FILM CHALLENGE: 180) There Will Be Blood

180) There Will Be Blood

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Year: 2007

Plot Summary: The film follows the rise to power of Daniel Plainview, a charismatic and ruthless oil prospector who learns of oil-rich land in California that can be bought cheaply. He moves his operation there and begins manipulating and exploiting the local landowners into selling him their property.

There Will Be Blood could possibly be greatest film of the last ten years, a two and a half hour epic that, despite being set during the turn of the 20th century, says more about the 21st century than any other movie has done thus far. Though it's a simple story of rivalry, Paul Thomas Anderson's film becomes a masterpiece in the way that it uses this narrative to subtly speak about capitalism, the war in Iraq, the greed for oil and bring to light many of the political, sociological and cultural aspects that have come to define the decade.

In one of cinema's greatest screen performances, Daniel Day Lewis shines as the greed-hungry Daniel Plainview who comes to Little Boston in search for oil only to find himself locked in a head-to-head battle for power with the local evangelical priest Eli Sunday. In many ways, Plainview's story draws parallels with the aforementioned war in Iraq. Just like how American soldiers where sent to install confidence and hope in the Iraqi citizens, despite the ulterior motives of finding oil, Daniel has to win the trust of the religious town before he can achieve what he wants.

Plainview is not just simply greedy or consumed by the Capitalist desire to have everything though, he also fancies himself a god. The name in Hebrew translates to Judgment of God and he does, indeed, fancy himself smarter than most people as one of the sources of his superiority. In the final scene, in fact, he screams at Eli “I am the third revelation! Because I’m smarter than you!”

The dialogue is very much tailored around this idea that Plainview sees himself as a God. Almost everything he has to say, for example, is declarative and he very often makes up people’s minds for them before they even have a chance to speak. It wouldn't be unfair to suggest that speech, helped by the hypnotic accent of Day Lewis, is the source of his immense power.

In this respect, it's interesting to note that there is no dialogue for about 20 minutes at the beginning of the movie. In these scenes, after all, he is simply just a hard-working silver miner and is totally insignificant. It's only when he strikes gold and starts his own drilling company that he speaks. Paul Thomas Anderson provokes much thought on the class system made by Capitalist society through this artistic choice.

The metaphor of the voice as 'power' might also help to put emphasis on why Plainview sends home him son when his hearing is impaired by an accident on the derrick. He no longer serves any purpose as he doesn't further his image and, therefore, his power and so he has no use for him any more.

Another interesting theme that There Will Be Blood raises is about the "American Dream". As Chuck Palahniuk states in his book Stranger Than Fiction, the American Dream is "to get so rich you can rise above the rabble, all those people on the freeway or, worse, the bus." Similarly, Daniel Plainview longs to be away from all the people in the barren wasteland of Little Boston and all the lower forms of life who work for him in There Will Be Blood. This is symbolised by the house he describes to his brother Henry and where he eventually ends up in the movie's finale. However, as with the nature of capitalism and greed, it becomes obvious that he still wants more and more even he reaches this goal. There's no stopping him. And this can be a powerful and evil force as we witness in the already infamous and bravura closing minutes.

The cinematography and music help to make emphasis on these aforementioned themes of the corrupting nature of capitalism and the American Dream. The former frames the derrick at the heart of Little Boston like a foreboding cloud constantly hanging over the little town, giving it the potential to cause great destruction and despair though obviously inanimate. The latter, composed the Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, creates a constant sense of dread and disquiet even in the most ordinary of moments.

As engrossing a story as you will ever find, There Will Be Blood provokes much debate and discussion through its many layers of meaning and subtext that it encourages the audience to piece together without ever losing its entertainment. And if that isn't enough, it also features a screen performance by Day Lewis that rivals De Niro in Taxi Driver or Brando in On The Waterfront. A landmark in modern cinema that future film-makers will surely aspire to match, though it would take something incredible to top this.

5/5

By Daniel Sarath with 1 comment