Within the course of Hollywood history, few movements have been quite as influential as the development of the “New Hollywood” era within the late 1960s and early 1970s.
After major studios and production companies were met with a series of critical and financial disappointments at the tail end of the 1960s, the industry turned its eyes on young, ambitious filmmakers to point towards the future of cinema.
The result was an unparalleled period of creativity and artistic expression where many all-time classics were produced.
Although 1967’s Bonnie & Clyde is often associated with the movement’s inception, no film embodies “New Hollywood” like the classic neo-noir Chinatown.
While it’s now regarded as one of the most important films of its era, Chinatown had a difficult road to release due to the constraints put on its studio, star, writer, and director.