To whom did the bifocals belong to in the movie Chinatown?

To whom did the bifocals belong to in the movie Chinatown? - Young multiethnic couple unboxing boxes in new apartment

In the 1974 movie Chinatown the following happens:

At Evelyn's mansion, Gittes finds her servants packing her things. He realizes her garden pond is salt water and discovers a pair of bifocals in it. He confronts Evelyn about her "sister"; after Gittes slaps her, she admits that the woman, Katherine, is her sister and her daughter: her father raped her when she was fifteen. She says that the eyeglasses are not Mulwray's, as he did not wear bifocals. Wikipedia-Chinatown

As the bifocals were not belonging to Mulwray, why did Gittes accuse Cross of murdering Mulwray in the salt water and leaving the bifocals in the pond?



Best Answer

Gittes concludes that they're Noah Cross's. From the script:

GITTES: An obituary column... can you read in this light?

CROSS: Yes... I think I can manage...

Cross dips into his coat pocket and pulls out a pair of rimless glasses.. He puts them on, reads. Gittes stares at the bifocal lenses as Cross continues to look through the obituary column. He looks up.

CROSS: What does this mean?

GITTES: -- that you killed Hollis Mulwray --

Gittes is holding the bifocals with the broken lens now.

GITTES: (continuing) -- right here, in this pond. You drowned him... and you left these.

And since Noah takes them away from him as to not incriminate himself, Gittes is probably right.




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To whom did the bifocals belong to in the movie Chinatown? - Serious multiethnic couple in trendy casual clothes discussing about relocation while woman gesticulating during unpacking things in spacious modern apartment
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Who do the glasses belong to in Chinatown?

Mulwray, but Mrs. Mulwray corrects him and says they belong to her father, Noah Cross. A pair of bifocals, the glasses represent not only Cross' distorted worldview but also the separate duality of vision and reality. After her incestuous relationship with Cross is revealed, Mrs.

Who were bifocals in the pond Chinatown?

1 Answer. Show activity on this post. Gittes concludes that they're Noah Cross's.

Who is Noah Cross based on?

The unforgettably vile mastermind of the film's conspiracy Noah Cross is based on a combination (to avoid any possible litigation) of real-life figures Frederick Eaton and civil engineer William Mullholland.

What does Chinatown represent in the movie Chinatown?

While Evelyn's killing does literally take place in Chinatown, the film also uses Chinatown as a symbol for society at large. In a corrupt society like 1937 Los Angeles, where big business controls every aspect of life, morally upstanding individuals can do nothing. Even the police are resigned to this fact.



Bleachers - Chinatown (BLEACHERS ON THE ROOF live at electric lady) ft. Bruce Springsteen




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