There Will Be Blood

This film is about the constant pursuit of success in America. The film follows Daniel, a man that constantly works to find oil and gain success. The way in which this movie is a direct relationship between church and state (or church and capitalism) is astounding. The way church seems to have ruled the state during this time is much more different than what we see today. It seems to me that church had a much larger role in the way the state or capitalism. Today, church and state seem more so separated than they are in the film. Daniel is a representation of the way the state has to try and separate from the church if they want to succeed in capitalism.

In the film There Will Be Blood, the opening is especially intriguing to me. The first 15 minutes of the film are in a silent film style in the way that there is no dialogue used. There is an intense soundtrack at the very start which leads into the first scene. The eery music continues through the rest of the silence. I feel that without the music, the movie wouldn’t have any progression. The music adds drama and character development in scenes where there is only action. When there is dialogue, it’s very minimal and there is always music and sound effects that add too it. There is an upward shot of the minors watching their fellow minor down below as he climbs down to remove the metal rod. The music is very suspenseful and makes the viewing audience aware that what is going on is tense and dangerous. I was also interested by the biblical reference when the man put his hand into the oil and lifted it to the sky. Right after that the man takes his finger and puts oil on his baby’s forehead.

I find it interesting how Daniel acts to others, first off is the child he has with him really his? I though the child belonged to the man that was killed in the accident and Daniel "adopted" the child to provide for him. He seems to use the child as toll rather than a son by having him around all the time so people see him and using him as an excuse to hunt quail on the mans land. Daniel seems to play people's humanity against him so he can make quick money. Since he allowed the pastor to have some say in the well he was able to get the people support, and also by saying the increased wealth for all, education, and roads in their town. However I believe these are empty lies to convince the people to trust him long enough to get the oil and get out.

I am quite interested in the religious moments in the film so far. I found it interesting that although the man who "blesses" the derrick is secular, he still semi blesses the derrick for the satisfaction of eli/paul(since that character has been bizarre). Also, when they first hit the oil, the worker raises his dirty hand into the sky, praising God for their success, and thanking him for their victory. Then, shortly after the hand raising, a man seems to anoint his child with the oil and touches its forehead. I also am interested in the Eli/Paul twins. So far, we haven't seen them both on set at the same time..and it is a bit odd. its almost as if there was a dual character, the good christian child, and the alter ego, the one trying to sell out his fathers land.

Labor omnia vincit - work conquers all. This seems to be the motto in which Daniel bases his life. At the beginning of the movie, the oil well is located in the center of camp, indicating that their lives revolve around work. Before they strike oil for the first time, Daniel is seen holding a baby while he works. As he becomes more successful, he brings his child with him everywhere his job leads. His son's childhood stems from business. Similarly to Tanner, I can't help but wonder if the child is even his at all. Many business men try to pity potential clients into buying their product, as shown frequently in NBC's, The Office. If he can lie about having a wife, surely he can lie about having a child.

The music at the beginning reminds me of the start of a thriller, but more specifically, The Shining. After they strike oil the first time, the music becomes more mellow, but every so often, a deep cello is heard, bringing back the feeling of the eerier preceding song. The variety of sound could illustrate the idea that although business brings wealth and power, it also causes a loss of personal well being. Many people spend their lives working so much that they literally drown in it, just like the men at the bottom of the oil well in one of the earlier scenes. They sacrifice their health and even their sanity to potentially gain wealth and power, much like Charles Kane.

There Will Be Blood starts by showing the intense physical labor that is needed to get petroleum before the technology of a derrick. The main character starts to create a derrick but it is still very dangerous, breaking and killing two people that were still inside the well. After this incident the movie cuts forward a few years where Paul offers Daniel some land and the two negotiate until Daniel agrees to buying the land. They both seem to be con men. Daniel uses his child as a symbol of a honest family figure but he is very vague when talking about his family where as Paul seems forceful and manipulative when he is talking.

