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Flood in the Desert

Explore the 1928 dam collapse, the 2nd deadliest disaster in California history. A colossal engineering failure, the dam was built by William Mulholland, who had ensured the growth of Los Angeles by bringing water to the city via ...

Director

Rob Rapley

Year

Genre

documentary, biography, history

Awards

N/A

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The aqueduct does hail a new
beginning for Los Angeles. - Flood in the Desert

The aqueduct does hail a new beginning for Los Angeles.

It very much follows on the idea
of Manifest Destiny, - Flood in the Desert

It very much follows on the idea of Manifest Destiny,

It's about controlling the
resources - Flood in the Desert

It's about controlling the resources

The "Los Angeles Times"
proclaimed, - Flood in the Desert

The "Los Angeles Times" proclaimed,

They realized that they could
use this flow - Flood in the Desert

They realized that they could use this flow

With ample water
and clean power, - Flood in the Desert

With ample water and clean power,

"We're not going to be like
those older places - Flood in the Desert

"We're not going to be like those older places

We can remake ourselves
in this new way." - Flood in the Desert

We can remake ourselves in this new way."

The rise of faith in the city,
it's very optimistic. - Flood in the Desert

The rise of faith in the city, it's very optimistic.

The mastermind behind the
aqueduct - Flood in the Desert

The mastermind behind the aqueduct

"Well, I went to school in
Ireland when I was a boy," - Flood in the Desert

"Well, I went to school in Ireland when I was a boy,&qu...

"or most of them... made a
pilgrimage to the Blarney Stone, - Flood in the Desert

"or most of them... made a pilgrimage to the Blarney St...

I mean,
you can't start out any lower, - Flood in the Desert

I mean, you can't start out any lower,

He understands the working man - Flood in the Desert

He understands the working man

Angelenos really loved him - Flood in the Desert

Angelenos really loved him

He was the hearty Irishman, - Flood in the Desert

He was the hearty Irishman,

As far as they were concerned,
he was taking their river, - Flood in the Desert

As far as they were concerned, he was taking their river,

They had been kept in the dark
about the aqueduct - Flood in the Desert

They had been kept in the dark about the aqueduct

The Owens Valley was a rural,
high-desert community - Flood in the Desert

The Owens Valley was a rural, high-desert community

Their fortunes were tied
to the Owens River. - Flood in the Desert

Their fortunes were tied to the Owens River.

The water wasn't stolen, - Flood in the Desert

The water wasn't stolen,

They certainly didn't tell
them that their plan really - Flood in the Desert

They certainly didn't tell them that their plan really

The anger in the Owens Valley - Flood in the Desert

The anger in the Owens Valley

To think that you could bring
that water - Flood in the Desert

To think that you could bring that water

On that November day in 1913, - Flood in the Desert

On that November day in 1913,

Shortly after 1:00 p.m., - Flood in the Desert

Shortly after 1:00 p.m.,

They had brought tin cups to dip - Flood in the Desert

They had brought tin cups to dip

"Take it." - Flood in the Desert

It made Los Angeles - Flood in the Desert

It made Los Angeles

The aqueduct teaches Los Angeles
that - Flood in the Desert

The aqueduct teaches Los Angeles that

Suburbs are springing up
all over, - Flood in the Desert

Suburbs are springing up all over,

There's racial segregation
in law and in practice. - Flood in the Desert

There's racial segregation in law and in practice.

So, it's not a alchemy - Flood in the Desert

So, it's not a alchemy

But the mythic qualities of it
are palpable. - Flood in the Desert

But the mythic qualities of it are palpable.

But as Los Angeles boomed, - Flood in the Desert

But as Los Angeles boomed,

By the time the population
blew past the one million mark - Flood in the Desert

By the time the population blew past the one million mark

Just think about it:
they were looking out 50 years, - Flood in the Desert

Just think about it: they were looking out 50 years,

What Mulholland created
was an illusion of abundance. - Flood in the Desert

What Mulholland created was an illusion of abundance.

And so, the people of the city
of Los Angeles - Flood in the Desert

And so, the people of the city of Los Angeles

There are lawns everywhere. - Flood in the Desert

There are lawns everywhere.

Spectacular flower gardens. - Flood in the Desert

Spectacular flower gardens.

The amount of water poured
onto those lawns - Flood in the Desert

The amount of water poured onto those lawns

In order to quench L.A.'s
thirst, - Flood in the Desert

In order to quench L.A.'s thirst,

There's a tremendous amount
of anger - Flood in the Desert

There's a tremendous amount of anger

There's a sense that
the community - Flood in the Desert

There's a sense that the community

And using their water, - Flood in the Desert

And using their water,

Arrogance absolutely plays
a big role. - Flood in the Desert

Arrogance absolutely plays a big role.

