ET18 Chinatown

Chinatown, a detective film with elements of film noir was shown in 1974. Chinatown, has been called one of the greatest films ever made. It was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, winning in the Best Original Screenplay category for Robert Towne. After watching the film, I have noticed parallels between the plot and Joseph Campbell's model of the Monomyth.

At the start of the plot, the hero, J.J Gittes, is living in a normal world where there is nothing out of the ordinary going on. He is just making his living as a private investigator. The entrance of the fake Mrs Mulwray is the first call from the labyrinth, the first call that beckons him towards the entry of the labyrinth. At first he is reluctant, again similar to the hero in the Monomyth, who refuses the call of the labyrinth because he is afraid of change. In the film, Gittes is reluctant to accede to Mrs Mulwray's request because he doesn't want to break up a marriage. However, he accedes in the end, when the fake Mrs Mulwray makes him an offer he can't refuse. Gittes then tails Hollis Mulwray. Hollis Mulwray holds the answer to all of the questions asked later on in the film, of course, we don't know that the first time we watch the film, but in retrospect, the tailing of Hollis Mulwray was actually the meeting of the mentor, the fourth stage of a hero's journey.

In the fifth stage of a hero's journey, he crosses a threshold, from a world that is normal in every sense of the word, into a world where rules don't apply, where left is right, and everything is topsy-turvy. Similarly, J.J Gittes first realises he has been duped by a fake Mrs Mulwray, then discovers the dead body of his mentor. After that, he nearly drowns in water cascading down an aquaduct that was supposed to be bone dry according to experts. Everything as he knew it was upside down, and he has entered a foreign world.

In the sixth stage of the hero's journey according to Joseph Campbell, the hero meets with test, allies and enemies. In the film, Gittes first meets his enemies in unsavory water department security chief Claude, and his henchman ( a cameo by director Roman Polanski ). The henchman slashes Gitte's nose with a knife leaving him with an ugly scar. In my opinion, the scar represents the changes a hero must face in his journey. The scar is also a test of sorts, a test to see if the hero (Gittes) could withstand physical pain. The bogus Mrs Mulwray then reveals herself as an ally, providing Gittes with important information, thus completing the sixth stage.

After Gittes visits the hall of records, comparing recent land grantees with names of deceased persons in the obituary column. Then he drives to an orange grove in the northwest San Fernando Valley, and is shot at, caught and beaten by angry landowners. They explain that the water department has been demolishing their water tanks and poisoning their wells. By following the trails, he is preparing for a major challenge in this new world which he has entered, a parallel to Joseph Campbell's hero.

Gittes manages to piece together all the information to finally get a clear picture of what's going on. Every hint and clue points to the Mar Vista Inn. As a hero, he is nearing the center of the labyrinth, and it is at the center of this special place that he confronts death. Again, in the Mar Vista Inn, Gitte's ruse has been discovered and he is pursued and shot at. His life is threatened. After that, he is saved by Miss Mulwray and they sleep together soon after. The eighth step of a hero's journey states that out of death comes a new life. Of course, it doesn't mean that literally. However, I think the act of copulation is a metaphor for a new life. Because sex is the act of procreating, that is, making new life out of the union of 2 humans. And thus concludes the eighth step of the hero's journey. It is interesting to note that every significant part of Gitte's story is almost a like-for-like parallel of Joseph Campbell's Monomyth model.

Besides the possibilities of a blossoming relationship with Mrs Mulwray, he now knows everything. The mystery of the disappearing water, and the mystery surrounding the Mulwrays and the Crosses. He learns of Evelyn Mulwray's sexual liaison with her father at age 15. And the child (Katherine) born of said ill-fated union. Comparing Gittes to Joseph Campbell's hero, it would seem that Gittes's reward is knowledge slash the missing piece to the puzzle.

Gittes then decides to help Evelyn and her daughter escape the evil clutches of Noah Cross. He also plans to expose Noah Cross for all his shady wheeling and dealing. In comparison with Joseph Campbell's hero, the hero (Gittes) is driven to complete the adventure, leaving the Special World to be sure the treasure is brought home, or in Gittes's case, ensure that the information is handed over to the proper authorities and justice is served. In the 10th step of the journey, a chase scene is often present, to signal the urgency and danger of the mission. In Gittes's story, he escapes the clutches of Lou Escobar narrowly, after being coerced by Lou into revealing Evelyn's location.

At the eleventh step of the hero's journey, he is severely tested on the threshold of home. Gittes is tested when he is on the verge of busting Noah Cross. Lou Escobar doesn't believe him, he is taken under custody, and all seems lost. Another moment of death occurs, specifically that of Evelyn's. She is shot dead when she tries to escape from Noah. His past and present has come full circle, all conflict resolved.

He ends the adventure a different man. Different good, or different bad, we shall never know. The last step of the hero's journey is not fully explored, which leaves room for imagination and speculation, making the film all the more intriguing. This film has also proven, beyond a shadow of doubt, the accuracy of the pattern of narrative identified by the American scholar Joseph Campbell of the archtype known as the 'hero'.