1. Compare and contrast the history of the building of the aqueduct that we get in the excerpt from the PBS documentary on the building of the aqueduct and from the essay by Morrow Mayo on "The Rape of Owens Valley" with the story of "Chinatown."
2. In "Chinatown," who is screwing who? Who is doing the screwing and who is getting screwed? Who is doing the cheating and who is cheated upon?
3. How and why is "Chinatown" a story about cover-ups? How can Jake Gittes, the detective, be compared to a historian?
4. Why is the movie called "Chinatown"? What is the image of LA's Chinatown in this movie? Where does the movie locate the source of crime and corruption in Los Angeles?
5. What motivates Noah Cross to do what he does? Is it something more than money?
6. "Chinatown" appeared in 1974. What was happening in the USA at this time in terms of political scandals and cover-ups? How is the movie about 1974 as well as about the "rape of the Owens Valley" and rise of Los Angeles?
7. How does Robert Towne, the screen writer for "Chinatown," explain the symbolism and significance of the movie?
8. "Chinatown" is a story of an epic rise of Los Angeles that is also a tragedy, a story of people gaining power as others get dispossessed of land. How can this story serve as a parable about the story of America and the frontier?
9. In the course of the history of Los Angeles, who has occupied the land and who has been dispossessed of it and by whom