“Chinatown” as Film Noir
Films that are classified as being in the film noir genre all share some basic characteristics. There is generally a voice-over throughout the film in order to guide the audience’s perceptions. These movies also involve a crime and a detective who is trying to figure out the truth in the situation. This detective usually encounters a femme fatale who seduces him. However, the most distinctive feature of the film noir genre is the abundance of darkness.
Roman Polanski’s 1974 film, “Chinatown”, revolutionized the film noir genre. Aside from the absence
of voice-over, the film shares all the same characteristics with earlier noirs. That is, of course, except for the fact that “Chinatown” is filmed in color. Because of this, it is more difficult upon the first viewing to immediately classify the movie to this genre. In movies such as “Double Indemnity” even scenes that take place during the daytime are dark, and since it is a black and white film, this......
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