Freud in Chinatown.

"Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown!" and the credits rolled. As the credits rolled, I was left speechless and stunned with the truth and ending of 'Chinatown'. Indeed, this movie left an extreme impact on me and it took me some time to process the movie. In fact, I went home, search the movie and read the synopsis in order to complete the missing puzzle in my mind. I was amazed with Polanski's work on how he leads the audience to fill in every single pieces of the puzzle. Everything linked and made sense, from the iris, to the glasses and what not, the shot at her flawed eye. Not to mention, the ending... the ending was truly powerful and left me in awed.  A true work of brilliance! As Chairman Rey discussed 'Chinatown' in the next class, he related it to Sigmund Freud's theory. Then, I came to realization that 'Chinatown' is strongly associated to Freud's theory.

According to Freud, we are born with our Id.  The id is an important part of our personality because as newborns, it allows us to get our basic needs met.  Freud believed that the id is based on our pleasure principle.  In other words, the id wants whatever feels good at the time, with no consideration for the reality of the situation. The id doesn't care about reality, about the needs of anyone else, only its own satisfaction (Id, Ego, Superego, and the Unconscious in Psychology 101 at AllPsychOnline). The Id can be associated to Noah Cross when he said "I don't blame myself. You see, Mr. Gits. Most people never have to face the fact that at the right time, the right place, they're capable of anything" (Dirks). Cross was indirectly stating that he had an incestuous relationship with her daughter, Evelyn. The word "anything" was indeed frightening. 

 "I don't blame myself. You see, Mr. Gits. Most people never have to face the fact that at the right time, the right place, they're capable of anything" 

The ego is based on the reality principle. The ego understands that other people have needs and desires and that sometimes being impulsive or selfish can hurt us in the long run.  Its the ego's job to meet the needs of the id, while taking into consideration the reality of the situation.The Superego is the moral part of us and develops due to the moral and ethical restraints placed on us by our caregivers.  Many equate the superego with the conscience as it dictates our belief of right and wrong. According to Freud, the ego is the strongest so that it can satisfy the needs of the id, not upset the superego, and still take into consideration the reality of every situation  (Id, Ego, Superego, and the Unconscious in Psychology 101 at AllPsychOnline). Therefore, it is not shocking to us that Gittes was dumbfounded with the truth that Evelyn had an incestuous relationship with her father. After all, as an audience, I was in complete surprise and in utter disgust after Evelyn revealed the truth. This is because we know that incest is probably the biggest sin one can commit and it's against all society and religion beliefs. The teachings of our religion is our superego and our ego tells us not to commit incestuous relationship.


A Freudian slip is a verbal or memory mistake that is believed to be linked to the unconscious mind. Common examples include an individual calling his or her spouse by an ex's name, saying the wrong word or even misinterpreting a written or spoken word (Cherry). An obvious Freudian Slip was the word “glass”. The Chinese gardener tells Gittes “Salt water. Bad for glass.” Actually he was pointing that the salt water was bad for the grass. He asked the gardener to fish out the sparkling object he had seen earlier but didn't have time to fish out. The object is a pair of cracked spectacles (Dirks). Coincidence much?  After realization, "glass" unconsciously linked the glasses, the salt-water, and possibly, the murderer.


The movie 'Chinatown' can be related to Freud's Life Instincts (Eros), sometimes referred to as sexual instincts, the life instincts are those that deal with basic survival, pleasure, and reproduction. These instincts are important for sustaining the life of the individual as well as the continuation of the species. While they are often called sexual instincts, these drives also include such things as thirst, hunger, and pain avoidance. The energy created by the life instincts is known as libido (Cherry). In my opinion, this can be interconnected to Noah Cross's persistence to find Katherine. Perhaps, reproduction and continuation of species is the driving force behind his desperate behavior.

A fixation is a persistent focus on an earlier psychosexual stage. Until this conflict is resolved, the individual will remain "stuck" in this stage. For example, a person who is fixated at the oral stage may be over-dependent on others and may seek oral stimulation through smoking, drinking, or eating (Cherry). In 'Chinatown', we could see that Jake Gittes is constantly smoking. Possibly, during his oral stage he may be over-dependent.

Orally frustrated?

Work Cited

Cherry, Kendra. "Freud's Stages of Psychosexual Development." About.com Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/ss/psychosexualdev.htm>.

Cherry, Kendra. "Life and Death Instincts." About.com Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://psychology.about.com/od/sigmundfreud/a/instincts.htm>.

