with the professional dedication of the suspected unfaithful man. He is obviously looking for something fishy in the water supply of Los Angeles he is responsible for. But then he does meet with a girl, doesnt he after all. And yet there is something fishy in that water supply. So it might be a big embezzlement case. Let Los Angeles pay for the water they will never get and then let Los Angeles get to the water where it will be, and let them pay again. The point is it does not explain everything, and especially why the thieving contractor is so keen on getting the hooker his son in law was seeing. Too keen to be honest. Is she a hooker after all? And we go on doubting, hoping, being disappointed and never getting to the truth of the business. Who the killer really is? Who the police really work for? Who the police tries to protect and cover? Why do the police do that unprofessional act? There is just no good enough answer, and even at the end, when the tycoon contracting embezzler gets the last word we know we are off the point and losing all footing in too deep water. Thats probably the best part of this film. You just have to accept the situation the way it is and do nothing just because some people are big enough, rich enough or powerful enough to do exactly what they want and everyone else has only one choice, die or say yes-sir-mister-master-sir-boss. Even killing his own child is not a no-go option for such a greedy person. Remember, change we can, but change these tycoons cannot. So better change them than expect them to change. Why not send them on a perpetual vacation in some desert island that has absolutely no connection with the outside world, But dummy, thats just the point, such a place does not exist. So better put them to death, put them to sleep or deep freeze them if you dont want to deep fry them, which stinks a little bit. But any other way will let them go on with their shaggy and dirty business. But gosh it reaps a lot of profit in. Look at Madoff.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines
Great Noir But Too Bad About the DVD! Rating Point :2 Helpful Point :0 "Chinatown" represents an updating of the great noir films of the past such as "Double Indemnity" and especially of "Maltese Falcon" which happens to be together with "Sunset Boulevard" my favourite representatives of the genre although "Chinatown" more closely resembles the "Maltese Falcon". Nicholson parallels Bogart here and Dunaway does Astor and ironically John Huston, the director of the "Maltese Falcon" has an acting role here.
"Chinatown" does a great job in bringing the noir genre into the colour-age and does so very well by incorporating the best of the old black and white films into the more modern film making elements of the time. This film has gone on to influence even more modern films like "The Black Dahlia" and "L.A. Confidential" and its theme of corrupt police and their evil rich backers who get away with anything with an excellent plot and great acting by Dunaway, Huston and Nicholson make this a great film to watch.
The only problem is with the very poor picture quality which really should have been restored although they did a pretty good job with the sound quality which has been a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround option. The picture quality have a number of imperfections such as white spots and barely reaches VHS quality. As Roman Polanski is still alive the last I checked, they really should try and do a Directors Cut version with restored and remastered picture and sound quality before its too late.
Id recommend giving this dvd version of the movie a miss at least until they come up with a much better restored version preferably together with a Directors Cut either on standard or Blu-ray formats.
Chinatown Rating Point :5 Helpful Point :0 What a great movie - and such good acting. Jack Nicolson and Faye Dunaway are superb in this movie.
Chinatown Rating Point :3 Helpful Point :0 Chinatown is a unique film in many ways and is considered a classic. It is generally deemed to be a film noir but i have to admit I had a little trouble seeing it. Many of the plot elements fit the film noir genre but visually it was a little harder for me to see. I enjoyed watching the film but the ending changed my opinion a bit. First of all, the plot and dialogue was very intelligent and I really like that about it. Im not surprised that script won an academy award it certainly deserved it. The casting was also very good. Nicholson and Dunaway had a unusual but strong chemistry and the supported cast helped build a believable world around them. Again, as far as considering it a film noir, much of the film didnt feel like one. It had the fairly typical detective plot but so much of the film was shot in bright, outdoor scenes. My major problem with the film was the ending. In a largely objective way, it was okay. I did fit certain themes of the film and brought an odd sort of closure to the plot. But personally, it was too disappointing for me. I just have trouble enjoying a story that ends too negatively. In the end, i think Chinatown was a very intelligent movie that kept my attention but i cant say that i want to watch it many more times.
CRISP, CRACKLING, AND DARK Rating Point :5 Helpful Point :0 CHINATOWN is, to state the obvious, one of the great Hollywood classics, featuring fabulous dialogue, a sensational story, incredible acting from Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway ( at the top of their game ), and stiletto-sharp direction from Roman Polanski. This is the kind of dark, steamy, pot-boiler that defined noir, and very few films have ever done it as well- and none better.
This is an excellent product with great sound, and a sharp transfer. There are also plenty of extras. An absolute must for Nicholson, or noir fans.
Similar ItemCitizen Kane (Two-Disc Special Edition) 
About an influential and ruthless publishing tycoon shines in a magnificient 60th-anniversary digital transfer with revitalized digital audio. Studio Warner Home Video Release Date 02/04/2003 Run time 119 minutes Rating PgAmazon.com essential vid
Sunset Boulevard - The Centennial Collection 
Studio Paramount Home Video Release Date 11/11/2008 Run time 110 minutes Rating NrAmazon.com essential videoBilly Wilders noir-comic classic about death and decay in Hollywood remains as pungent as ever in its power to provoke shock, laughter, and
The Two Jakes (Special Collector's Edition) 
DescriptionJack Nicholson returns as private eye Jake Gittes in this atmospheric Chinatown follow-up thats hit upon "the elusive sequel formula for somehow enhancing a great original" (Mike Clark, USA Today).Much has changed since we last saw Jake. T
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 
DescriptionA nice rest in a state mental hospital beats a stretch in the pen, right? Randle P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), a free-spirited con with lightning in his veins and glib on his tongue, fakes insanity and moves in with what he calls the "nuts
L.A. Confidential 
Six people dead. One of them a cop. But theres more to the grim discovery at the nite owl cafe than a murder case. Three of the los angeles police departments finest uncover a scandal that goes to the heart of the sun-soaked paradise thats 50s los an
Surfs Up is an animated feature that goes behind the scenes of the high-octane world of competitive penguin surfing. The film profiles Cody Maverick, an up-and-coming surfer as he enters his first pro competition. Inspired by his hero, a legendary 
Studio Buena Vista Home Video Release Date 11/06/2007 Run time 54 minutesAmazon.comPixars unprecedented string of hit animated features was built on the short films in this collection. John Lasseter and Ed Catmull used these cartoons the way Walt D
DescriptionWalt Disney Pictures presents the next hilarious holiday comedy in the hit Santa Clause movie tradition, starring Tim Allen and now featuring Martin Short as Jack Frost. This movie offers wholesome family entertainment which brings alive 
DescriptionDisneyPixar invite you to discover these masterpieces of storytelling from the creative minds that brought you Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo and many more. With revolutionary animation, unforgettable music and characters you love
Amazon.comThe sheer audacity of My Dinner with Andre drew throngs of curious filmgoers who made the film the most talked-about art-house hit of 1981. After all, whod ever heard of a movie consisting of nearly two hours of nonstop dinner conversation?
DescriptionA womans struggle to have her voice heard in a mans world is "startlingly moving" (The Wall Street Journal) in this cinematic adaptation of Henrik Ibsens famous play. "Superior performances" (The New York Times) by Claire Bloom (Crimes and