“Chinatown” A film noir in which a filmmaker who has seen Inferno on earth confronts his own trauma *Note! Contains spoilers.

What does “Evelyn’s Eye” represent?

Evelyn had a child with her biological father, Noah. She separated her newborn daughter Catherine from Noah - perhaps this name is a quote from the Bible ``Noah's Ark'' and means ``the one who controls the water'' - and continued to protect her from evil hands. . Noah, who boasts, ``Ordinary people don't know this, but people can do anything given the right time and circumstances,'' is an awe-inspiring figure for Evelyn.

What is impressive is Evelyn's eyes. When Gittes is having his nose treated, he has this exchange with her:

"There's a black dot in the green (eye)."

"That's the thing. It's a scar. On the iris."

"scratch?"

“It’s natural.”

In Greek mythology, Oedipus unknowingly killed his father, Laios, and had a son with his mother, Jocasta. Oedipus eventually learns the truth and, in despair, cuts out his own eyes. The “scarred eye” is a metaphor for incest. In the end, Evelyn is shot out in the eye and dies. Then Noah covers Catherine's eyes as she cries and takes her away.

Moreover, Polanski deliberately chose Chinatown as the setting for the tragedy. In the original scenario, Chinatown does not appear on screen until the end. It is simply depicted as a "symbol of corruption and depravity" that Gittes keeps locked away in the depths of his memory. But just as he himself had decided to return to Los Angeles, Polanski thought he should let Gittes settle his case in Chinatown. And then he makes him say this all-too-famous line: "as little as possible." This world is not a blessed place for him, having lost his mother, lost his wife, and seen the Inferno of this world.

Chinatown is currently Roman Polanski's last American film. In 1977, three years after the film's release, he was arrested on suspicion of having sex with a 13-year-old girl at Jack Nicholson's house. Upon his release, he fled to France, which does not have an extradition treaty with the United States, and has continued to make films in Europe ever since. He took it upon himself to block his way back to Los Angeles. eternally.

reference:

https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/from-chinatown-to-niketown/Content?oid=1471805

Text: Rui Takeshima

A pop culture writer who wants to be kicked by Hit Girl. Host of the web magazine "POP MASTER".

Watch now

View work information

"Chinatown "

Blu-ray: 2,619 yen (tax included) DVD: 1,572 yen (tax included)

Publisher: NBCUniversal Entertainment

(C) 1974 by Long Road Productions. All Rights Reserved.TM, (R) & Copyright (C) 2012 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

(c) Photofest / Getty Images