Chinatown is a 1974 American movie directed by Roman Polanski, written by Robert Towne, and starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Hillerman and John Huston. The movie is based on a true story about arguments that people had over the water politics in 1937 Los Angeles. It is considered to be a film noir. It was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1991. The movie is often considered to be one of the greatest movies ever made. During the 1975 Academy Awards, an Oscar award was given to Robert Towne for Best Original Screenplay. The Golden Globe Awards gave the movie awards for Best Drama, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay. The American Film Institute says that it is the second-best of all mystery movies.