The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood
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- Create Date：2021-10-18 09:51:27
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Sam Wasson
- ISBN：0571370268
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Summary
Sight & Sound's #1 Film Book of 2020
Chinatown is the Holy Grail of 1970s cinema。 Its ending is the most notorious in American film and its closing line of dialogue the most haunting。 Here for the first time is the incredible true story of its making。 In Sam Wasson's telling， it becomes the defining story of its most colorful characters。 Here is Jack Nicholson at the height of his powers， embarking on his great， doomed love affair with Anjelica Huston。 Here is director Roman Polanski， both predator and prey， haunted by the savage murder of his wife， returning to Los Angeles， where the seeds of his own self-destruction are quickly planted。 Here is the fevered deal-making of "The Kid" Robert Evans， the most consummate of producers。 Here too is Robert Towne's fabled script， widely considered the greatest original screenplay ever written。 Wasson for the first time peels off layers of myth to provide the true account of its creation。 Looming over the story of this classic movie is the imminent eclipse of the '70s filmmaker-friendly studios as they gave way to the corporate Hollywood we know today。
Chinatown is the Holy Grail of 1970s cinema。 Its ending is the most notorious in American film and its closing line of dialogue the most haunting。 Here for the first time is the incredible true story of its making。 In Sam Wasson's telling， it becomes the defining story of its most colorful characters。 Here is Jack Nicholson at the height of his powers， embarking on his great， doomed love affair with Anjelica Huston。 Here is director Roman Polanski， both predator and prey， haunted by the savage murder of his wife， returning to Los Angeles， where the seeds of his own self-destruction are quickly planted。 Here is the fevered deal-making of "The Kid" Robert Evans， the most consummate of producers。 Here too is Robert Towne's fabled script， widely considered the greatest original screenplay ever written。 Wasson for the first time peels off layers of myth to provide the true account of its creation。 Looming over the story of this classic movie is the imminent eclipse of the '70s filmmaker-friendly studios as they gave way to the corporate Hollywood we know today。
Reviews
Jacob Bricca
，
Wow， Sam Wasson knows how to write！ He picks out various threads in the story of the making of Chinatown and follows them to really interesting places。 You get a good sense of the personalities of Roman Polanski， Jack Nicholson， Robert Evans， and others， and there are some delicious little scenes along the way。 At times the writing is a bit florid， but it's also a hell of a lot of fun。 And there's also industry context as we see the changing times at the studios。Wasson is a romantic。 He clearly Wow， Sam Wasson knows how to write！ He picks out various threads in the story of the making of Chinatown and follows them to really interesting places。 You get a good sense of the personalities of Roman Polanski， Jack Nicholson， Robert Evans， and others， and there are some delicious little scenes along the way。 At times the writing is a bit florid， but it's also a hell of a lot of fun。 And there's also industry context as we see the changing times at the studios。Wasson is a romantic。 He clearly loves the era of the seventies， and wants to let us savor its freedoms and its excesses。 In many moments I found myself a little taken aback at the tacit endorsement of some of the retrograde behavior--it's written from a very male perspective。 You have to be willing to climb into this perspective and let its problematic sides fall by the wayside in order to fully enjoy the book。 Then comes the sexual assault by Polanski of a 13 year-old at the end， which is written in a more journalistic tone and Wasson lets the facts speak for themselves; he includes a fascinating quote from the woman who survived the assault。 I felt like I got the clearest view of the incident that I've ever had before。 There's also no mention of the questionable racial politics of the film。 It's called Chinatown， but the only Asian characters are painful caricatures。 No mention by Wasson of how weird it is in retrospect that you could just instrumentalize a whole non-white neighborhood for its "exotic" or "foreign" qualities and call it a day？Very well researched， very lively。 A bit problematic in parts， not for everyone。 。。。more
