Daily Dialogue — January 14, 2015

Jake Gittes: I found these in your backyard in the pond. They belonged to your husband didn’t they? Didn’t they?
Evelyn Mulwray: I don’t know, yes probably.
Jake Gittes: Yes positively. It’s where he was drowned.
Evelyn Mulwray: What?
Jake Gittes: There’s no time to be shocked by the truth. The coroner’s report proves that he had salt water in his lungs when he was killed, just take my word for it, alright? Now I wanna know how it happened and I wanna know why and I want to know before Escobar gets here because I don’t want to lose my license.
Evelyn Mulwray: I don’t know what you are talking about, this the craziest…that’s the most insane thing…
Jake Gittes: Stop it. I’m going to make it easy for you. You were jealous, you had a fight, he fell, he hit his head it was an accident. But his girl is a witness so you had to shut her up, you don’t have the guts to harm her but you’ve got the money to keep her mouth shut. Yes or no?
Evelyn Mulwray: No
Jake Gittes: Who is she? And don’t give me that crap about your sister because you don’t have a sister.
Evelyn Mulwray: I’ll tell you…I’ll tell you the truth
Jake Gittes: Good, what’s her name?
Evelyn Mulwray: Katherine.
Jake Gittes: Katherine who?
Evelyn Mulwray: She’s my daughter.
Gittes slaps Evelyn.

Jake Gittes: I said I want the truth!
Evelyn Mulwray: She’s my sister… [slap] She’s my daughter… [slap] My sister, my daughter. [More slaps]

Jake Gittes: I said I want the truth!
Evelyn Mulwray: She’s my sister AND my daughter!

Evelyn’s butler comes down the stairs.

Evelyn Mulwray: Kwan please go back. For god’s sake keep her upstairs, go back. (to Jake) My father and I…understand? Or is it too tough for you?

— Chinatown (1974), written by Robert Towne

Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Revelation. Today’s suggestion from James Schramm.

Trivia: Noah Cross is a reference of course to the Biblical character of Noah with all the associated connotations about water.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary from James: “This one came completely out of left field for me the first time I saw it. My head was spinning for a few days afterword, that’s a good revelation. Great film.”

Has anyone ever done a mash-up of Nicholson’s line, “I said I want the truth!” with this:

Because someone needs to make that happen.

If you have any suggestions for this week’s theme, please post in comments.