Bellourian Analysis Applied to 'Chinatown

Unlike literary criticism, which has been around for centuries, analyzing film texts is pretty new (Bellour 1975). Because film texts are so complex (it's tough to capture all the cinematic elements at once, like dialogues, body language, and so on), figuring out how to analyze movie texts has become a big question (Stam 2000). This article will look at Bellour's methods for analyzing film texts and apply them to Chinatown, plus we'll talk about the limits of Bellour's approach.

According to Bellour (1975), film analysis focuses on specific textual structures rather than the cinematic system. This means it looks at film symbols and specific forms like camera angles and movements, rather than just characters and plots (Metz 1975). Also, textual analysis involves a close, shot-by-shot examination. For example, Bellour (1974) analyzed 12 shots from The Big Sleep using six codes in his article The Obvious and the Codes. The first three codes are about the shots themselves: the scale of the shots, whether the lens moved, and the camera angles. The other three non-specific codes are about the characters in the shots: whether they speak, their duration, and the narrative elements that rely on the content of the texts.

In Bellour's (1979) research, 'repetition' is key in text analysis, with alternation being a form of repetition. There are three external and three internal "Cine-Repetitions." The first two external ones are about the production and reception of the film. Bellour (1979) showed that the first internal repetition, related to the "movie itself," comes from one frame to another (there are 24 frames per second). Since a single cinematic image can only show half of a static space, another lens needs to cover the other half of the previous shot. The continuation of frames creates a complete and continuous field of view in the film. The second internal type is micro-repetition, which builds secondary narrative units (shots) within the main unit (segments) through continuous repetition. It's a structure between two terms developed by returning one or both terms according to the plot. Micro-repetition is also called alternation. The third one is macro-repetition, explaining the rhyming effect, which integrates a certain number of elements through differential repetition (or alternation) from the beginning to the end. The segments begin and end similarly but with opposite shot orders. Bellour's (1974) detailed analysis of a Big Sleep episode explains how the narrative is produced when the lenses are repeated and alternated and how it ends when the clip is finished. This segment starts by introducing two characters, alternately repeating their conversation, and ends as they confess their love for each other, returning to both roles.

Methodologically, the third external type of repetition refers to the limited logic of structure and psychoanalytic approaches: the last repetition is the repetition of the film itself. Referring to Christian Metz and Thierry Kuntzel's (1973) research, fictional films aim to create scenes where audiences can experience what the characters do. The application of psychoanalysis in film focuses on revealing the potential meaning behind screen images (Lapsley & Westlake 1988). For instance, Bellour (1979) found that classic films reflect social and historical phenomena, based on the psychological implications of the Oedipus complex. In this form of expression, a woman's central position depends on the height of a position that male desire gives her. The structural analysis method starts with narrative structure and analyzes story elements, involving plot structure, character functions, and so on (Bellour 1975). However, Rodowick (1999) claimed Bellourian textual analysis is based on non-identity. A nonexistent object whose original state can never be authenticated by an exact description, in addition to analyzing the text using fictional methods. Consequently, movie text analysis is fictional to some extent. This is why the cinematic text is unattainable.

Chinatown (1974)

We'll analyze Chinatown clips from three perspectives: specific cinematic symbols and three internal "Cine-Repetitions." Also, we'll use the Oedipus Scenario to analyze the segments in Chinatown using structural analysis and psychoanalysis methods.

For the first internal "Cine-Repetition," which is essential for making films, Bellour's research (1975) showed that every second of film is made up of 24 closely related photographs like a set of pictures below. These eight frames represent one-third of a second of screen time. Almost every picture is a copy of the previous one but with tiny differences. By observing this group of images, we can see that filmmakers turn static images into dynamic video by quickly projecting coherent images.

Let's take a five-minute segment with 26 shots from Chinatown. In this clip, Gittes interrogates Evelyn with a pair of glasses he thought belonged to Mr. Mulwray and learns that Evelyn was raped by her father and gave birth to a daughter through forced confession.