Eric Kline
，
Even when Wasson seems to take liberties in psychoanalyzing his characters - Nicholson， Polanski， Towne， Payne， Evans - you don’t care， because the writing is too much fun。 The story is too good。 Wallowing in the nostalgia of a better Hollywood， and learning quite a bit along the way， is delectable。 I ordered another one of Wasson’s works as soon as I finished this。 Pick up The Big Goodbye。
James Carter
，
The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood is a tough read because of Sam Wasson's awful， meandering writing style although some of the material is interesting。 Worse， the author barely talks about one of my favorite films: Chinatown。 Instead， it's a bunch of purple prose about nothing important， long bio sketch of a very few people which oddly excludes Faye Dunaway's， and the goings-on in Hollywood before， during， and after the movie was made。 As for Chinatown， almost all scenes The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood is a tough read because of Sam Wasson's awful， meandering writing style although some of the material is interesting。 Worse， the author barely talks about one of my favorite films: Chinatown。 Instead， it's a bunch of purple prose about nothing important， long bio sketch of a very few people which oddly excludes Faye Dunaway's， and the goings-on in Hollywood before， during， and after the movie was made。 As for Chinatown， almost all scenes aren't broken down or explained， many people in the cast or crew are not covered at all， and there's nothing new to discover other than what's been printed in the past （I think that's how the book ultimately came to be with nearly zero contact with anyone involved， hence no credibility established by the author）。 Obviously not of age during that time， the fucking author doesn't go far enough to verify some of the facts; e。g。 the words written on the refrigerator weren't "Helter Skelter" but "Healter Skelter。" All in all， I read a lot of books about movies and stars， but I'll be permanently steering clear of Sam Wasson's books。 。。。more
Leon Foster
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A backstage drama starring one of the greatest films ever made。
Jane
，
Fun， informative readCoincidentally， after rewatching Chinatown for the first time since its original release， this e-book showed up as available from the library。 What a great read。 Wasson tells the story of the making of Chinatown against the background of the increasing corporatization of Hollywood。 He conveys insight into his principal foci — Jack Nicholson， Roberts Evans and Towne， Roman Polanski， and the significant others in their lives— while clearly describing the process of getting the Fun， informative readCoincidentally， after rewatching Chinatown for the first time since its original release， this e-book showed up as available from the library。 What a great read。 Wasson tells the story of the making of Chinatown against the background of the increasing corporatization of Hollywood。 He conveys insight into his principal foci — Jack Nicholson， Roberts Evans and Towne， Roman Polanski， and the significant others in their lives— while clearly describing the process of getting the film made。 As the movie is released， the new tide of TV， mega-agencies， and profits above all comes in， changing the lives of all concerned。 。。。more
Gina Dalfonzo
，
Wasson is always educational and entertaining。 Sometimes he tiptoes along the border between beautiful writing and purple prose， and sometimes he tells us way too much （why do we have to know the whole history of cocaine？）， but his books always make an impression。 And he doesn't shy away from Polanski's horrendous crime， which I appreciate。 3。5 stars， rounded to 4。 Wasson is always educational and entertaining。 Sometimes he tiptoes along the border between beautiful writing and purple prose， and sometimes he tells us way too much （why do we have to know the whole history of cocaine？）， but his books always make an impression。 And he doesn't shy away from Polanski's horrendous crime， which I appreciate。 3。5 stars， rounded to 4。 。。。more
Mark Graham
，
What a read！
Dave Courtney
，
