History YMMV / Chinatown

* GeniusBonus: Noah Cross' constant (and deliberate) mispronouncing of Jake's name as "Gits" takes on further meaning if you know the British use the word "git" to refer to someone who's foolish and annoying.

** Creator/DianeLadd as "Mrs. Mulwray" (aka Ida Sessions), who hires Gittes in the first scene. She does turn up a couple times later, first as a voice on the phone and then [[spoiler:as a corpse]].
** [[CreatorCameo Polanski himself]], as the Man with the Knife. "You're a very nosy fella, kittycat. You know what happens to nosy fellas? No? Wanna guess?"[[note]]And Polanski wasn't supposed to be in the role himself. Circumstances forced him into doing the part himself -- and his natural accent gave the character a weaselly Creator/PeterLorre feel.[[/note]]

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Music/JerryGoldsmith's beautifully evocative score, highlighted by the main title theme with its melancholy trumpet solo. Possibly the famous replacement score ever- Philip Lambro's thrown-out score was released on a limited edition release which [[ExecutiveMeddling leaves the movie's name off the packaging]].

* HarsherInHindsight: [[spoiler:The sexual abuse Noah Cross commits within the movie]] could be seen in a whole new light after director Creator/RomanPolanski was infamously involved in something similar. [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19918_6-terrible-decisions-that-gave-us-great-movie-moments_p2.html This]] article on Website/{{Cracked}} explicitly notes the parallels between how [[spoiler:Cross]] gets off [[KarmaHoudini scott-free]] for his crimes and how Polanski himself escaped jail time by fleeing the U.S.[[labelnote:spoiler]]There are technically some differences, however. Polanski confessed to his crime, and as per a plea bargain accepted to spend time in Chino Prison as part of a psychiatric evaluation. Polanski spent 42 days in Chino, honouring his part of the plea bargain and was released early as per the recommendation of his probation officer. It was only when Judge Rittenbrand decided to back out of the plea bargain and planned to bring fresh charges that Polanski decided to flee, an action which the prosecutor of that case admitted was a justified response. In other words, unlike Cross whose crime is never unearthed and who does not admit to his crimes, Polanski both admitted to his crime and subjected himself to the justice system, only running when they backed out of the plea bargain.[[/labelnote]]

** [[spoiler:Speaking of Katherine Cross, special mention goes to the fact that she was a product of Noah's rape and since her mother was killed, she'll spent the rest of life as a victim of sexual abuse by her grandfather]].

* OvershadowedByControversy: While ''Chinatown'' is generally agreed to be an excellent film, what people who haven't seen it don't know about it is that it includes ParentalIncest as a major plot point and is one of the few works of fiction to end in [[TheBadGuyWins a complete and utter victory for the villains]]. The BigBad of the movie also happens to be a pedophile, and while it was made well before Creator/RomanPolanski's arrest for child molestation, it has still prompted cynical comparisons between the character and the director. Adding to the unease was the fact that it was Polanski who insisted on changing the original screenplay ending [[note]]a BittersweetEnding where the villain is shot dead by his daughter and she's arrested (but her daughter... who is a product of incest... is saved from a life of sex abuse and the villain and his corrupt water-utility operation loses its mastermind)[[/note]] to the ending in the movie.

* LateArrivalSpoiler: Even if you've never seen the movie, you likely know that Faye Dunaway is the female lead; a woman who hires JJ "Jake" Gittes, so when a woman who is [[Creator/DianeLadd decidedly not Dunaway]] turns up in the second scene seeking to hire Jake, it's pretty obvious this is a setup.

* TrueArtIsAngsty: Robert Evans, the film's producer, wanted Roman Polanski as director because he thought Polanski, a European, would have a DarkerAndEdgier vision of the USA more suited to the script. For his part, Polanski also insisted that the script's conclusion be changed from a BittersweetEnding reminiscent of classic film noir stories to a stark and nihilistic DownerEnding, thinking that they needed to go all the way now that the Hays Code was gone and that it was necessary for Chinatown to be a truly special film and not just a cookie-cutter Hollywood movie where everything magically works out in the end.

* OvershadowedByControversy: While ''Chinatown'' is generally agreed to be an excellent film, what people who haven't seen it tend to know about it is that it includes ParentalIncest as a major plot point and is one of the few works of fiction to end in [[TheBadGuyWins a complete and utter victory for the villains]]. The BigBad of the movie also happens to be a pedophile, and while it was made well before Creator/RomanPolanski's arrest for child molestation, it has still prompted cynical comparisons between the character and the director. Adding to the unease was the fact that it was Polanski who insisted on changing the original screenplay ending [[note]]a BittersweetEnding where the villain is shot dead by his daughter and she's arrested (but her daughter... who is a product of incest... is saved from a life of sex abuse and the villain and his corrupt water-utility operation loses its mastermind)[[/note]] to the ending in the movie.

