"Cadillac Desert"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the first of two parts of the film concentrate on William Mulholland's dream to bring water to a thirsty Los Angeles, while the second part concentrates on the Colorado River, once mighty, now tamed for tap water. The author believes that this film makes the viewer stop and think about where water really comes from and how much we really use every day. The paper relates that the film also shows the small Hopi tribe, who lives on the mesas of northern Arizona and has survived for thousands of years as an agricultural society with no irrigation or water other than rainfall.

From the Paper:

"In the 1980s' Mono Lake became a battle cry between Northern and Southern California. California's aqueduct tapped into the lake, and drained it nearly 40 feet. This desert lake with its' unusual tufa formations was in danger of disappearing, and local residents and environmentalists waged a vocal campaign against the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. They won. Los Angeles had to leave Mono Lake alone, and the lake is gradually making a recovery. "Mulholland's Dream" shows the desperate need for water in the American West, but it also shows the political influence of a powerful man and a big city over small town farmers. Mulholland took advantage of Owens Valley residents for the good of Los Angeles. Politically, Mulholland was a nightmare, yet he was a visionary who saw the water needs of Southern California long before most did, and knew how to create a workable, if not politically correct, solution."

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