Chinatown (Special Collector's Edition) [1974]

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Starring: ~ Faye Dunaway, John Huston Jack Nicholson
List Price: £9.99

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Product Details:

Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment

Region: 2

Number of Discs: 1

Format: Collector's Edition, PAL

Rating:

Sales Rank: 2333

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Customer Reviews:

Great edition of a great movie (03 January 2009)
If there are any niggly little flaws in this movie then they are SO minor as to be completely inconsequential. The marriage of major movie stylists Polanski and Nicholson on one film proves to be almost too good to believe. Have they made another movie together? And if not, why not? It simply throbs with style and charisma, this movie, and the work of both men here is just exceptional. You really can't hype this movie enough, it sets out knowing exactly what it wants to be and delivers it by the bucketful. Nothing in it is forced or rushed or looks out of place. This is because there are cinematic masters at work here. Everything is relaxed and very, very confidently executed. A masterpiece.

Don't ever try to find out before the very end (25 December 2008)
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 eye's 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, doesn't 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. That's 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, that's 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 don't 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

Classic, brilliant movie (18 July 2008)
This film is superb in every department. Buy it, watch it, rewatch it. Great stuff.

Classsic Film, brilliantly presented (11 July 2008)
For story, direction, acting, and sheer period class, this is worthy of its status as a classic. Whether you are a serious film addict, or whether you are looking for a great 'hollywood' movie, this does the trick. And this is one of those special movies that rises higher in the ranks as time goes by - looking back it can be appreciated even more. The quality of the picture on this 'collectors edition' (the one with red case if you're ordering) is probably the best transfer of any film I've watched on DVD - a clear, crisp, vibrant print that does the whole experience proud - an all round treat.

one of the best 70's films (18 June 2008)
Jack Nicholson (One flew over the cuckoo's nest) stars alongside Faye Dunaway (Bonnie and Clyde) in Roman Polanski's (The Pianist) compelling crime drama Chinatown where Jake Gittes is hired to investigate an affair, which ultimately leads into a political and deadly investigation surrounding the town's water supply.

With a gritty opening and a fascinating and dramatic climax, Chinatown has established itself as one of the best written crime dramas of the 70's and deserved Oscar winner for best writing original screenplay with excellent dialogue, no cheesy clichés or anything like that, a true realistic approach to the crime world, which is helped along by an excellent cast and brilliant direction.

One of my favourite Nicholson performances, he plays central protagonist detective Jake Gittes, a professional with an edge, a real cutting attitude to seek out what he wants.

Faye Dunaway is equally as impressive as Mrs Mulwray and these two characters with strong personalities and agendas create tense and engaging situations, justifying the genre beautifully.

It is one of the best directed films I have ever seen, perhaps only behind a couple which include The Good the bad and the ugly among others.
The settings are effective along with the situations and the lighting.

Costume design and general cinematography are all effectively established to give the film the emotion and sophistication it needed.

Though I got lost at a couple of turns with the plot, there is still no question that the dialogue and the timing of the situations deserve its praise. Had it not been for the brilliant Godfather II then this film noir classic would surely have scooped a few more Oscars.

the special features are very interesting as well undertanding how the film came about and is a great purchase

9/10