* TrueArtIsAngsty: Robert Evans, the film's producer, wanted Roman Polanski as director because he thought Polanski, a European, would have a DarkerAndEdgier vision of the USA more suited to the script. For his part, Polanski also insisted that the script's conclusion be changed from a BittersweetEnding reminiscent of classic film noir stories to a stark and nihilistic DownerEnding, thinking that they needed to go all the way now that the Hays Code was gone and that it was necessary for Chinatown to be a truly special film and not just a cookier-cutter Hollywood movie where everything magically works out in the end.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Lawrence Walsh serves as one of Jake's two assistants and plays a very minor role in the film, but he helps Jake conduct his investigation into Hollis, at one point spying on a conversation between Hollis and Noah. Also, he has the honor of muttering the SignatureLine, "Forget it, Jake—it's Chinatown."

** Those who saw ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' first will enjoy Roger's "pattycake" scene a lot more after watching the opening scene in ''Film/{{Chinatown}}''. ''Rabbit'' also used the same plot as the never third film, ''Cloverleaf'': L.A. and highways.
** The film can become somewhat funny from the youth's point of view now, since the tragic and lost main character contrasts very much with the modern Jack Nicholson's LargeHam roles.

* NightmareFuel: The final scene becomes quite psychedelic and very embarrassing due to a somewhat narcotic atmosphere, alienated by Catherine and the famous Jake's HeroicBSOD. A good way to do DownerEnding.

* CompleteMonster: [[spoiler:[[BigBad Noah Cross]] is a [[FauxAffablyEvil seemingly jovial, charming]] businessman who is working to stop a drought impacting Los Angeles. In truth, however, Cross is a [[CorruptCorporateExecutive ruthless sociopath]] who is purposefully enabling the drought to work towards creating fertile land he can sell for real estate. Cross murders anyone who could stand in his way, be it random innocents or his own son-in-law, and is revealed to have ignored serious warnings about the stability of the St. Francis Dam, showing zero remorse for the hundreds left dead when the dam inevitably burst due to his own greed. The true extent of Cross' evil is put on display as his daughter Evelyn is revealed to have been [[VillainousIncest raped as a teenager by Cross]], and in the present, Cross is attempting to get his hands on Evelyn's ChildByRape, Katherine. In the end, after Evelyn is killed, Cross fakes horror at the scene before swiftly dragging Katherine away, planning to use her as Evelyn's replacement for Cross's pleasure. Noah Cross has stood out for decades as one of cinema's most memorable, and depraved, villains, a reputation handily earned.]]

** Those who saw ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' first will enjoy Roger's "[[GettingCrapPastTheRadar pattycake]]" scene a lot more after watching the opening scene in ''Film/{{Chinatown}}''. ''Rabbit'' also used the same plot as the never third film, ''Cloverleaf'': L.A. and highways.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Noah Cross]] is a [[FauxAffablyEvil seemingly jovial, charming]] businessman who is working to stop a drought impacting Los Angeles. In truth, however, Cross is a [[CorruptCorporateExecutive ruthless sociopath]] who is purposefully enabling the drought to work towards creating fertile land he can sell for real estate. Cross murders anyone who could stand in his way, be it random innocents or his own son-in-law, and is revealed to have ignored serious warnings about the stability of the St. Francis Dam, showing zero remorse for the hundreds left dead when the dam inevitably burst due to his own greed. The true extent of Cross' evil is put on display as his daughter Evelyn is revealed to have been [[VillainousIncest raped as a teenager by Cross]], and in the present, Cross is attempting to get his hands on Evelyn's ChildByRape, Katherine. In the end, after Evelyn is killed, Cross fakes horror at the scene before swiftly dragging Katherine away, planning to use her as Evelyn's replacement for Cross's pleasure. Noah Cross has stood out for decades as one of cinema's most memorable, and depraved, villains, a reputation handily earned.

