Roman Polanski weaves together several aspects of literary design and film noir in his 1974 Chinatown to tell the film's compelling story inspired by California's water wars. These include the film's unique use of structure, the plot's constant puzzling twists, the development and depth of the film's many characters, and multiple symbols and motifs. The most obvious of these is the film's use of water as a motif to represent the constant power struggle between the film's characters and the character flaws in Gittes and Evelyn which add an element of humanity and empathy between the film and the viewer as well as reinforcing the depth and complexity of the relationship between the film's main characters. The very setting of the film sets the stage for the importance of water: Los Angeles. Los Angeles is one of the most populated metropolitan cities in America and the need for water is high, which can create problems as Los Angeles is, as one of the representatives says in the scene where Gittes watches Hollis Mulwray speak for the first time at a conference, a desert. In a desert, water is scarce and it is a necessity. Water is essential for all living things and is necessary to survive and function. Especially in the time and place where the film was set, the lack of water in the city was causing extreme hardship for farmers and drastically damaging the economy. Thus, he who possessed water possessed power. Early in the film we learn that Hollis Mulwray was the chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Immediately a connection is created between the two. When Gittes proceeds to follow him, she watches him move from place to place with the water as the waterb... in the center of the card... this scene is also symbolic of how the water dragged him into this huge investigation. about political scandals and power struggles and finds himself with his back against the wall. Later in the scene, Gittes gets her nose cut off by a character, interestingly played by director Roman Polanski, who works for the Department of Water in an attempt to cover up the scandal. This leaves a scar on Gittes' face for the rest of the film, leading us to the film's next major motif: the flaws of the different main characters and how these flaws build relationships and add depth and complexity between them. Jake's scar adds depth to his character, showing that he's not your "traditional" hero and protagonist. The scar proves that he is not the perfect detective, and over the course of the film he often finds himself coming to the wrong conclusions and acting recklessly as a result..