I just saw Chinatown again last night, for the first time in High Def As much as I hate to be disloyal to the other movies I love, this is my favorite of all. I knew it was a landmark when I saw it at the time it was first released. Its the most completely realized film I know of, from the first scene with the haunting Jerry Goldsmith score to the final line. The screenplay is deservedly famous and the acting is wonderful Its wonderful to see Nicholson before he became a parody of himself. The scene where Dunaway loses all of her defenses just from Nicholson telling her he saw her father is devastating, as is the justly famous revelation of the final twist. Every single performance is solid, no one just mails it in. The cinematography is wonderful, especially if you’ve lived in coastal California I also think it is the most American of films, since it deals with the eternal conflict between our dreams and the things some people will do to realize their dreams, no matter the cost to others. This one film is like an education in film, watch it sometime and pay attention to how the tension is remorsely increased, through the pacing, editing, cinematography and music Polanski doesn’t get enough credit as a director, he does the same thing in Rosemary’s Baby, starting out lighthearted and finally making the tension almost unbearable.