Bellourian Analysis Applied to 'Chinatown

Unlike literary criticism, which has been discussed for several centuries, the textual analysis for film texts has only emerged recently (Bellour 1975). However, considering the incoherence of film texts (it is difficult to express all cinematic elements at the same time like dialogues, body and facial language and so on), the question of how to analyze the movie text has arisen (Stam 2000). This article will examine Bellour's film text analysis methods and apply them to the analysis of Chinatown, and discuss the limitations of Bellourian-type text analysis.

According to Bellour (1975), film analysis is concentrated on the specific textual structures instead of the cinematic system, which means film analysis focus on the analysis of film symbols and the specific film form such as angles, camera movement, rather than the traditional emphasis on the characters and plots (Metz 1975). Moreover, textual analysis involves close and shot-by-shot analysis. For example, Bellour (1974) analyzed the 12 shots of the Big Sleep from the perspective of six codes in the article the Obvious and the Codes. The first three specific cinematic codes include the variations of shots’ scale; whether the lens has moved; the camera angles. There are three non-specific codes: the characters that appear in the shots; whether they express themselves; the duration of these shots. Furthermore, the most special code, the narration elements, only rely on the content of the texts.

In Bellour's (1979) research, 'repetition' is one of the most important elements in text analysis, and alternation is a specific form of repetition. There are three external and three internal “Cine-Repetition”. The first two “external” are related to the production and reception of the film. Bellour (1979) demonstrated the first “internal” repetition, those repetitions associated with the “movie itself”, is from one frame to another one (there are 24 frames per second). Considering that a single cinematic image can only show half of the static space of the entire space, the other lens needs to cover half of the missing one of the previous shots. The continuation of the frames on the film contributed to a complete and continuous field of view in the film. The second internal type is micro-repetition. It builds the secondary narrative unit (shots) in the main unit (segments) on the basis of continuous repetition. It is an opposite structure between two terms which develops by return one or both terms according to the plots. Micro-Repetition is also called as alternation. The third one is textual or macro-repetition. It is used to explain for the rhyming effect which is the final integration of a certain number of elements, given by differential repetition (or alternation) from the beginning to end or at the beginning and in the process of the narrative. The segments in the film begin and end with similar ways but opposite shots’ order. Therefore, it is also named as repetition-resolution. Bellour’s (1974) detailed analysis of one of the Big Sleep episode not only describes how the narrative is produced when the lens and the lens are repeated and alternated but also how it ends when the clip is finished. This segment began by introducing the two characters, alternately repeating the conversation. Finally, as they confess to the love of each other, the clip returns to both roles.

From the perspective of methodology, the third external type of repetition refers to the more limited logic of structure and psychoanalytic approaches: the last repetition is the repetition of the film itself. Referring to the research of Christian Metz and Thierry Kuntzel (1973), the fictional film is aimed to organize a scene in which audiences can experience the things the characters in the experience of the movies. The application of psychoanalysis in the film mainly focuses on revealing the potential meaning behind screen images (Lapsley & Westlake 1988). For instance, Bellour (1979) found that the content reflected in the classic films is determined by the social and historical phenomenon, based on the psychological implications of the massive presence of the Oedipus complex. In this form of expression, the extent to which a woman occupies a central position only depends on the height of a position that the male desire gives him. The structural analysis method starts from the narrative structure and analyzes the story elements, involving plot structure, the function of characters and so on (Bellour 1975). However, Rodowick (1999) claimed that Bellourian textual analysis based on a relation of non-identity. A nonexistent object whose original state can never be authenticated by an exact description, in addition, to analyze the text by using fictional methods. Consequently, the analysis of the movie text is fictional to some extent. This is the reason why the cinematic text is an unattainable text.

Chinatown (1974)

The clips in Chinatown will be analyzed from three perspectives: the specific cinematic symbols and three internal “Cine-Repetition”. Additionally, take Oedipus Scenario as an example, analyze the segments in Chinatown by application of structural analysis and psychoanalysis methods.

For the first internal “Cine-Repetition”, which is fundamental to make up films, according to Bellour’s research (1975), every second of films is composed of 24 closely related photographies like a set of pictures below. This eight frames represented one-third of a second of screen time. Almost every picture is copied from the previous one but with tiny differences. Through observing this group of images, we can conclude that the filmmakers convert static images into the dynamic video by quickly projecting coherent images.

Take a five-minute segment with 26 shots of Chinatown as an example. In this clip, Gittes interrogates Evelyn with a pair of glasses that he thought were Mr Mulwray and gets the truth that Evelyn was raped by her father and gave birth to a daughter through forced confession.

