February 4, 2021

I was caught up with Mlog/Blog but then I watched another movie last night. Man, this has been the suckiest part of quarantine so far. The monotony is crushing. I'm losing the will to juggle my projects, getting to the I'll just see how they sound when they drop phase. The only time it was more acutely worse was in the beginning of the pandemic, when I was grocery shopping in a packed Ralphs, and everything was sold out. The can aisle was empty, the frozen food was all gone, toilet paper, dry goods, everything. I remember thinking "I don't want to get sick." I thought about catching COVID and not having any food in the house. Not being able to get more because of my symptoms and not having anyone who could come and help me out. 

Especially since the shots I don't have that fear any more. But I do worry that Mitch might get sick and that my parents might get sick and die. I also worry my relationships are going to fall apart, that my mental health is going to go under. I've held on this long! I'm not sure how much more I can keep it up. 

Okay, Mlog time. **SPOILERS**

CHINATOWN

1974

Directed by: Roman Polanski

Written by: Robert Towne 

Watched: 2/3/2021

        Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) is a private detective who's been caught with his pants down. Mrs. Mulwray, the wife of the chief engineer of the department of water and power, hired him to find out if her husband was having an affair. Gittes snaps some photos of Mr. Mulwray out with a young woman. These photos get published in the paper, and then the real Mrs. Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) shows up to sue him. The real Mrs. Mulwray goes on to hire Gittes when her husband turns up dead -- drown in a slough. Los Angeles, at the time, was in severe drought and rations from the reservoir were making farmers and ranchers unhappy. Mr. Mulwray didn't want to build a faulty dam or deprive the LA residents of drinking water. But his old partner, and Mrs. Mulwray's father, saw an opportunity to make a bunch of money -- only Mulwray was standing in the way. So basically Gittes finds this out -- that people were buying up the cheap and droughted land in the valley knowing that soon, water was going to get pumped in there and the land would be worth a fortune. Gittes gets beat up. Gittes sleeps with Mrs. Mulwray. Gittes finds out the missing girl -- the one in the photos with Mulwray and who Mr. Cross (Mrs. Mulwray's father) has hired him to find -- is in Mrs. Mulwray's servant's house. It comes out that this girl is the daughter and sister of Mrs. Mulwray. Gross. Gittes tries to help the two women get away, but the police shoot Mrs. Mulwray in the process and the crooked rapist Mr. Cross swoops in to retrieve his daughter/granddaughter. Tough luck in Chinatown. 

        Is it just me or are noir crime mysteries a bit foggy? Like, was Mr. Mulwray actually having an affair with his wife's sister/daughter? The girl ended up being like 15. Nicholson and Dunaway are great in this, and I really enjoyed seeing all the old Los Angeles locations -- civic buildings with interior wood paneling and exterior stucco arches. LA looks good in this movie. Of course the script is Raymond Chandler inspired -- maybe the whole genre is? But while Gittes is tough, sentimental, and vaguely dangerous -- to a tantalizing degree -- I miss Philip Marlowe's ability to take himself lightly. He spends a good portion of his novels figuring he'll lose and being surprised when he wins. He's a tough guy alright, but he's always a good sport about it. Marlowe is a tough guy with soft exterior. Gittes is more of a soft guy with a hard exterior. It doesn't matter. 

        Like in REPULSION, there's no bottom to the malice men can direct at women in this movie. Gittes is okay, but at the end of the day he's a little bit of a sap (just so disappointed in himself that he keeps getting his lovers killed). Whereas Cross, cunning, confident, unbeatable, is presumably in it to rape his daughter/granddaughter and is going to succeed. 

Rating: ★★★