CHINATOWN (1974) MOVIE POSTER, ORIGINAL AUSTRALIAN DAYBILL, VF/NM
Condition Very Fine / Near Mint (9.0)
Size AU Daybill Post-War (13" x 30")
Chinatown (1974) Original Australian Daybill Movie Poster Starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Directed by Roman Polanski is in Very Fine/Near Mint Condition. Movie Poster and Condition Condition: Unused...
Chinatown (1974) Original Australian Daybill Movie Poster Starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Directed by Roman Polanski is in Very Fine/Near Mint Condition.
Movie Poster and Condition
Condition: Unused Daybill. Slight overall browning of paper with age. Slight additional creases at fold lines. Great example! We consider this poster in a Very Fine/Near Mint Condition.
This Poster is currently stored folded and will be shipped in an acid free polyprop bag with acid free backing board.
This original Australian daybill represents one of cinema's most celebrated neo-noir masterpieces, making it a highly sought-after piece for collectors of classic film posters and admirers of 1970s cinema. The daybill format was uniquely used in Australian and New Zealand theatres, measuring approximately 13 x 30 inches, making these posters distinctive and particularly collectible amongst international enthusiasts of vintage movie memorabilia.
Movie Synopsis
Chinatown is a 1974 American neo-noir mystery thriller directed by the legendary Roman Polanski and featuring one of Jack Nicholson's most iconic performances as private detective Jake Gittes. Widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, this masterpiece combines a complex mystery narrative with sophisticated social commentary, creating a film that transcends the detective genre to become a profound meditation on corruption, power, and moral ambiguity in America.
Set in 1930s Los Angeles during a devastating drought, the film follows Jake Gittes, a private investigator specialising in matrimonial cases, who becomes embroiled in a dangerous conspiracy involving the city's water supply. When a woman claiming to be Evelyn Mulwray hires Gittes to investigate her husband's alleged affair, the detective soon discovers he's been set up. The real Mrs. Mulwray, played brilliantly by Faye Dunaway, appears after compromising photographs of her husband, the city's chief water engineer Hollis Mulwray, are published in the newspapers. When Hollis is found dead in circumstances suggesting murder, Gittes finds himself drawn deeper into a web of deception that reaches the highest levels of Los Angeles society.
The film's screenplay, written by Robert Towne, is considered one of the finest ever committed to film, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Towne spent nine months crafting the intricate narrative, with his first draft running to 178 pages. The script was inspired by the real-life California Water Wars of the early 20th century, particularly the controversial acquisition of water rights in the Owens Valley by Los Angeles interests. Towne drew inspiration from Carey McWilliams's book "Southern California Country: An Island on the Land" and articles about Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles, creating a story that functioned both as entertainment and as a commentary on historical corruption.
The supporting cast is exceptional, featuring legendary director John Huston in a chilling performance as Noah Cross, Evelyn's wealthy and sinister father who represents the old money power structure of Los Angeles. Huston's portrayal of Cross as both charming and monstrous remains one of cinema's most memorable villain performances. The cast also includes Perry Lopez as Lieutenant Lou Escobar, John Hillerman as Russ Yelburton, Diane Ladd as Ida Sessions, Burt Young as Curly, and director Roman Polanski himself in a memorable cameo as a switchblade-wielding thug who slices Gittes's nose.
Produced by Robert Evans for Paramount Pictures, Chinatown was brought to life through the exceptional cinematography of John A. Alonzo, whose work captured the sun-drenched but morally dark atmosphere of 1930s Los Angeles. The film's visual style deliberately evokes the classic film noir aesthetic whilst updating it for 1970s sensibilities. Shot using PanaVision cameras, Alonzo's cinematography creates a world that is simultaneously beautiful and deeply corrupt, with the bright California sunshine exposing rather than concealing the city's darkest secrets.
The evocative musical score by Jerry Goldsmith perfectly complements the film's mood, with its mournful trumpet theme becoming synonymous with the genre. Film editor Sam O'Steen crafted the complex narrative into a seamless viewing experience, ensuring that the intricate plot developments remained clear despite the story's labyrinthine complexity.
The production was not without its challenges. The relationship between director Polanski and star Dunaway was notoriously difficult, with tensions frequently erupting on set. However, this acrimony behind the scenes paradoxically contributed to the intensity of their collaboration, resulting in some of the film's most powerful moments. The famous ending, where Evelyn meets her tragic fate in Chinatown itself, was particularly contentious. Towne had written a different, less bleak conclusion, but Polanski insisted on the darker ending that ultimately appears in the film, creating one of cinema's most devastating finales.
Upon its release on 20 June 1974, Chinatown received overwhelming critical acclaim and achieved significant commercial success. The film earned eleven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director for Polanski, Best Actor for Nicholson, and Best Actress for Dunaway. Beyond Towne's win for Best Original Screenplay, the film's recognition cemented its status as a landmark achievement in American cinema.
The film's influence on subsequent cinema cannot be overstated. Chinatown revitalised the neo-noir genre and demonstrated that complex, adult-oriented filmmaking could achieve both critical acclaim and commercial success. Its intricate plotting, morally ambiguous characters, and willingness to embrace a tragic ending influenced countless filmmakers in the decades that followed. The character of Jake Gittes became an archetype for the flawed but principled detective, whilst the film's exploration of institutional corruption and personal tragedy established new standards for sophisticated Hollywood storytelling.
