Book

Carey McWilliams' Southern California Country: An Island on the Land (1946)

Screenwriter Robert Towne cited this non-fiction book as a major source, particularly its chapter 'The Water Fight,' which detailed the real-life corruption that inspired the film's plot.

Connected

Films that draw on this

Chinatown

1974 · Neo-noir / Mystery · Roman Polanski

“A private eye hired for an adultery case uncovers a conspiracy over Los Angeles' water — and a crime too deep to fix.”

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