Cherry, Kendra. "What Is a Freudian Slip?" About.com Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://psychology.about.com/od/sigmundfreud/f/freudian-slip.htm>.

Dirks, Tim. "Chinatown (1974)." Filmsite. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://www.filmsite.org/chin4.html>.

"Id, Ego, Superego, and the Unconscious in Psychology 101 at AllPsychOnline."AllPsychOnline. N.p., 22 Sept. 2002. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://allpsych.com/psychology101/ego.html>.

Rain or "Summer Breeze"?

'Isn't this a lovely day' is choreographed accordingly by the event Jerry wanting to win Dale's heart. The event starts off by Jerry and Dale stranded under a gazebo due to the rain. Initially, Dale does not favour Jerry but she shows interest as Jerry progress by singing to her. When Jerry stands up, Dale gives in and starts mimicking Jerry's moves. Eventually, both of them dance in similar motion which means that Dale is favouring Jerry. As the thunder strikes, the dance gets even more aggressive which result them to dance together, with physical contact. This indicates that Jerry has successfully capture Dale's heart. On the other hand, 'You were meant for me' is choreographed in conjunction to Don wanting to express his love and sincerity to Kathy. Don brings Kathy to a studio setting and then confesses his love for her by making use of the apparatus in the studio. The ambiance is romantic even though it is artificially and electronically achieved. He starts by singing and inviting her to dance with him. Kathy is doubtful but she gives Don and herself a shot. In the dance, Don leads Kathy and it implies that she is willing to give this relationship a chance.

 'Isn't this a lovely day' begins by both, Jerry and Dale sitting on a bench. The first approach by Jerry on chasing Dale is by singing to her. Then, he stands up and starts whistling. The first imitation is when Dale whistles after Jerry whistles. From there, Dale starts to imitate Jerry's dance steps which later leads them to dance in synchronize. The thunder alarms them but they continue dancing and hence, it leads to physical contact. The physical contact somehow signifies that Dale gives in and accepts Jerry as her admirer. The musical number ends by both sitting on the floor with legs folded after a lively dance together. 'You were meant for me' begins by Kathy standing on the ladder. Similar to 'Isn't this a lovely day', Don initiates by singing 'You were meant for me'. Then, Don invites Kathy to dance by holding her hand. Kathy's willingness to dance with Don signifies that she trusts him and Don has successfully convinced Kathy that he loves her whole-heartedly. At the end, Don stands on the ladder indicating that he will take the lead in their relationship and that she can count on him.

The general meaning of the lyric 'Isn't this a lovely day' is, despite the bad weather, it is still a lovely day because they are trapped in the gazebo together. Jerry is also trying to convey that it does not matter if it is raining as long as Dale is with him. In my opinion, the honeyed lyric is sang by Jerry to win Dale's heart by convincing that even if life mistreats him, he will still be contented as long as she is with him. In contrast, the overall meaning of the lyric 'You were meant for me' is, Don telling Kathy her importance in his life and he is grateful that they have met. In my view, the lyric conveys a hidden meaning that Kathy's existence is the most sincere thing in Don's life as the life of a celebrity is pretentious and full of shenanigans.The tempo of 'Isn't this a lovely day' is andante (moderate pace) in the beginning when Jerry is singing. However, when he stops singing, the tempo  increases as they tap-dance simultaneously. The tempo is allegro (quick) during the alternates of the music and the dancing. At the end, it is presto (very fast) when the couple finally makes body contact and starts spinning, dancing together. On the other hand, the tempo of 'You were meant for me' remains slow (adagio) when Don is singing. The tempo increases as they started to dance together.'Isn't this a lovely day' is a fun, energetic number as the music has an upbeat tempo. What makes the music energetic is that it has elements like whistling and fast tap-dancing beats, Not to mention, noises from the background which is the thunder contributes to the energetic spirit. Meanwhile, 'You were meant for me' is rather lethargic as it has a slow tempo which creates an amorous and romantic sensation. Moreover, the beats of the tap-dancing is softer and slower in comparison to 'Isn't this a lovely day'. Therefore, it is least energetic.
                        

