1974 Alternate Oscars

Chinatown is about seeing without understanding, and rushing headlong where angels fear to tread. Detective Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) is a true-blue American — which is to say venal, well-meaning, blindly stumbling around, certain of his own abilities, confident of final victory, and the unwitting architect of his own defeat.

The mystery (centered on a real-life scheme to profit from L.A.'s water rights) is labyrinthine; the payoff, legendary. And personally, I think this, rather than One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, is Jack Nicholson's best performance.

Too often people associate the word "masterpiece" with the spinach your tenth grade English teacher made you eat. Chinatown is a masterpiece in the best sense of the word — enthralling, thrilling, moving, and yes, even occasionally thought-provoking. Highly recommended.

My choices are noted with a ★. A tie is indicated with a ✪. Historical Oscar winners are noted with a ✔. Best foreign-language picture winners are noted with an ƒ. A historical winner who won in a different category is noted with a ✱.