This analysis involves five cinematic codes: the ratio change between shots, whether the lens moves, the main characters of each unit, whether they express themselves in this unit, and the duration of the shots and the elements of narration. The first two are particular codes that apply to all screen productions; the latter three relate to the text itself, shaping the content. Here’s how it looks:

Shot 1 starts with Gittes taking out the glasses from his suit pocket and questioning Evelyn about the truth. When Gittes gives Evelyn the right to speak, shot 1 switches to shot 2. There are two major differences between the two shots: first, the main characters change from Gittes to Evelyn as the right to speak transfers; second, the camera shot goes from mid-shot to close-up for a clearer view of Evelyn's face. As the conversation continues (the theme of the dialogue remains the same), shots 2 to 12 switch back and forth between the two characters. These 11 alternating shots are based on the repetition of the main unit, generating sub-narrative units (how Gittes confronts Evelyn) under the main unit (segment: Gittes confronts Evelyn to get the truth through violent means). These alternating lenses create a narrative plot through an opposing structure, "e1-g1-e2-g2…", constructing the narrative plot. This repetition is the second internal "cine-repetition"—"micro-repetition". Shots 15 to 25 are similar to shots 2 to 12, describing Evelyn's experience of being raped by her father. Shots 13 and 14 are the only shots showing both of them. Due to the camera movement in shots 13 and 14, some parts didn't capture Gittes' face but recorded his action of hitting Evelyn. The final shot (shot 26) ends with Gittes putting the glasses back in his pocket.

The segment starts and ends with similar shots. In conclusion, the 'macro-repetition' shows the integration of various elements and different repetitions (or alternations) in the narrative process. According to Linderman (1981), Roman Polanski’s Chinatown is seen as a text of the Oedipus complex. It shows family dysfunction (daughter raped by father) and abuse of power (the rich father avoids legal consequences despite committing many crimes and even takes away his granddaughter, who is also his daughter). The feminine body is seen as an agent of sexuality, consistent with Bellour's research: the position of females depends on how much males desire them. Researchers also noted the cultural link between mystery and the feminine order. Violence in the text is transferred to women, meaning females are victims and the cause of crime. Take Evelyn as an example: she's a victim of father-daughter incest. Her father's search for his granddaughter indirectly causes Evelyn's death. Both the Oedipus complex and noir films show the devastating deception of women as a challenge to male power. Evelyn's attempt to hide the truth and rebel against her father challenges male power with her anti-Oedipus complex. According to Cledhill (1999), the presence of Evelyn’s image is often removed from the text by death or murder in noir films, which matches the movie’s ending — Evelyn under police gunfire.

In Chinatown's storyline, we follow Gittes’ investigation. From a semiotic view, Gittes is the interpreter, and Evelyn is the main subject of his research. Gittes’ textual function is to simplify and integrate information, eventually revealing the truth, while Evelyn's function is to obscure the truth and hide secrets. In the restaurant confrontation scene, she tries to sidestep Gittes’ questions by deflecting the subject and deliberately stalling. She expresses the gnomic equation of mystery with the feminine. Compared to males, from a symbolic perspective, females are covered objects in films (Linderman 1981).

Notably, in this segment, the veil on Evelyn’s hat contrasts sharply with Gittes’ bandaged nose. The veil represents the mystery and fragility of the female character, while the bandaged nose symbolizes phallic knowledge and power, implying women are more delicate than men.

After various confrontations and moments of intimacy, Evelyn’s secret is revealed through Gittes' violent means. However, the two characters behave differently. Evelyn begins to trust Gittes, while Gittes demands nothing but the truth. As the truth emerges, we find the girl introduced to her husband by Evelyn is the child of her and her father. Catherine is caught between the two mutually exclusive terms of sister and daughter, a peculiar form of the Oedipus complex. Levi-Strauss (1967) claimed that the difference between males and females in incest situations is expressed through social obligations and reciprocal roles. As a result, women are often exchanged. In Chinatown, following this confusing logic, Hollis is Evelyn’s husband, the “father” of her daughter, while the text reminds us that she was her husband's illegal lover. In the Oedipus scenario, females are not the primary signs of social values but stimulants for males. Like Bellour’s (1975) analysis of the Oedipus complex, women's status depends on men's desire for them.