Uncomfortable and unsettling to say the least knowing the stories of some of the figures represented in this story （Polanski being the obvious one）。 I almost bailed on this one actually， as it was a bit difficult to stomach。 I kept with it though because of its glimpse into a time and place that remains significant in Hollywood history。 A transitionary moment in many ways。 But， just to be clear， the read was not a pleasant one by any stretch， and I'd equally struggle to recommend it to anyone ot Uncomfortable and unsettling to say the least knowing the stories of some of the figures represented in this story （Polanski being the obvious one）。 I almost bailed on this one actually， as it was a bit difficult to stomach。 I kept with it though because of its glimpse into a time and place that remains significant in Hollywood history。 A transitionary moment in many ways。 But， just to be clear， the read was not a pleasant one by any stretch， and I'd equally struggle to recommend it to anyone other than diehard enthusiasts。 。。。more
Pierre Stolte
，
Love Chinatown， so was looking forward to reading this。Sadly， you should never read about your heroes。 I came away thoroughly unimpressed with Robert Towne， who I worshipped in university。 His Chinatown script is brilliant。 Well 。。。 the third draft is。 But to call it "his" script is inherently unfair to his （always uncredited） writing partner and Polanski。 Love Chinatown， so was looking forward to reading this。Sadly， you should never read about your heroes。 I came away thoroughly unimpressed with Robert Towne， who I worshipped in university。 His Chinatown script is brilliant。 Well 。。。 the third draft is。 But to call it "his" script is inherently unfair to his （always uncredited） writing partner and Polanski。 。。。more
Michael
，
Great read。
Adam
，
Good old Hollywood before the coke and the 80s nonsense trashed the art of it all。 This book aims to show the transition and does a fine job。
Kevin
，
Just fantastic。
Christina
，
i was completely obsessed with this in the beginning， but now i cant tell how i feel about the whole thing。 i think it kind of loses focus from the more interesting topics and veers off course， especially in the end。 I don't regret reading it though， it was still a really fun read and i am hoping the movie adaptation will be able to translate certain aspects of it better。 i was completely obsessed with this in the beginning， but now i cant tell how i feel about the whole thing。 i think it kind of loses focus from the more interesting topics and veers off course， especially in the end。 I don't regret reading it though， it was still a really fun read and i am hoping the movie adaptation will be able to translate certain aspects of it better。 。。。more
Jon
，
I want to say this is evocative of the Southern California movie scene in the 1970s but I didn't live there and also I was 15 when "Chinatown" came out。 But it feels right， both in its telling of how the movie got made and in the context of what has happened since。 Told originally through the eyes of four creators -- Robert Towne， Roman Polanski， Robert Evans and Jack Nicholson -- Wasson goes into their psyches （particularly Towne and Polanski） to show how their personalities and their pasts con I want to say this is evocative of the Southern California movie scene in the 1970s but I didn't live there and also I was 15 when "Chinatown" came out。 But it feels right， both in its telling of how the movie got made and in the context of what has happened since。 Told originally through the eyes of four creators -- Robert Towne， Roman Polanski， Robert Evans and Jack Nicholson -- Wasson goes into their psyches （particularly Towne and Polanski） to show how their personalities and their pasts contributed to the movie。 It's a tribute to Wasson that even though most anyone who reads this knows what happens in "Chinatown，" he manages to keep some suspense going as he describes the writing and filming。 Ultimately， this is a sad tale as Hollywood starts to cater to disaster blockbusters in the wake of "jaws" and the proganists suffer their own falls from grace （Nicholson， of course， recovers）。 A great book for movie lovers who want more than just a fawning， People magazine look at the industry。 。。。more
Cameron Kaercher
，
The Bookstore Plus， Lake Placid
Groucho
，
This was a very enjoyable read--especially if you're a fan of the film， or 1970's movies in general。 The book is really about Robert Towne （who seems like a dickhead）， Robert Evans （who seems like a bombastic parody） and Jack Nicholson （who really seems like he would be the greatest friend in the world to have）， and the gestation of the film in the early 70’s。 But I’m less convinced of the “Last Years of Hollywood” subtitle。 The book argues that for one brief shining moment， Hollywood was this C This was a very enjoyable read--especially if you're a fan of the film， or 1970's movies in general。 The book is really about Robert Towne （who seems like a dickhead）， Robert Evans （who seems like a bombastic parody） and Jack Nicholson （who really seems like he would be the greatest friend in the world to have）， and the gestation of the film in the early 70’s。 