There is a lot of resentment
that is driven by the decisions - Flood in the Desert

There is a lot of resentment that is driven by the decisions

The farmers in the
Owens River Valley - Flood in the Desert

The farmers in the Owens River Valley

The anger only deepened when
it became clear - Flood in the Desert

The anger only deepened when it became clear

Even as the rest of
Southern California - Flood in the Desert

Even as the rest of Southern California

Did the city really need
to provide landowners - Flood in the Desert

Did the city really need to provide landowners

Well, it turns out that the
owner of the "Los Angeles Times" - Flood in the Desert

Well, it turns out that the owner of the "Los Angeles T...

Those wealthy landowners
made a killing. - Flood in the Desert

Those wealthy landowners made a killing.

It's very easy to picture
Mulholland as corrupt, - Flood in the Desert

It's very easy to picture Mulholland as corrupt,

I think, for him,
it's really about his own vision - Flood in the Desert

I think, for him, it's really about his own vision

I think that's
what's driving him. - Flood in the Desert

I think that's what's driving him.

The threat of shortages - Flood in the Desert

The threat of shortages

In a dry year, - Flood in the Desert

So they need storage, - Flood in the Desert

So they need storage,

In the summer of 1922, - Flood in the Desert

In the summer of 1922,

The St. Francis Dam
and the Hollywood Dam - Flood in the Desert

The St. Francis Dam and the Hollywood Dam

Plans were drawn up
in Mulholland's offices - Flood in the Desert

Plans were drawn up in Mulholland's offices

20 years before,
the city had required - Flood in the Desert

20 years before, the city had required

But that was then. - Flood in the Desert

But that was then.

This is that sense - Flood in the Desert

This is that sense

This is the second-largest
storage reservoir - Flood in the Desert

This is the second-largest storage reservoir

It should have had peer review; - Flood in the Desert

It should have had peer review;

But nobody's questioning him
by the time you get to 1922. - Flood in the Desert

But nobody's questioning him by the time you get to 192...

It had been 12 years
since Mulholland's crews - Flood in the Desert

It had been 12 years since Mulholland's crews

The Powerhouse 2 workers
and their families - Flood in the Desert

The Powerhouse 2 workers and their families

Now their quiet little community - Flood in the Desert

Now their quiet little community

But just as the project was
gearing up, - Flood in the Desert

But just as the project was gearing up,

On the 21st of May 1924, - Flood in the Desert

On the 21st of May 1924,

The damage was repaired within
a few days, - Flood in the Desert

The damage was repaired within a few days,

The aqueduct was a disaster
for Owens Valley. - Flood in the Desert

The aqueduct was a disaster for Owens Valley.

The people who lived there
lost almost all of their water. - Flood in the Desert

The people who lived there lost almost all of their water.

It became such a desolate place. - Flood in the Desert

It became such a desolate place.

It was a complete undoing - Flood in the Desert

It was a complete undoing

To the city and to Mulholland,
this is terrorism. - Flood in the Desert

To the city and to Mulholland, this is terrorism.

You are destroying
the water supply - Flood in the Desert

You are destroying the water supply

Six months after
the first attack, - Flood in the Desert

Six months after the first attack,

They wouldn't restore
the aqueduct flow, they said, - Flood in the Desert

They wouldn't restore the aqueduct flow, they said,

The siege lasted four days, - Flood in the Desert

The siege lasted four days,

To Mulholland's annoyance, - Flood in the Desert

To Mulholland's annoyance,

There are multiple layers
of irony here. - Flood in the Desert

There are multiple layers of irony here.

When the settlers of the
Owens Valley - Flood in the Desert

When the settlers of the Owens Valley

Before contact, - Flood in the Desert

Before contact,

Although most preferred a
nomadic lifestyle, - Flood in the Desert

Although most preferred a nomadic lifestyle,

The Paiutes there, they were
building irrigation canals - Flood in the Desert

The Paiutes there, they were building irrigation canals

Flood in the Desert poster

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Explore the 1928 dam collapse, the 2nd deadliest disaster in California history. A colossal engineering failure, the dam was built by William Mulholland, who had ensured the growth of Los Angeles by bringing water to the city via ...

User Rating: 0.0 (0 ratings)

Director: Rob Rapley

Writer: Rob Rapley

Production:

Genre: documentary, biography, history

Year: 2022

MetaScore: N/A/100

ImdbRating: 7.5

BoxOffice:

Released: 03 May 2022

Awards: N/A

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