This analysis involves five co-acting cinematic codes, which are the ratio change between shots, whether the lens moves, the main characters of each unit, whether they express themselves in this unit, the duration of the shots and the elements of narration. The first two is the particular codes that apply to all screen productions; the latter three are related to the text itself, shaping the text content. As shown in the table below:

Shot 1 begins with Gittes taking out the glasses from his suit pocket and questioning Evelyn about the truth. As Gittes gives the right of speech to Evelyn, shot 1 is switched to shot 2. There are two major differences between the two shots: firstly, the main characters change from Gittes to Evelyn with the transfer of the right of speech; secondly, the camera shot from mid shot to closeup shot for a clearer description of Evelyn's facial. As the conversation goes on (the theme of the dialogue remains the same), shots 2 to 12 switch back and forth between the two characters. These 11 alternate shots are based on the repetition of the main unit generating sub-narrative units (how Gittes confronted Evelyn) under the main unit (segment: Gittes confronts Evelyn to get the truth by violent ways). These alternate lenses pass through the opposing structure, “e1-g1-e2-g2…”, constructing a narrative plot. This kind of repetition is the second internal “cine-repetition”—“micro-repetition”. Shots 15 to 25 are similar to shot 2 to 12, these alternate shots describe Evelyn's experience of being raped by her father. Shots 13 and 14 are the only shots that express both of them. Due to the camera movement of lens 13 and 14, although some parts did not capture Gittes' face, they recorded his action of hitting people. The final shot (shot 26) ends with Gittes putting the glasses back in his pocket.

The segment begins and ends with similar shots. In conclusion, the 'macro-repetition' represents the integration of a certain number of elements and different repetitions (or alternation) in the narration process. In the view of Linderman (1981), Roman Polanski’s Chinatown is regarded as the text of the Oedipus complex. It demonstrated the misfunction of the family (daughter is raped by father), and abuse of power (the rich father gets off law justification in spite of committing a large number of crimes and even takes away his booty — his granddaughter, who is also his daughter). In addition, the feminine body was seen as an agent of sexuality, which is consistent with Bellour's research: the position of females relies on how much males desire them. Furthermore, the researchers have admitted the cultural connection between mystery and the feminine order. The violence in the text was transferred to women, which means females are victims and become the caused of the crime. Take Evelyn as an example, on the one hand, she is the victim of father-daughter incest. On the other hand, the father's search for his granddaughter indirectly caused Evelyn's death. In addition, both of Oedipus complex and noir films present the devastating deception of women as a challenge to the power of men in all categories. The cheating behaviour that Evelyn attempts to hide the truth and rebel against her father is a challenge to male power with her the anti-Oedipus complex she has presented. In the view of Cledhill (1999), the presence of Evelyn’s image is often removed from the text by death or murder in a noir film, which is consistent with the ending of the movie — Evelyn under the gun of the police.

In the storyline of Chinatown follows the Gittes’ investigation. In the view of semiotic, Gittes serves as an interpreter and Evelyn is the main subject of his research. The textual function of Gittes is to simplify and integrate information, and finally expound the truth, while Evelyn’s function is to obscure the truth and hide the secret. In the segment in a restaurant where they have a confrontation, she tries to sidestep the questions of Gittes by deflecting the subject, deliberately stalling and so on. She apparently expresses the gnomic equation of mystery with the feminine. Compared with males, from the perspective of symbolic, females are the covered objects in film works (Linderman 1981).

Notably, in this segment, the veil on Evelyn’s couture hat stands in stark contrast to Gittes’ bondage nose. The veil represents the mystery and fragility of the female character, while the bandaged nose is a symbol of phallic knowledge and power, which implies women are more delicate beings than men.

After a series of confrontations and intimacy, Evelyn’s secret became known through the violent means of Gittes. However, the two characters behave differently, as Evelyn begins to trust Gittes while Gittes demands nothing but the truth. With the emergence of the truth, we found the girl introduced to her husband by Evelyn was the child of her and her father. Catherine is caught being the two mutually exclusive terms of sister and daughter, no doubt a peculiar form of Oedipus complex. Levi-Strauss (1967) claimed that the difference between males and females in the incest situation are expressed through the social obligations and reciprocal system of the roles on both sides. As a result, women are often exchanged. In Chinatown, in accordance with this confusing logic, Hollis is Evelyn’s husband, the “father” of her daughter, while the sophistry of the text reminds us that she was her husband's illegal lover. In Oedipus scenario, females are not the primary sign of social values but the stimulant to stimulate males. Like Bellour’s (1975) analysis of the Oedipus complex, women's status depends on men's desire for it.