But I’m less convinced of the “Last Years of Hollywood” subtitle。 The book argues that for one brief shining moment， Hollywood was this Camelot where big studio business （at least at Paramount and Warner Brothers） was in symbiosis with auteur-ship on the creative side， and that moment was perfectly encapsulated in 1974 with “Chinatown” （and， according to Wasson， to a lesser extent with other films from that year （e。g。 “Lenny，” “Harry and Tonto，” “The Conversation，” “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore，” etc。）。 And that 1975’s “Jaws” ended this marriage。 But the argument seems to be an afterthought， coming late and disposed of quickly in the final pages of the book。 Instead， most of the book seems to be setting up the thesis that “Chinatown” et。 al。 actually ended Hollywood as it was， and after “Jaws” the following year， Hollywood reverted back to the big-business ethos it had during the big studio days。 In that way， the 70’s films seem less like “the end” of Hollywood， and more of “an aberration” in the natural order。 Moreover， it seems less than sincere to argue that “Chinatown” was the perfect melding of the studios and the auteur。 Especially when back in 1967 audiences were already treated “The Graduate” and “Bonnie and Clyde” （and was given such an analysis in Mark Harris’s “Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of New Hollywood”—another book I recommend。） Some random thoughts:1。 Everyone was doing mountains of coke back then。 2。 Roman Polanksi had a hell of a life， but he still raped a 13 year old， an incident that is treated somewhat problematically in the final pages of the book （which presents the Judge in the case as unethical。。。which， yeah， it seems like he was。 Also， Polanski raped a 13 year old。）3。 Jack Nicholson is f**ing awesome。 。。。more
Jack Nix
，
I had been looking forward to reading this one for over a year。。。 I'm not sure if it was my high hopes for it that made it so disappointing， or just the all around lazy writing。 One example being the full pages of dialogue ripped from Angelica Huston's memoir， Watch Me， and the play， I'll Eat You At Last。Disappointment also found me with the build up around the making of Chinatown， and then the story is pretty much， "these guys got together and made a great movie！ How crazy！！！！"Do yourself a fav I had been looking forward to reading this one for over a year。。。 I'm not sure if it was my high hopes for it that made it so disappointing， or just the all around lazy writing。 One example being the full pages of dialogue ripped from Angelica Huston's memoir， Watch Me， and the play， I'll Eat You At Last。Disappointment also found me with the build up around the making of Chinatown， and then the story is pretty much， "these guys got together and made a great movie！ How crazy！！！！"Do yourself a favor - rewatch Chinatown and enjoy it， and if you wanna learn more about the time period in which it was made， read Huston's memoir， Watch Me。 It's much better。 。。。more
Debbie
，
This history of the making of arguably one of the greatest American films in the last century， tells the story of the 4 major players in its production。Jack Nicholson the star， Robert Evans the studio head and producer， Robert Towns the Oscar winning writer and Roman Polanski the director。The complicated lives of these four men somehow came together， against all odds to make this masterpiece that no matter how dramatic it was， their lives were even more so！A movie on any of their lives would be This history of the making of arguably one of the greatest American films in the last century， tells the story of the 4 major players in its production。Jack Nicholson the star， Robert Evans the studio head and producer， Robert Towns the Oscar winning writer and Roman Polanski the director。The complicated lives of these four men somehow came together， against all odds to make this masterpiece that no matter how dramatic it was， their lives were even more so！A movie on any of their lives would be Oscar material for sure。 。。。more
Michael Stetz
，
Some good stories。 A little long winded in spots。 Enjoyed the stories about that era of Hollywood more than the stories about Chinatown。 The book claims Cabaret beat the Godfather for best picture which obviously didn’t happen。
Jason Peters
，
A fascinating look at some fascinating men who make fascinating movies。
Stephan Pirsch
，
