Chinatown

Slug: Nicole Gonzalez (11/28/11) Chinatown. (1974). 130 min.
Directed by: Roman Polanski.
Written by: Robert Towne

Awards:

1975- Academy Awards, USA Year Result Award Category/Recipient(s) Won Oscar Best Writing, Original Screenplay: Robert Towne. Nominated Oscar Best Actor in a Leading Role: Jack Nicholson. Best Actress in a Leading Role: Faye Dunaway. Best Art Direction-Set Decoration: Richard Sylbert  W. Stewart Campbell Ruby R. Levitt. Best Cinematography: John A. Alonzo. Best Costume Design: Anthea Sylbert. Best Director: Roman Polanski. Best Film Editing: Sam O'Steen. Best Music, Original Dramatic Score: Jerry Goldsmith. Best Picture: Robert Evans. Best Sound: Charles Grenzbach Larry Jost.

BAFTA Awards: Year Result Award Category/Recipient(s) Won BAFTA Film Award Best Actor: Jack Nicholson Also for The Last Detail (1973). Best Direction: Roman Polanski. Best Screenplay: Robert Towne Also for The Last Detail (1973). Nominated Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music: Jerry Goldsmith BAFTA Film Award Best Actress: Faye Dunaway. Best Art Direction: Richard Sylbert. Best Cinematography: John A. Alonzo.Best Costume Design: Anthea Sylbert. Best Film and Best Film Editing: Sam O'Steen. Best Supporting Actor: John Huston. Chinatown

Bodil Awards: Year Result Award Category/Recipient(s). Won Bodil Best Non-European Film (Bedste ikke-europæiske film): Roman Polanski (director). Directors Guild of America, USA 

Year Result Award Category/Recipient(s): Nominated.

DGA Award Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures: Roman Polanski.  

Edgar Allan Poe Awards:Year Result Award Category/Recipient(s):Won Edgar Best Motion Picture: Robert Towne.  

Fotogramas de Plata: Year Result Award Category/Recipient(s): Won Fotogramas de Plata Best Foreign Movie Performer (Mejor intérprete de cine extranjero): Jack Nicholson Also for Five Easy Pieces (1970).

Golden Globes, USA: Year Result Award Category/Recipient(s): Won Golden Globe Best Director - Motion Picture: Roman Polanski. Best Motion Picture - Drama. Best Motion Picture Actor - Drama: Jack Nicholson. Best Screenplay - Motion Picture: Robert Towne. Nominated Golden Globe Best Motion Picture Actress - Drama: Faye Dunaway. Best Original Score: Jerry Goldsmith. Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture: John Huston.

Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards: Year Result Award Category/Recipient(s) Won KCFCC Award Best Actor: Jack Nicholson. Best Supporting Actor: John Huston.

(1991)- National Film Preservation Board, USA  Year Result Award Category/Recipient(s).

(1975)- Won National Film Registry National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA Year Result Award Category/Recipient(s).Won NSFC Award Best Actor: Jack Nicholson Also for The Last Detail (1973).

(1974)- New York Film Critics Circle Awards Year Result Award Category/Recipient(s): Won NYFCC Award Best Actor: Jack Nicholson Also for The Last Detail (1973). 2nd place NYFCC Award Best Screenplay: Robert Towne.

(2000)- PGA AwardsYear Result Award Category/Recipient(s). Won PGA Hall of Fame - Motion Pictures: Robert Evans.

(1975)- Sant Jordi Awards Year Result Award Category/Recipient(s). Won Sant Jordi Best Foreign Film (Mejor Película Extranjera): Roman Polanski.  

(1975)- Writers Guild of America, USA Year Result Award Category/Recipient(s). Won WGA Award (Screen) Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen: Robert Towne.  

Chinatown can be described through auteur because of the stoyline. The movie tells a story of a hitman who is hired by a rich woman who suspects her husband for having an affair. As the movie continues, the audience learns about her father who is runs the water drought in Los Angeles. Also, the characters evolve within one another as the wife is closer to being caught by the police that are by her father. Both have an affair an the hitman becomes the anti-hero who does the right thing. The characters have endless problems that makes them interesting and plays well with the story. Autuer engages the audience by making the story and the two main characters memorable based on how they are written.

Roger Ebert states the movie is a revamp of the 1940's movies because it is an omage to the private eye movies (Ebert 1). The director Polanski's awareness of the 1930's is well played because he wanted to be seen as a movie that reaches close to the actual genre (3). Garrett Stewart compares the movie from the novel The Long Goodbye (Stewart 25).

There is an element of senister behind Jack Nicholson's character J.J. because of the numerous frame shots (26). When J.J. learns more of the widow from the father or when he is suspecious of the wife because she is hiding something, Jack Nicholson knows how to play for the camera.

Chinatown shows one of Jack Nicholson's great performance. As an inspiring writing, the techniques of stage direction, choice of shooting frames and choice of objections for the wife and the hitman is very well written in terms of character development. After watching, I would love to read more on the Robert Towne's work.

Work Cited

Ebert, Roger. "Chinatown." Rev. of Chinatown. rogerebert.com. rogerebert.com, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 

     2011. <http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19740601/REVIEWS/ 

     40817002>. 

Stewart, Garrett. "The Long Goodbye' from 'Chinatown." Film Quarterly  28.2 (1974-1975): pp. 25-32 . 

     JSTOR. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/1211630>. 

The Searchers

Slug: Nicole Gonzalez 11/1/11, “The Searchers,” 119 min, English, Directed by: John Ford, (2007) Nominated for Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films USA for Saturn Award in Best DVD Classic Film Release, (1957) Nominated for DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Picture: John Ford, and (1989) Winner for the National Film Registry.


The Searchers

The film theory that sticks out in “The Searchers” is genre because the movie is a western theme. Ethan Edwards is a cowboy who fights the Indians because they killed his family. Both Ethan and his sidekick and nephew, Martin, go to the cantina for drinks. In the end, the hero gets the girl in the end, Laurie. Another element is auteur because it tells a story about two different men trying to work together and good versus evil. The Searchers has both a story with a theme that is recognizable for audience.





Brian Henderson for the Film Quarterly states that the movie focuses on one character, which is Ethan Edwards. Majority of his motives is to solve problems. The camera follows his moves to show the audience how he fights off the Indians. Robert Ebert calls “Wayne character is racist without apology,” (Ebert 1). Also, directors such as Lucas and Scorsese were inspirations for both “Star Wars” and “Taxi Driver.” Ebert even looks at the racism scene as a way to bring humor in the movie (1). For the two articles, the main focus was on Ethan Edwards, the anti-hero who fights for justice.








In the beginnging of the movie, we see Ethan holding his brother's wife close; having some indication that he might be having an affair. He did not like Indians, he was tempted to kill Debbie because she married Scar the leader of the Indian tribe. The show shows his dislike towards Indians and uses slurs like "blanket head" as an joke. “The Searchers” shows the anti-hero of John Wayne.








Considered I have never watched a John Wayne movie, he is an iconic film actor. There were some moments in the movie that were a little hard to watch such as the anti-slurs against Indians and entire time of chasing Debbie. It seemed to me that the younger character was unsure whether he was in love with Laurie or Debbie.







Work Cited

Henderson, Brian."The Searchers: An American Dilemma," Film Quarterly. Vol. 34, No. 2 (Winter, 1980-1981), Published by: University of California Press Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1211909. pp. 9-23. Web.

Ebert, Robert. "The Searchers," RobertEbert.com. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20011125/REVIEWS08/111250301/1023. pp.1-2. Web.