In the movie, "Chinatown', corrupt politicians and land speculators were creating shell companies used to hide the purchase of farm land at discount prices which had been ruined by secretly diverting water used for irrigation into the sea. Over a few years the crops consistently failed because of "drought conditions" until the farmers went bankrupt and were forced to sell. Land bought - pennies on the dollar.
The twist is that the officers of the shell companies were people living in retirement / nursing homes who did not know they were being used to hide the identities of the real owners. An old person would "die" and oddly enough the next day his name would show up in the land records as having purchased XXX acres of farm land. The real owners periodically shifted ownership to muddle the history of ownership... laundering and hiding ownership at the same time. Of course the head of the nursing home was in on the scam.
Just thinking about all those Kirkland, WA deaths at one time... and why "sentinel" protocol for nursing home is such a high priority.
Thinking about life imitating art in a rather ghoulish way.
Or is it the other way around and art is imitating life.
Still ghoulish, either way.
Copy/Paste - 13 days ago
In the movie, "Chinatown', corrupt politicians and land speculators were creating shell companies used to hide the purchase of farm land at discount prices which had been ruined by secretly diverting water used for irrigation into the sea. Over a few years the crops consistently failed because of "drought conditions" until the farmers went bankrupt and were forced to sell. Land bought - pennies on the dollar.
The twist is that the officers of the shell companies were people living in retirement / nursing homes who did not know they were being used to hide the identities of the real owners. An old person would "die" and oddly enough the next day his name would show up in the land records as having purchased XXX acres of farm land. The real owners periodically shifted ownership to muddle the history of ownership... laundering and hiding ownership at the same time. Of course the head of the nursing home was in on the scam.
Just thinking about all those Kirkland, WA deaths at one time... and why "sentinel" protocol for nursing home is such a high priority.
Thinking about life imitating art in a rather ghoulish way.
Or is it the other way around and art is imitating life.
Still ghoulish, either way.
god I love that movie, though.
An absolute classic!