Chinatown Revisited (1999)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Director Roman Polanski, writer Robert Towne and producer Robert Evans are interviewed about the making of CHINATOWN, the classic noir film with Jack Nicholson. Polanski starts off talking about how it was Nicholson who sent him the script as the two had been wanting to work together for quite some time. From here we learn about the casting of the movie and the director mentions that he wanted Faye Dunaway even though the producer was pushing for Jane Fonda. The casting of John Huston is also discussed and it's clear all three were wanting him and knew it was some of the most important casting in the picture. Polanski and Towne also discuss the various connections to previous noir characters including Marlowe and the work of Raymond Chandler. Towne also tells a neat story about what he wanted out of the Dunaway character. Fans of CHINATOWN are certainly going to enjoy hearing all of these stories and some of the most fascinating stuff comes in regards to the ending, which apparently Evans didn't originally want. They all agree that a movie like this couldn't be made in today's times without some major changes. At under 20-minutes there's no question that the film deserves a more detailed documentary. Perhaps interviews with Nicholson or Dunaway would be great but also just more about the actual making. Until then, this featurette is still fun and worth watching.