Image by cromaconceptovisual from Pixabay Today, I continue my reflection on films from “1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die” by Steven Jay Schneider by dissecting what I found surprisingly powerful about Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 epic historical drama film There Will Be Blood.
[NOTE: This blog will contain spoilers for “There Will Be Blood.” You have been warned.] The History Journalist Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation, Reefer Madness) became enamored by the 1927 novel Oil! by Upton Sinclair in the early 2000s. Convinced it would make a great basis for a movie, Schlosser intended to find a director that was equally passionate about the book and the topic of the early 20th century oil industry. Coincidentally, director and California native Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love) discovered Sinclair’s book around the same time and became equally captivated by its subject matter. Since he was suffering writer’s block on another script, Anderson opted to draft a screenplay that adapted portions of Sinclair’s novel while also incorporating some of his own research about the turn-of-the-century oil barons of Bakersfield, California. Anderson wrote the screenplay for There Will Be Blood with Daniel Day-Lewis (My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father, Lincoln) in mind for the protagonist as he had always wanted to work with him. Upon hearing that Day-Lewis enjoyed Anderson’s previous movie, Punch-Drunk Love, he met with the Oscar-winning actor and gave him a copy of the nearly complete script. The rest was history, as Day-Lewis accepted the role after his first meeting with Anderson. In spite of having a solid script and star in Day-Lewis signed on to the project, the film’s producers found it initially difficult to finance the project because some studios thought the idea lacked the scope for a major motion picture. After two years, the money was acquired for principal photography to begin in Texas in June of 2006 and end three months later. Two weeks into shooting, Anderson’s original choice for Eli Sunday was replaced by Paul Dano (12 Years a Slave, Prisoners, Swiss Army Man) who was already playing the much smaller role of Paul Sunday, thus making the characters identical twins. Despite only having four days to prepare for his expanded role and begin reshoots, Anderson was confident in his ability to be up for the challenge. There Will Be Blood was released to theaters on December 26, 2007, grossing over 75 million dollars on a third of the budget and receiving virtually universal praise from critics and audiences alike. The film was listed in the top three on over two dozen critics’ top-ten lists that year, and was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning two (Best Actor for Day-Lewis, and Best Cinematography). The Pros P.T. Anderson is hit or miss for me, to the point where I have failed to finish some of his films. But, there are a select few that I thoroughly enjoy and There Will Be Blood is one of them. There is a lot to like about it, so let’s dive in, shall we? What sticks out most to me about this film is how effective it is at slow, deliberate storytelling. Oft times, storytellers rely on a slow build in order to create dramatic tension but fail to captivate me as an audience member long enough to feel that the payoff of said tension was worth the wait. But Anderson pulls this off in There Will Be Blood, largely thanks to Day-Lewis’s central performance as ruthless oil tycoon Daniel Plainview. I was never bored, or even slightly disinterested, because the colorful cast of characters surrounding Plainview (and, of course, Plainview himself) and the world of greed and betrayal that they conceive remains evermore fascinating and engrossing. Thus, Anderson’s deliberate pace is both satisfyingly entertaining and thematically rich. Also, as a lover of not only history but specifically historical fiction (when done right), There Will Be Blood superbly captures the time and place that is its focus. As I am not intimately familiar with the rise of the American oil industry as I am with other periods of this nation’s history, the cast and crew provide a compelling look at a pivotal example of the rise of modern American capitalism both in terms of its causes and consequences. But beyond the film’s focus on the oil fields of California, the production design and examination of the characters’ everyday lives offer great insights into the development of early modern America. For anyone with an interest in either of these aspects of our past, There Will Be Blood is worth the watch for that alone. Arguably the best thing about the movie is its themes. I myself am a sucker for stories about the dark side of human nature. In the case of There Will Be Blood, we see the morally bare landscape of American greed, capitalism, and ambition through the eyes of oil baron Daniel Plainview. Furthermore, unlike some movies that attempt and fail to peel back the curtain in this way, P.T. Anderson and the rest of this film’s creative team excel at conceiving a grounded yet entertaining perspective on how far people will go to achieve success, the people they will abuse and backstab to do that, and how, ultimately, such an idea of success is barely success at all. On top of all of these positives, There Will Be Blood has a great cast, cinematography, score, production design…what’s NOT to like about this film?!? The Cons While there is virtually nothing that I dislike about There Will Be Blood, I can see why certain elements of the film would turn others off. First off, the two-and-a-half-hour runtime that worked for me could end up making other viewers feel burdened or put off. It does not feel slow to me, but viewers not captivated by Plainview’s greed-drive downward spiral to the brink of insanity will almost certainly feel otherwise. In addition, the film offers no optimistic take on human nature or American society at large. Again, for me this makes ground for interesting storytelling but other viewers really need some injection of hope into the world that Anderson creates in There Will Be Blood in order to enjoy it. And I can see how some people may find the film’s final scene to be both tonally chaotic and just downright pointless. Even though I feel satisfied by the time the credits roll, it is understandable for others to not be. Otherwise, this movie is technically impressive and rich with characterization and an exploration of complex ideas and emotions. I struggle to see how any of these elements could be despised by anyone except if you are someone who simply isn’t a fan of P.T. Anderson (which I do understand for most of his movies). So, what are my final impressions of There Will Be Blood? It is one of the few P.T. Anderson flicks that I find both entertaining and absorbing without being too ostentatious for my liking. And even though it is not my favorite of his films, it is one of the better small-budget, independent films of this century no question. What is your favorite P.T. Anderson film? Do you think There Will Be Blood is genuinely epic or too self-indulgent for its own good? What opinions of mine do you find absolutely ridiculous? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, this has been… Yours Truly, Amateur Analyst
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Austin McManusI have no academic or professional background in film production or criticism; I simply love watching and talking about movies. Archives
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