Unlike literary criticism, which has been discussed for several centuries, textual analysis of film texts has emerged only recently (Bellour 1975). However, considering the incoherence of film texts (it is difficult to express all film elements at the same time such as dialogues, body and facial language and so on), the question arose how to analyze film text (Stam 2000 ). This article will examine Bellour's methods of film text analysis and apply them to the analysis of Chinatown, and discuss the limitations of Bellourian text analysis. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay According to Bellour (1975), film analysis focuses on the specific textual structures rather than film system, which means film analysis focuses on the analysis of film symbols and specific film shape such as angles , camera movement, rather than the traditional emphasis on characters and plots (Metz 1975). Additionally, textual analysis involves close-up, shot-by-shot analysis. For example, Bellour (1974) analyzed the 12 shots of the Big Sleep from the perspective of six codes in the article The Obvious and the Codes. The first three specific cinematographic codes include variations in shot scale; if the target has moved; camera angles. There are three non-specific codes: the characters that appear in the shots; if they express themselves; the duration of these shots. Furthermore, the most special code, narrative elements, are based only on the content of the texts. In Bellour's (1979) research, "repetition" is one of the most important elements in text analysis and alternation is a specific form of repetition. There are three external and three internal “Cine-Repetitions”. The first two “externals” are linked to the production and reception of the film. Bellour (1979) demonstrated that the first “internal” repetition, those repetitions associated with the “film itself,” occurs from one frame to the next (there are 24 frames per second). Whereas a single cinematic image can only show half of the static space of the entire space, the other lens must cover half of what is missing from previous shots. The continuation of frames on the film helped create a complete and continuous field of view in the film. The second internal type is micro-repetition. It builds the secondary narrative unit (shots) into the main unit (segments) on the basis of continuous repetition. It is an opposite structure between two terms that develops one or both terms in return depending on the plots. Micro-repetition is also called alternation. The third is textual or macro repetition. It is used to explain the rhyme effect which is the final integration of a certain number of elements, given by the differential repetition (or alternation) from the beginning to the end or at the beginning and during the narrative. The film's segments begin and end in similar ways but with opposite shot order. Therefore, it is also called repetition resolution. Bellour's (1974) detailed analysis of one of the episodes of Big Sleep not only describes how the narrative is produced when the focus and objective are repeated and alternated, but also how it ends when the clip is finished. This segment began by introducing the two characters, repeating the conversation alternately. Finally, as they confess their love for each other, the clip returns to both roles. From a methodological point of view, the third external type of repetition refers to the more limited logic of psychoanalytic structure and approaches: the last repetition is the repetition of the film itself. Doingreference to the research of Christian Metz and Thierry Kuntzel (1973), the fictional film aims to set up a scene in which the audience can experience the things that the characters experience in the film experience. The application of psychoanalysis in film focuses primarily on revealing the potential meaning behind the images on the screen (Lapsley & Westlake 1988). For example, Bellour (1979) found that the content reflected in classical films is determined by social and historical phenomenon, based on the psychological implications of the massive presence of the Oedipus complex. In this form of expression, the extent to which a woman occupies a central position depends only on the height of the position that male desire gives her. The structural analysis method starts from the narrative structure and analyzes the elements of the story, involving the structure of the plot, the function of the characters and so on (Bellour 1975). However, Rodowick (1999) argued that Bellourian textual analysis is based on a relation of non-identity. A non-existent object whose original state can never be authenticated by an exact description also parse the text using fancy methods. As a result, the text analysis of the film is to some extent fictional. This is why the cinematic text is an unattainable text. Chinatown (1974) The Chinatown clips will be analyzed from three perspectives: the specific cinematic symbols and three internal “Cine-Repetitions”. Furthermore, taking the Oedipus Scenario as an example, the Chinatown segments are analyzed through the application of structural analysis and psychoanalysis methods. For the first internal “Cine-Repetition”, fundamental for making films, according to Bellour's research (1975), every second of films is composed of 24 closely related photographs as a series of images in a row. These eight frames represented a third of a second of screen time. Almost every image is copied from the previous one but with small differences. Looking at this group of images, we can conclude that filmmakers convert static images into dynamic videos by quickly projecting coherent images. Let's take a five-minute segment with 26 shots of Chinatown as an example. In this clip, Gittes interrogates Evelyn with a pair of glasses she thought were Mr. Mulwray and discovers the truth that Evelyn was raped by her father and gave birth to a daughter through forced confession. This analysis involves five cinematic codes that co-act, which are the change of relationship between shots, whether the lens moves, the main characters of each unit, whether they express themselves in this unit, the duration of the shots and the elements of narration. The first two are the particular codes that apply to all film productions; the last three are linked to the text itself, shaping its textual content. As shown in the table below: Shot 1 begins with Gittes taking his glasses out of his suit pocket and questioning Evelyn about the truth. Since Gittes gives speaking rights to Evelyn, shot 1 is changed to shot 2. There are two main differences between the two shots: first, the main characters change from Gittes to Evelyn with the speaking rights being transferred ; second, the camera panned from the center shot to the close-up shot for a clearer description of Evelyn's face. As the conversation progresses (the theme of the dialogue remains the same), shots 2 through 12 change back and forth between the two characters. These 11 alternative shots are based on the repetition of the main unit generating sub-narrative units (how Gittes faced Evelyn) under the main unit (segment: Gittes faces.