My preference would be 'Isn't this a lovely day'. This is chiefly because of the playful mood evoked by both the dance and song that puts a smile on my face. I especially enjoy the first two minutes where Jerry tries to woo Dale. Jerry's charming yet flirtatious way of approach to charm Dale creates an affection from me towards Jerry. In my opinion, the chase emits puppy-love type of romance, very playful yet innocent. Also, Dale's facial expression is priceless because you could see the fondness that gradually blossoms in her face as Jerry sings to her. On the other hand, 'You were meant for me' is leaning towards the sentimental romance which is touching but not as entertaining. In my view, Kathy's facial expressions do not vary in comparison to Dale's. Perhaps, this is due to Debbie Reynolds (Kathy) scarce experience in acting as she was only 19 years old. Nonetheless, "You were meant for me' is a great number as it is well sang and performed by the casts. However, I will still root for 'Isn't this a lovely day' as it appeals to me for I tend to adore light-hearted musical numbers compared to the sentimental ones. Therefore, Rain wins! 

A random notion of mine came up that Gene Kelly and Ginger Rogers would definitely make a fantastic couple in musicals. Both stars are good-looking, almost similar in age, not to mention, both are flamboyant dancers. What do you think?

Gene Kelly and  Ginger Rogers. What do you think?

Play with Music, literally.

The movie 'M' by Fritz Lang has haunted me as it did not give me a sense of closure at the ending. Hence, I was driven to do more research about 'M' to understand the movie better, probably was hoping to find closure. When I saw ET 10, I knew I was going to write it as I have done an ample research on it. I associated 'M' with the key characteristic of melodrama and did some in-depth analysis. So, is 'M' a melodrama?

According to Dirks, Melodrama Films are a sub-type of drama films, characterized by a plot to appeal to the heightened emotions of the audience. Melodrama, a combination of drama and melos (music), literally means "play with music." However, in 'M', there wasn't any adaptation of music. Throughout the movie, the only "music" heard was the whistle of Hans Beckert (Peter Lorre), who is whistling "In the Hall of the Mountain King". Therefore, this has reinforced that 'M' is not a melodrama.

Commonly, melodramas possess a characteristic of reinforcing social order of the world in which we live - the cops always catch the bad guys and the legal system always favors the innocent - very much a "rose-colored glasses" perspective of the world ( Whitlock). However, at the ending of 'M', the shot cuts to three of the victims' mothers crying before the sentence is announced. Hence, we do not know if Beckert is executed which eventually did not give a sense of closure to the audience. If 'M' is a melodrama, the story would have ended by Beckert sentenced to death because it is typical in melodrama that the good are always rewarded and the evil always punished. Therefore, this supports my point that 'M' refutes the genre of melodrama.

Another fundamental characteristic of melodrama is clear-cut issues of right vs wrong. However, this characteristic is not portrayed in the last 15 minutes of 'M' as I could not tell what was right or wrong. When Beckert defended himself in the kangaroo court in anxiety, psychopathic mask, he cries out: "I can't help myself! I haven't any control over this evil thing that's inside of me! The fire, the voices, the torment!'' He tries to describe how the compulsion follows him through the streets, and ends: "Who knows what it's like to be me?'' Beckert's speech was overwhelming and he successfully put me in his shoes which eventually led me to question "Is he to be blamed for committing such distorted act?" Perhaps, it was not entirely his fault because this man needed medical attention. Besides that, the sane side of him actually tried to repress from his desire to commit dreadful acts on children. Then, it made me ponder.. "Is Beckert the villain or victim?" 

villain or victim?

In addition, there is a confutation on clear-cut issues of right vs wrong by the criminal mob in the kangaroo court. So, were the "juries" right because they caught Beckert and Beckert was in the wrong for murdering children?  To be frank, the "juries" consisted mostly criminals and who are they to judge if Beckert's wrongdoings deserved to be punished? The situation did not give them rights to sentence Beckert just because he murdered children, after all Beckert has an excuse for being mentally-ill. In contrary, the criminals have no excuse for committing other crimes. Thus, it can be seen that there are confusions on right vs wrong in the last 10 minutes of 'M'. After reading an article by Robinson, the same question arose in my head: should we kill someone we find evil just because we think it will make us feel better?

After an in-depth analysis, I conclude that 'M' is not a melodrama.

Works Cited

Dirks, Tim. "Melodramas Films." Melodramas Films. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. <http://www.filmsite.org/melodramafilms.html>.

Robinson, Cassidy. "An Analysis – The Unresolved Legacy Of Fritz Lang’s “M”." The MacGuffin. N.p., 26 Jan. 2012. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://www.macguffinpodcast.com/macguffin-spotlight/an-analysis-the-unresolved-legacy-of-fritz-langs-m/>.

Whitlock. "Melodrama." Text + Genre. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://myweb.csuchico.edu/~klwhitlock/TEXT/Melodrama/melodrama.html>.