* HarsherInHindsight: [[spoiler:The sexual abuse Noah Cross commits within the movie]] could be seen in a whole new light after director Creator/RomanPolanski was infamously involved in something similar. [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19918_6-terrible-decisions-that-gave-us-great-movie-moments_p2.html This]] article on Website/{{Cracked}} explicitly notes the parallels between how [[spoiler:Cross]] gets off [[KarmaHoudini scott-free]] for his crimes and how Polanski himself escaped jail time by fleeing the U.S.[[note]]There are technically some differences, however. Polanski confessed to his crime, and as per a plea bargain accepted to spend time in Chino Prison as part of a psychiatric evaluation. Polanski spent 42 days in Chino, honouring his part of the plea bargain and was released early as per the recommendation of his probation officer. It was only when Judge Rittenbrand decided to back out of the plea bargain and planned to bring fresh charges that Polanski decided to flee, an action which the prosecutor of that case admitted was a justified response. In other words, unlike Cross whose crime is never unearthed and who does not admit to his crimes, Polanski both admitted to his crime and subjected himself to the justice system, only running when they backed out of the plea bargain.[[/note]]

* VindicatedByHistory: ''The Two Jakes'' is now recognized as a worthy sequel to ''Chinatown'', especially if one watches the films back-to-back, but it's not the classic [[FirstInstallmentWins the original is]].

** [[CreatorCameo Polanski himself]], as the Man with the Knife. "You're a very nosy fella, kittycat. You know what happens to nosy fellas? No? Wanna guess?"[[note]]And Polanski wasn't supposed to be in the role himself. Circumstances forced him into doing the part himself.[[/note]]

** Those who saw ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' first will enjoy Roger's "[[GettingCrapPastTheRadar pattycake]]" scene a lot more after watching the opening scene in ''Film/{{Chinatown}}''.

* HarsherInHindsight: [[spoiler:The sexual abuse Noah Cross commits within the movie]] could be seen in a whole new light after attention was brought to a real-life court case implicating Creator/RomanPolanski himself in something similar. [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19918_6-terrible-decisions-that-gave-us-great-movie-moments_p2.html This]] article on Website/{{Cracked}} explicitly notes the parallels between how [[spoiler:Cross]] gets off [[KarmaHoudini scott-free]] for his crimes and how Polanski himself escaped jail time by fleeing the U.S.[[note]]This is technically not quite what happened, as Polanski's tvtropes page attests. Polanski confessed to his crime, and as per a plea bargain accepted to spend time in Chino Prison as part of a psychiatric evaluation. Polanski spent 42 Days in Chino, honouring his part of the plea bargain and was released early as per the recommendation of his probation officer. It was only when Judge Rittenbrand decided to back out of the plea bargain and planned to bring fresh charges that Polanski decided to flee, an action which the prosecutor of that case admitted was a justified response. In other words, unlike Cross whose crime is never unearthed and who does not admit to his crimes, Polanski both admitted to his crime and subjected himself to the justice system, only running when they backed out of the plea bargain.[[/note]]

** The film can become somewhat funny from the youth's point of view now, since the tragic and lost main character contrasts very much with the modern Nicholson's LargeHam roles.

** Jake wants the truth [[Film/AFewGoodMen he can't handle the truth.]]

* TrueArtIsAngsty: Robert Evans, the film's producer, wanted Roman Polanski as director because he thought Polanski, a european, would have a DarkerAndEdgier vision of the USA more suited to the script. For his part, Polanski also insisted that the script's conclusion be changed from a BittersweetEnding reminiscent of classic film noir stories to a stark and nihilistic DownerEnding, thinking that they needed to go all the way now that the Hays Code was gone and that it was necessary for Chinatown to be a truly special film and not just a cookier-cutter Hollywood movie where everything magically works out in the end.

* HarsherInHindsight: [[spoiler:The sexual abuse Noah Cross commits within the movie]] could be seen in a whole new light after attention was brought to a real-life court case implicating Creator/RomanPolanski himself in something similar. [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19918_6-terrible-decisions-that-gave-us-great-movie-moments_p2.html This]] article on Website/{{Cracked}} explicitly notes the parallels between how [[spoiler:Cross]] gets off [[KarmaHoudini scott-free]] for his crimes and how Polanski himself escaped jail time by fleeing the U.S.[[note]]This is technically not quite what happened, as Polanski's tvtropes page attests. Polanski confessed to his crime, and as per a plea bargain accepted to spend time in Chino Prison as part of a psychiatric evaluation. Polanski spent 42 Days in Chino, honouring his part of the plea bargain and was released early as per the recommendation of his probation officer. It was only when Judge Rittenbrand decided to back out of the plea bargain and planned to bring fresh charges that Polanski decided to flee, an action which the prosecutor of that case admitted was a justified response. In other words, unlike Cross whose crime is never unearthed and who does not admit to his crimes, Polanski both admitted to his crime and subjected himself to the justice system[[/note]]