Analysis Of Roman Polanski's Chinatown

Roman Polanski weaves together several aspects of literary design and film noir in his 1974 Chinatown in order to tell the film’s engaging story inspired by the California Water Wars. These include the film’s unique use of structure, constant jarring plot twists, the development and depth of the film’s many characters, and multiple symbols and motifs. Most clear of these is the film’s use of water as a motif to represent the constant power struggle between the film’s characters, and character flaws in Gittes and Evelyn that adds an element of humanity and empathy between the film and the viewer as well in addition to strengthening the depth and complexity of the relationship between the film’s main characters.

The setting of the film itself sets the stage for the importance of water: Los Angeles. LA is one of America’s most populated and metropolitan cities and the need for water is high, which can create issues as Los Angeles is, as one of the representatives says in the scene where Gittes is observing Hollis Mulwray speak for the first time at a conference, a desert. In a desert, water is scarce and it is a necessity. Water is essential to all living things, and water is needed to stay alive and to function Particularly at the time and in the location the movie was set, the lack of water in the city was causing farmers extreme difficulty and drastically hurting the economy. Thus, he who possessed the water possessed the power.

We learn at the beginning of the film that Hollis Mulwray was the Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Immediately, there is a connection created between the two. When Gittes proceeds to trail him, he observes him going between different locations with water such as the waterb...

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...his scene again is symbolic of how water has dragged him into this huge investigation regarding political scandals and power struggles and he ends up with his back against the wall. Later in the scene, Gittes gets his nose slashed by a character, interestingly played by director Roman Polanski, working for the Water Department attempting to cover up the scandal. This leaves a scar on Gittes’ face for the rest of the film, bringing us to the next important motif in the film: The flaws of the different main characters and how these flaws build relationships and add depth and complexity between them.

Jake’s scar adds depth to his character, showing that he is not your “traditional” hero and protagonist. The scar shows that he is not the perfect detective, and throughout the film he often finds himself arriving at incorrect conclusions and acting on them rashly.