There have been very strong arguments about a woman’s place in the society. Some suggest that their role should only be that of a home maker while others feel that they are capable of playing pivotal roles in the future workplaces. The first lot is made up of traditionalists, people who were born in the eighties and earlier. They believe that men are superior to women and condescend over them in arguably every situation. In some extreme cases, women are even denied basic privileges such as freedom of association with persons of the opposite sex, driving and basic leadership duties. http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/45880/women%20drive. Instead, they are confined within their matrimonial or birth homes to forcefully play the role of housewives.
Contrary to these, there are those belonging to a more evolved school of thought that suggests that women are just as capable as men when it comes to career and development issues. That ability to perform does not lie within the confines of gender.
The film Chinatown was set in a society that inclines to the first society described above. It was filmed in the year 1974. As we all understand, the plight of women in the society at that time is almost an inverse of what we have now. Women had no channel to voice any concerns to or against a man. They were to be simply seen but not heard. Of course this kind of treatment did not come without its repercussions since the depravation and restraint was a perfect breeding ground for all sorts of evils to thrive. Men were able to get away with almost anything in terms of the women’s manipulation. The women on the other hand suffered in silence and fear of shunning, rebuke, rejection or even banishment. This wicked force is sometimes extended even to male family members whom the women were expected to trust and rely on.
The movie Chinatown presents to us an almost similar scenario whereby a father surpasses the basic moral decorum and gets involved sexually with his daughter. Mr. Cross takes advantage of his daughter Evelyn in a relationship she considers unnatural. She goes on to conceive a girl. She is forced to plunge into a sea lies causing her husband to believe that the girl was her sister. The lie is carried on into their lives making room for much more deception. Mysterious occurrences surround them but no-one is willing to come forth with the truth. This creates a scandal which tears the entire family apart right through the centre.
Below, I have fragmented the movie into several parts and a few will be discussed in-depth below.
Family Values, Ties and Social Network
The family relations displayed in this film are of the kind; “you may think you know who you’re dealing with, but you do not”. In one word, we may call it dysfunctional. There is less humanity holding the family members together and more greed and selfish interests. The onset of this is the incestuous relation that Mr. Cross has with his daughter. Mr. Cross and his son in law, Mr. Mulwray then later work together for a while as partners at the water works before it is sold to the city. All this time, they continue to live in deception. With all this going on, there are also some suspicious occurrences that are taking place within their family. They are uncovered by the scandal caused by the private investigator Jake who is also set up to spy on Mr. Mulwray by a woman who he later learns was an impersonator of Mrs. Mulwray.
The families portrayed in the film do not have close ties bonding them. They are instead driven by their own ill ambition.
In terms of their social network, we do not see any substantial interaction with friends to indicate that they are well connected. They however have a few friends and colleagues with whom they interact.
Physical Setting between the Poor and Rich Neighborhoods
This was seen generally in terms of the nature and quality of housing facilities offered in both neighborhoods. The rich neighborhoods had been lined with large, well sculpted houses such as the mansion owned by the Mulwrays. The outdoors were surrounded by well manicured hedges and in a salt water pond. The roads leading to and from the lush neighborhoods were also well lined with tarmac. These neighborhoods were also spacious and serene; free from commotion.
Contrary to this, are the poor neighborhoods, they are much more congested, polluted and over-populated. The building structures here are also not very decent or luxurious. The structures erected in these areas are also not all permanent which makes their eviction and displacement much easier. Finally, the roads in these areas are in a poor state since they are filled with potholes.
Consequences of Urban Environment
Industrialization happens to be one of the key effects of urbanization of any given area. Like any adjustment or change, it has its advantages and disadvantages. In most controlled situations, the advantages should always exceed the disadvantages. Some of the effects brought about by this urban environment include; pollution. It may be of air from industries, of the environment by dumping of household waste, or of the water bodies through dumping of waste into water bodies.
The setting of the film revolves around the Californian water wars which were aimed at addressing the issue of securing water rights and overseeing the construction of a dam to reserve clean water which was beginning to become scarce due to the population increase.
However, due to corruption mismanagement and greed of leaders, this project is soon turned into a money making scheme and the welfare of the people is pushed aside. This is quite clear from the manner in which Mr. Cross conducts himself regarding LA’s fresh water supply.
Cross and his partners have been forcing farmers in the rural areas surrounding the city out of their land so they can buy it cheap, after which a newly-built (and controversial) dam and water system would start redirecting much of L.A.’s water supply to that land, dramatically increasing its real estate potential & value. Since Cross wants no record of such transactions, he has partnered with a retirement home community in such a way that many of the eldest residents within (one of whom is mentioned in the obituary column) would legally, but unknowingly, own the land.
Urban environment also lacks person privacy since all of someone’s actions are exposed to public scrutiny.
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_rights_in_Saudi_Arabia#cite_ref-Hesford_140-0
Hesford, Wendy; Wendy Kozol (2005). Just Advocacy?: Women’s Human Rights, Transnational Feminism, and the Politics of Representation. Rutgers University Press. p. 3.
Chinatown (1974) Movie