The film's famous last line, "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown," has entered popular culture as a shorthand for accepting that some injustices cannot be rectified and some mysteries cannot be fully understood. This nihilistic conclusion, set against the backdrop of historical corruption in Los Angeles's development, creates a work that functions as both entertainment and profound social commentary.
In 1991, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." It regularly appears on lists of the greatest films ever made, with many critics and filmmakers citing it as the pinnacle of 1970s American cinema - a decade renowned for producing some of Hollywood's most sophisticated and challenging work.
For collectors of vintage movie posters, original materials from Chinatown represent not just a piece of cinema history but a connection to one of the medium's absolute masterworks. The 1974 Australian daybill format, with its unique dimensions and distinctive design, offers a particularly special variant for international collectors seeking authentic theatrical materials from this landmark film's original release.
To find out more about Chinatown (1974) click here to go to IMDB.com.
Special Notes
Images may have a small 'MPA' digital watermark and this does not appear on the poster. Posters are being held by magnets in the corners to take photographs, so you may see some magnet and shadows from the magnets in these areas. The magnets are not included in the sale of the item.
Postage, Insurance & Your Country Taxes
Postage costs are quoted for this item, include insurance up to AUD$100, but if you reside outside of Australia, the price does not include any import taxes/fees that you may be required to pay when the item reaches your borders. Please check with your local authorities for any additional taxes or fees. If you would like full insurance coverage for your purchase, please message me and I would be happy to quote the additional cost (estimate is AUD$2.50 p/AUD$100 or 2.5% of the item value, up to a maximum item value of AUD$5,000).
FAQ
At Movie Posters Australia, the love and conservation of movie posters comes first, and we like to share this passion. Our commitment to quality means we will provide high quality memorabilia to our customers. Posters are carefully chosen and authenticated to ensure originality and value. We want our customers to trust MPA, so we always try to be as open and transparent as we can, provide detailed condition information and images, to ensure customers are comfortable and confident in their purchase.
While the industry does have a few condition rating standards, there is no movie poster condition rating system that has become the accepted standard world wide. This unfortunately makes condition terms vary from movie poster dealer to movie poster dealer. Terms like Mint, Near Mint, Very Fine, Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor, seem to be universal to most condition rating standards, but most standards still lack definition about what and how many flaws/defects/damage defines a specific condition level. For more information on how Movie Posters Australia grades the condition of its movie posters, daybills, lobby cards and other ephemera please see out Movie Poster Condition and Grading page.
In the early days of cinema, posters were primarily hand-drawn and printed in various sizes, often tailored to fit the available space in theaters or promotional areas. In the United States, the "One Sheet" size (some times called '1 Sheet' or '1SH' approximately 27" x 41", became the standard during the 1930s. This size was manageable for theater display and suited the needs of a growing film industry.
Different countries developed their own poster sizes and styles, which also changed sometimes over the decades, and were influenced by local preferences and practical considerations, like available paper sheet sizes and how many posters could be printed on one sheet.
In Australia, the most popular size, the Daybill, has evolved over the decades. Australian Daybills sizes in chronological order are:
- Long Daybills (15" x 40"), from 1920's to pre-WW2 or pre-1941, were printed two to a sheet, longer than current Daybill versions. There were size variances in width from 14.5" to 15" and in height from 39.5" to 40".
- War Time Daybill (10" x 30"), during WW2, for a short time to conserve paper during a war time shortage, four Daybills were printed on one sheet. Information from Press Sheets also referred to these War-Time sizes as "New Size Daybills".
- Post-War Daybill (13" x 30"), this 13" x 30" Post-War size carried through until the 1980's, but also varied in size from 13"-14" x 29.75"-30.25".
- Post-80's Daybill (33cm x 66cm, or 13" x 26"), over a few years in the late 80's, the size changed again to a metric 33cm x 66cm, although these have also varied from 32-33cm x 64.5-66cm. New sizes from the late 80's were created, sometimes called a Mini Daybill or Mini Poster, in 9" x 12", 11" x 17" and 13" x 20".
In the UK, the somewhat unique 'Quad' poster, measuring 30" x 40", became popular, offering a larger landscape format that allowed for more elaborate designs.
In Japan, movie poster sizes were smaller, such as the "B2" (20" x 28"), which suited the more compact living environment of larger cities, smaller advertising spaces, and unique aesthetic sensibilities.
The 1970s and 1980s, witnessed the rise of the "six-sheet" (81" x 81") format, reflecting a trend towards larger and more visually impactful advertising.
Overall, the variation in movie poster sizes across different countries and decades highlights the interplay between technological printing advancements, paper resource availability, paper sheet size changes, cultural preferences, and the evolving nature of movie marketing.
At Movie Posters Australia we tag each poster we sell with a 'size' and 'condition' description at the very top of the page for our customers to easily see. There may however be some slight variations to sizes by up one inch due to variations in production and guillotine methods by printers over the decades.