‘Chinatown’ Stuns in 4K for its 50th Anniversary – Review

Chinatown has been released in a new 4K edition for its 50th anniversary and it is a definite must-buy for the collection.

The iconic neo-noir film Chinatown, starring Jack Nicholson, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with a new 4K UHD edition from the Paramount Presents collection. The set officially releases tomorrow and I had the chance to look it over to see if it’s worth picking up. Without a doubt, I can say this set is absolutely worth picking up.

For those not familiar, Chinatown is set in 1937 at the height of the California Water Wars and sees private detective Jake Gittes (Nicholson) set on the trail of an allegedly unfaithful husband. The detective quickly finds himself in over his head when the truth turns out to be a matter so sordid and twisted, it can scarcely be believed.

First of all, the film looks stunning in 4K. I’ve seen a number of films in 4K but I still can’t get over how crisp the picture can look on older films. This was a great film to get the 4K treatment, as you can see in every frame how much care was put into the production to bring back the feeling of old Hollywood. The sound quality is amazing as well, I’d forgotten that Jerry Goldsmith did the music for Chinatown and it’s great to hear how good the score sounds with the 4K restoration.

There’s an extra bonus with this set, as it also comes with a Blu-Ray copy of The Two Jakes, the 1990 sequel to Chinatown that was directed by Jack Nicholson, who also reprised his role from Chinatown.

This restored version of Chinatown comes with all-new bonus features that are detailed below:

• A State of Mind: Author Sam Wasson On Chinatown – Sam Wasson, film historian and bestselling author of The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years Of Hollywood, on the importance of the film and its legacy.   
• Chinatown Memories – Legendary producer Hawk Koch shares stories from his time as assistant director on the film.  
• The Trilogy That Never Was – Sam Wasson discusses the planned third installment of what would have been a trio of movies featuring the character Jake Gittes.

And for those wondering if they should keep older copies of Chinatown, the 4K also includes older special features from past releases:

• Commentary by screenwriter Robert Towne with David Fincher
• Water and Power
  • The Aqueduct
  • The Aftermath
  • The River & Beyond
• Chinatown: An Appreciation
• Chinatown: The Beginning and the End
• Chinatown: Filming
• Chinatown: Legacy
• Theatrical Trailer

All in all, this is a set that any film lover needs to have in their collection. Will you be picking it up?