Principal cast
Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez and Burt Young
Film 19 of 498 on the Screen Path
Chinatown
You get tough. You get tender. You get close to each other. Maybe you even get close to the truth.
About the film
Chinatown at a glance.
Screen Path places this 1974 film at stop 19 in one curated journey through cinema. The learning experience adds context before you watch and deeper analysis after.
Private eye Jake Gittes lives off of the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together.
Key craft credits
John A. Alonzo (director of photography), Sam O'Steen (editor), Jerry Goldsmith (original music composer), Richard Sylbert (production design) and W. Stewart Campbell (art direction)
- Director
- Roman Polanski
- Release
- 1974-06-20
- Runtime
- 130 minutes
- Genres
- Crime, Mystery and Thriller
- Country
- United States
- Quiz
- 50 questions
The Screen Path journey
Before. After. Remember.
The featured film is watched outside Screen Path. The app provides the learning experience around it: a guide, an analysis, and a quiz with explanations.
01
Before you watch
Start with a spoiler-free video guide to the context and filmmaking choices worth noticing.
Spoiler-free02
After the film
Return after watching for a deeper video analysis of craft, meaning, and legacy.
Contains spoilers03
Quiz yourself
Answer 50 questions with clear rationales designed to make the ideas stick.
50 questions in this journeyCitizen Kane is the complete public example: both learning videos and a five-question sample quiz are available below.
Start the example →Full cast
Full cast
- Jack NicholsonCharacter: J.J. 'Jake' Gittes
- Faye DunawayCharacter: Evelyn Cross Mulwray
- John HustonCharacter: Noah Cross
- Perry LopezCharacter: Lieutenant Lou Escobar
- Burt YoungCharacter: Curly
- John HillermanCharacter: Russ Yelburton
- Darrell ZwerlingCharacter: Hollis I. Mulwray
- Roman PolanskiCharacter: Man with Knife
- Diane LaddCharacter: Ida Sessions
- Richard BakalyanCharacter: Detective Loach
- Joe MantellCharacter: Lawrence Walsh
- Roy JensonCharacter: Claude Mulvihill
Full crew
Full crew
- Roman PolanskiCredits: Director, Additional Writing, Writer
- W. Stewart CampbellCredits: Art Direction
- Ruby R. LevittCredits: Set Decoration
- Mike FentonCredits: Casting
- Logan FrazeeCredits: Special Effects
- Richard SylbertCredits: Production Design
- Jane FeinbergCredits: Casting
- Robert EvansCredits: Producer
- Jerry GoldsmithCredits: Original Music Composer, Conductor
- Sam O'SteenCredits: Editor
- Bob CornettCredits: Sound Editor
- John C. HammellCredits: Music Editor
- John A. AlonzoCredits: Director of Photography
- Anthea SylbertCredits: Costume Design
- Larry JostCredits: Sound Mixer
- Hal NeedhamCredits: Stunt Coordinator
- Hugh K. GagnierCredits: Camera Operator
- C.O. EricksonCredits: Unit Production Manager, Associate Producer
- Susan GermaineCredits: Hairstylist
- Bill MacSemsCredits: Property Master
- Earl GilbertCredits: Gaffer
- Hawk KochCredits: Assistant Director
- Bernie SchwartzCredits: Key Grip
- Clint AlthouseCredits: Boom Operator
- Wayne FitzgeraldCredits: Title Designer
- Florence WilliamsonCredits: Assistant Editor
- Charles GrenzbachCredits: Sound Re-Recording Mixer
- Vivienne WalkerCredits: Hairstylist
- May Wale BrownCredits: Script Supervisor
- Hank EddsCredits: Makeup Artist
- Michele AderCredits: Second Assistant Director
- Richard BrunoCredits: Wardrobe Supervisor
- Jean MerrickCredits: Wardrobe Supervisor
- Robert TowneCredits: Writer
- Stanley CortezCredits: Additional Photography
- Lee HarmanCredits: Makeup Artist
- Lee RafnerCredits: Second Assistant Director
- Gabe ReshCredits: Set Designer
- Robert ReshCredits: Set Designer
- Tom BartholomewCredits: Standby Painter
- Joseph HurleyCredits: Production Illustrator
- Bill ParksCredits: Construction Coordinator
- Howard BealsCredits: Sound Editor
- David DockendorfCredits: Sound Re-Recording Mixer
- James PilcherCredits: Cableman
- Fred StaffordCredits: ADR Editor
- Roger SwordCredits: Sound Editor
- John WilkinsonCredits: Sound Re-Recording Mixer
- Jim BurkCredits: Stunts
- Alan GibbsCredits: Stunts
- Ken John BorlandCredits: Dolly Grip
- Richard BorlandCredits: Key Grip
- Bruce CatlinCredits: First Assistant Camera
- Cecil LuptonCredits: Best Boy Grip
- Arnold L. RichCredits: Camera Operator
- Orlando SueroCredits: Still Photographer
- Lance WilliamsCredits: First Assistant Camera
- Joan JoseffCredits: Other
- Murray AdlerCredits: Musician
- Israel BakerCredits: Musician
- Douglas DavisCredits: Musician
- Pamela GoldsmithCredits: Musician
- Ralph GriersonCredits: Musician
- Alan HarshmanCredits: Musician
- Artie KaneCredits: Musician
- Armand KaproffCredits: Musician
- Myra KestenbaumCredits: Musician
- Jacob KrachmalnickCredits: Musician
- Raphael KramerCredits: Musician
- Lincoln MayorgaCredits: Musician
- Arthur MortonCredits: Orchestrator
- John NormanCredits: Scoring Mixer
- Joe PorcaroCredits: Musician
- Uan RaseyCredits: Musician
- Dorothy RemsenCredits: Musician
- Emil RichardsCredits: Musician
- David SchwartzCredits: Musician
- Haim ShtrumCredits: Musician
- Robert SushelCredits: Musician
- Gerald VinciCredits: Musician
- Dorothy WadeCredits: Musician
- Mary Louise ZeyenCredits: Musician
- Mike ReedyCredits: Prop Maker
- Herman BodenCredits: Stand In
- Sig FrohlichCredits: Stand In
- Lillian MichelsonCredits: Researcher
- Lee SollenbergerCredits: Animal Wrangler
Film data and images provided by TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.