GREAT Characters: Jake Gittes from Chinatown (1974)
Is Jake Gittes likable or unlikable? And what makes him such a fantastic character in the film Chinatown? Today's video on Jake Gittes is a bit of a character study into why audiences resonate with the lead character in Chinatown, Jake Gittes.

SUPPORT THE CHANNEL + STORYTELLING RESOURCES:
  / howstorieswork  

JAY'S ORIGINAL STORIES (CO-WRITTEN BY NATHAN SCHECK):
- Death of a Bounty Hunter (novel and audiobook): http://deathofabountyhunter.com
- Timeslingers (YA serial adventure story): https://www.amazon.com/Timeslingers/d...
- Star Wars: Rivals (short film):    • Star Wars: Rivals  

FOLLOW/CONNECT:
- Twitter:   / storytellinghsw  
- Instagram:   / howstorieswork  

#jakegittes #chinatown #screenwriting #screenplay #characteranalysis #characterstudy #filmanalysis #screenwriters #writing #writingcommunity #howstorieswork #filmbreakdown #jaysherer

TRANSCRIPT:
I watched two videos on YouTube, one claiming that Jake Gittes–the lead character of Chinatown–was a LIKABLE character. Then I watched a second video where someone said the reason Jake Gittes works in Chinatown is how incompetent and unlikable he is. In fact, maybe he’s contributing to the film’s tragic ending.

This is How Stories Work with Jay Sherer… and now I’m wondering: Is Jake Gittes likable? And what makes him such a great character?

FIRST… let me say that I think both commenters are… wrong. But, they’re also both kinda right… let me explain.

The first important thing to note: Chinatown is a tragedy.

In fact, the only real hero in the film is Hollis Mulwray, who’s murdered in Act 1. But, while most of the film unfolds without a hero, there’s definitely a villain: Cross.

But, if the other characters aren’t heroes, why are they so compelling? In my opinion, it’s because all the characters have clear and compelling goals:

Evelyn Mulwray wants to escape from her father, Noah Cross.
Lou Escobar wants to make a name for himself now that he’s out of Chinatown.
And Noah Cross, the villain, wants to control everything around him:
He wants to systemically control the way Los Angeles grows by restricting its water.
He wants to relationally control his two daughters, Evelyn and Katherine.

What about Jake Gittes? How can some conclude he’s likable while others suggest he’s just the opposite?

My take is that Jake Gittes isn’t a hero or a villain. In this film, Jake Gittes is us…

The only time we get information about what’s going on is when Jake gets that information.
As the story unfolds and things get more and more complex, we see the world in the exact same way Gittes does.
When Jake’s confused, we’re confused.
When Jake’s frustrated, we’re frustrated.
When Jake’s sympathetic, we’re sympathetic.

In other words, it’s not enough to say Jake’s likable or unlikable. He has a clear and compelling goal: to understand what’s going on. And, as the audience, we share that same objective. We want to understand what’s going on. He’s a proxy for us.

How can we all come to a different conclusion about Jake? Personally, I think it’s because, as we follow Gittes, we like and dislike his behavior, just like we like and dislike our own behaviors.

It’s not okay for Gittes to slap Evelyn around. It’s not okay for him to steal records from the real estate records office. It’s not okay for him to lie to the police, either.

But we love it when Gittes stands up for justice. When he tries to help Evelyn. When he realizes that Hollis Mulwray was innocent.

Jake Gittes is likable and unlikable because: He’s us.

And that adds to the core premise of the film: life is often a tragedy, and even when we get all the answers, we don’t get justice. Which is why, at the end of the film, when the world around Jake Gittes crumbles and justice is nowhere to be found, Jake’s friend Walsh says: “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.”

Jake is trying to overcome the problem, but because he’s a human being, he’s part of the problem himself. And as I writer, I love that about Chinatown.

Do you find Gittes likable or unlikable? Let me know in the comments down below! And don’t forget to hit that like button for me.

On this channel, as I learn more about screenwriting and storytelling, I’ll communicate those learnings back to you. Please consider supporting this channel on Patreon for additional resources and insights.

Thanks for watching! Until next time, let’s go write something awesome.