Broken Pocket Watch (Visual Imagery)
Early into his investigation of Hollis Mulwray, Jake Gittes follows Hollis to a seaside water runoff pipe. Hollis stays so late that Jake gets tired of waiting and places a pocket watch under Hollis's tire. In the following scene, Polanski shows Jake holding a broken pocket watch, which has stopped at the time Hollis drove away and unwittingly ran the pocket watch over. In this example of visual imagery, Polanski shows how Jake employs simple but clever investigative skills to collect information on his subject.
Sound of Gunshots (Auditory Imagery)
The day Hollis's body is found at Oak Pass Reservoir, Jake returns after nightfall and hops the fence to gain access to the scene. He hears a sound that resembles gunshots and drops for cover in a concrete channel; a moment later, the channel floods with a rush of water, suggesting that the gunshot sounds had to do with water being released from the reservoir. In this example of auditory imagery, Polanski shocks the audience by contrasting the silence of Jake strolling into the restricted area with the sudden, unexplained noises.
Glint in the Pond (Visual Imagery)
When Jake first visits the home of the Mulwrays, he walks into the backyard and listens to the Japanese gardener complain about the salt-water pond's effect on the surrounding grass. Standing beside the pool, Jake spots something shiny under the water as it glints in the sunlight. In this example of visual imagery, Polanski immerses the viewer in Jake's perspective to provoke intrigue about the shiny object he spots. Eventually, Jake and the viewer will discover that the object is a broken pair of bifocal glasses belonging to Noah Cross.
Evelyn's Car Horn (Auditory Imagery)
At the end of the film, Jake tries to protect Evelyn from Escobar's gunshots by throwing the detective off balance. However, Escobar's partner then opens fire on Evelyn's fleeing car. As the car slows to stop in the distance, its horn can be heard sounding constantly. The men rush to the vehicle and discover that the horn is being triggered by Evelyn's head as she lies dead on the wheel. In this example of auditory imagery, Polanski creates a sense of tension and dread by using the car horn sound to signal to the reader that one of the bullets has immobilized Evelyn.