Great pageturner that delivers in transporting the reader right into the scene of L。A。 at the beginning of the 70ties。 It' above all a book about a city and an era - and a story about the individual creative process and the interference of others。 Great pageturner that delivers in transporting the reader right into the scene of L。A。 at the beginning of the 70ties。 It' above all a book about a city and an era - and a story about the individual creative process and the interference of others。 。。。more
Ben Peyton
，
This was pretty interesting。 Learning about the team of characters that were the core of the making of the movie was cool。 While it seems like it was a large effort to get the movie completed and released I feel like that was probably the case with all sorts of movies then and now。 I don't know， I guess I just don't see the connection between Chinatown and the so-called last years of Hollywood。 One thing I did find interesting was the difference between high-grossing films before Chinatown and a This was pretty interesting。 Learning about the team of characters that were the core of the making of the movie was cool。 While it seems like it was a large effort to get the movie completed and released I feel like that was probably the case with all sorts of movies then and now。 I don't know， I guess I just don't see the connection between Chinatown and the so-called last years of Hollywood。 One thing I did find interesting was the difference between high-grossing films before Chinatown and after。 Films just didn't rack in that much money but films like Chinatown changed that and resulted in non-film-related entities entering the field。 BAsically， film studios become subsidiaries of other large businesses and they were viewed as money-making centers。 I suppose it is different from before， but I don't know if that is good or bad。 One thing this book did make me want to know more about is the water wars in Los Angeles back in the 1930s。 That seems like an under-reported topic and could be an interesting book。 。。。more
Nick Rojas
，
Really enjoyed how are authors stitched together the lives of the 4 key people involved in the making of Chinatown。 I like how there were through lines and that it was little more thoughtful than just a detailed account of the story。 I enjoyed reading this and the pages really start to fly during Part 3。 Recommend this to anyone who likes Hollywood stories from years past or enjoyed this movie。
Rob Pritts
，
One of the best books on Hollywood and the making of a film ever。 His history of the studio system and Los Angeles from the golden age into the '60s and '70 is worth the price of the book。 One of the best books on Hollywood and the making of a film ever。 His history of the studio system and Los Angeles from the golden age into the '60s and '70 is worth the price of the book。 。。。more
Alex Justinger
，
Could have been twice as long and I’d still be hooked by it。 I ended up watching Chinatown 3 times over the course of reading this book。 For any cinefile who loves 1970’s cinema and Los Angeles - I highly recommend。
Galen
，
4。5/5。 Deep dive into Hollywood and filmmaking in the 70’s。
Sandra
，
Very interesting in some sections， but tedious in others。 Towne comes across as talented， but refuses to give his friend credit for crucial contributions over many years。 Polanski is tortured and talented。 The author excuses Roman's sodomizing and drugging a 13-year-old girl。 Poor Roman had such a rough life。 That seems to be the rationalization。 Jack was fleshed out some and came across as a gifted actor and loyal friend even to those who don't deserve his loyalty。 I have read Evan's biography。 Very interesting in some sections， but tedious in others。 Towne comes across as talented， but refuses to give his friend credit for crucial contributions over many years。 Polanski is tortured and talented。 The author excuses Roman's sodomizing and drugging a 13-year-old girl。 Poor Roman had such a rough life。 That seems to be the rationalization。 Jack was fleshed out some and came across as a gifted actor and loyal friend even to those who don't deserve his loyalty。 I have read Evan's biography。 His portrayal seems pretty accurate。 The long， arduous process of writing an original screenplay， editing， filming， etc。， is described in great detail--sometimes too much for me。 Other readers may thoroughly enjoy it。 The women in the book put up with mistreatment and disloyalty--the exception is Ant。 Most of them were interviewed and quoted so I guess that was not unusual during that time period。 。。。more
Matt Harms
，
A fantastic read。 Well written and engrossing。 I’d like Sam Wasson to write books on all my favorite movies。
Sarah
，
Thus far。。 Fantastic！
Terence
，