In Chinatown "Jake" Gittes is a stylish but slightly sleazy ex-cop and divorce detective who investigates a murder mystery that revolves around water rights in 1937 Los Angeles. Water, an essential resource necessary for human survival, is scarce during a drought in the growing city on the edge of desert. A commodity even more important than money, water is recurring motif throughout the film. Inspired by historical events, Chinatown shows us how an issue as boring as the public distribution of water is important in urban planning and development, and more philosophically, how planning can really be about life and death. Evelyn Mulwray hires Jake because she believes her husband, Hollis Mulwray, the head of the city water department was murdered …show more content…
The city needs water, because they are, despite being next to an ocean, a “desert community” and are going to divert it from farming communities along the river valley. Obviously, the famers need the water and have a problem with this solution. This is an issue that public planners continue to address today, just as it did in the 1920’s, public resources need to be distributed equitably, but the rich and powerful are often able to manipulate public planning to their …show more content…
water department who planned the city water infrastructure when it was rapidly growing in the early 20th century. He designed the cinematically famous L.A. aqueduct, the long concrete waterways, which led to the disputes known as the Owens Valley California Water Wars. Like Mulwray, Mulholland had his share of scandals, and his career ended when a dam collapsed shortly after he had conducted a safety inspection. Interestingly enough, another famous L.A. film landmark, Mulholland drive, is named after him. Water really is important in L.A. The city of L.A. is a major character in Chinatown, but throughout most of the film it has a distinctly rural landscape: the palm trees, diversion channels and orchards are all focused on the agricultural world that is competing against the city for water. The film offers an entertaining history of early L.A. However, it offers a strange landscape. As we follow the narrative, which is a confusing labyrinth of lies and deception, we see three cities, three versions, of Los