Since the film industry was established, in the late 1880s, several movie styles have come up. Although each generation has its own distinct movie style, there are some characteristics that are almost universal - especially for successive movie genres. The best example which explains this is Chinatown (by Roman Polanski) and Murder, My Sweet (by Edward Dmytryk). These two films represent different generations, but some similarities are apparent between the films. This could be due to the fact that they represent genres that are not so many years apart. While “Chinatown” represents a type of films known as neo noir, “Murder, My Sweet”, on the other hand, represents a type of films known as film noir. Although the visual styles applied in “Chinatown" and “Murder, My Sweet” are quite different, the two films share typical noir characters, and a similar narrative technique.
In both “Chinatown” and “Murder, My Sweet”, the hero is depicted as a man who is never short of witty remarks, and is always brave. For instance, in the film “murder, My Sweet”, private detective Philip Marlowe plays that role well- after he is hired by Moose Malloy to track his old girlfriend - but not before getting dragged into an intricate web of perjury, deceit and theft. While doing his investigation, Marlowe gets knocked out repeatedly and he is drugged at some point. Nonetheless, the brave Marlowe prevails in the end; he plays the strong-willed macho man. He also discovers a stolen jade necklace - a story that revolves around an old man, his daughter and his gold-digging wife. Similarly to what happens in “Murder, My Sweet”, the film “Chinatown” also stars a private detective who had retired a few years ago.
J.J Gittes is hired by Ida Sessions, who pretends to be Evelyn Mulwray, to investigate if Hollis, Evelyn’s husband, was cheating on her. In his investigation, Gittes finds out that Hollis had been cheating on his wife with a young lady. He also uncovers a scheme, hatched by Hollis, to buy idle land, water it, and sell at exorbitant prices. This is a reminder of the California Water Wars, whereby a lot of money was made by drying patches of land, buying the land at throw away prices, watering the land again and selling it for millions of dollars. Everyone in the film seems to be scheming about something and the real intentions of each character remain unknown. There is so much corruption in Chinatown, and even the police appear to be up to some evil plans.
Another common feature in both “Chinatown” and “Murder, My Sweet” is the presence of a femme fetale. Femme fetale is a French word used to describe a seductive woman who ensnares men with her irresistible charm and beauty, and leads them to dangerous situations. In “Murder, My Sweet”, Claire Trevor plays that role as Mrs. Grayle. As expected of a noir film, Mrs. Grayle does not fit into the conventional wife. Instead, she is as seducing as ever, and unfaithful to the core. At times, she plays the innocent girl to get what she wants, but can also be ruthless if the situation demands. In “Chinatown”, Evelyn Mulwray fits the role of a femme fetale. Evelyn is beautiful and guards her secrets jealously. During the brief encounter with Jake, she comes off as a quick thinker with a sense of humor. She keeps Jake engaged – by letting him unravel his past – all in the name of fulfilling her secret desire to be intimate with him. Despite these similarities, one thing sets “Chinatown” and “Murder, My Sweet” apart: the visual style applied.
As expected of film noir, “Murder, My sweet” employs the use of black and white visual style. The use of slight shadows on the visible faces of the characters creates the impression that they have something to hide. The use of black and white visuals also helps to bring out the dark events narrated in the movie. By setting a dark tone – at the beginning of the movie and in the subsequent events – the viewers interpret and understand the movie in the same context. On the contrary, “Chinatown” employs the use colors – something which is common in neo noir films. The use of color helps to distinguish the noble events carried out in the daylight from the dark events of corruption and deceit carried out during the dark. The use of motion pictures and other visual elements in “Chinatown” also signifies the departure from film noir to neo noir. Therefore, it can be said that neo noir is an upgrade of film noir.
As a movie style, film noir became popular in the 1940s, and the American films released at that time were characterized by a distinct black and white visual style. The film noir’s were also outstanding in their emphasis of the themes of violence, war and criminal activities. A perfect example of film noir is Murder, My Sweet - released in 1944 and directed by Edward Dmytryk. On the other hand, Neo noir, as a distinct film style, came years later after the introduction of visual elements, such as color, into film noir movies. Therefore, the use of color and other visual elements elevated film noir into neo noir. Nothing exemplifies this fact more than “Chinatown”.
Works Cited
Raw, Laurence and Tony Gurr. Adaptation Studies and Learning. Lanham : Scarecrow Press,
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Telotte, J.P. Voices in the Dark: The Narrative Patterns of Film Noir. Champaign, IL :