"There Will Be Blood" dives into what is perceived as the classic American Dream. The film opens with a man, Daniel, working desperately to find oil. We see as years pass he recruits others to follow him, and the pain and hardships that these men were forced to go to were exemplified. We eventually see Daniel and his son as being very successful. A far cry from his rough origins. At this point in the film the viewer questions whether or not Daniel's gain of power has at all changed his character. It is hinted that he is not as sincere as he once was, but we are still unsure.

thematically this movie feels like it's about everything from the battle between commerce and religion to the bond between fathers and sons to the underbelly of American entrepreneurship. Yet Anderson never seems overstate his intentions, and continually allows you to make discoveries for yourself

Some great ideas. To clarify, Paul and Eli are twins. Paul obviously sells out and wants to escape from the restrictions he feels in his family. The father beats his daughter when she doesn't pray, an ironic twist on using religion to justify cruelty and power. Daniel adopts the boy when his real father is killed in the well. His motives are interesting-is Daniel compassionate, manipulative, or both? Keep those great comments coming!

I think that the use of visuals inside the film as well as sound are more effective in portraying theme than camera angle. I find this interesting because in previous films we have watching, it was all about the camera angle. This could either be a phenomenon of new developments in technology pushing forward, or loosing the classical elements of film to new ideas. I thought it was interesting how as the film progressed, a shadow comes over the land. The shadows of the clouds over the open space and mountains is a key visual to the mood and direction of the scene. When the well explodes, it transitions from daylight to evening as the sun is setting. I think that this shows how the well exploding brings darkness to the town. There is also a theme of power and control. Daniel is being manipulative by telling Eli that he can have the blessing on the start of the well, but twists it when it actually comes time. He uses Eli's sister in place of him, but uses Eli's words. He does the "simple but important" blessing himself, which diminishes Eli's power over the church. In this scene, Daniel is shown standing walking up the well platform as Eli stands below. This camera angle shows visually how Daniel is gaining power over Eli in that moment. As before, sounds and music are crucial to the emotional states of each scene in the movie. The eery music allows the viewing audience to sense tension or aggression. When H.W. goes deaf after the well erupts, the scene transitions back and forth from loud intense music to silence to portray the fact that he lost his hearing. WIthout sound elements, the movie wouldn't have the same dramatic progression.

Daniel's focus is clearly on making money and it leads to his downfall. He is obsessed with making money and he puts it before his family, his community, and his morality. Many years late he finally realizes his mistakes but it is too late to make a change. He starts to go to church to change his life but he is still clearly corrupt. After the scene where Daniel is in the church getting salvation from Eli he meets with his son telling him that is is a "Bastard from a basket". The only reason Daniel adopted him in the first place was to give people the false impression that he is a family man, manipulating people to selling to him to drill. His son ends up not wanting anything to do with Daniel and he moves to Mexico with his wife. The final scene shows that Daniel still has not corrected his morality forcing Eli to say "I am a false prophet and God is a superstition".

Money destroys the individual in this film. Daniel is an oil man that is clearly focused on getting money and nothing else. God is a myth to Daniel because he feels like he got to his place in the world by himself, and not with God's help. Also, Family is not a thought in Daniel's mind. It is money and money only in his world. He even leaves his son because he sees his son as new competition. This movie portrays the idea that money destroys the individual. And the theme is carried throughout the film very well.

Daniel Plainview is similar to Kane in that all he wants is to find ways of acquiring more money, yet has no idea what to do after he has earned it. Daniel became extremely hostile when negotiating with a fellow oil executive when he suggested Daniel retire with his son. Danielle exclaimed "What would I do with myself". Towards the end of the film we see how living an exuberant lifestyle has taken its toll on Daniel. He is constantly depressed and drinks as he has nothing better to do. He is shown shooting pots inside of his house, showing a lack of care for any of his new possessions as well as a sense of carelessness towards himself. This tension eventually leads in the permanent separation of him and his son.

I enjoyed how Daniel turned the Preacher against his own ideals of religion for money showing that enough money can strip a man of his core values. The money also seemed to plague Daniel since he killed the man who acted like his brother and the preacher. It also affected him by separating himself from his son. It was interesting that Daniel said his son was no longer his son, but a competitor in the oil business. Overall this film is similar to Citizen Kane and how he struggled with wealth and love.

The reason he killed Eli, in my opinion, is two fold. First, Eli was an affront to his "godhood;" in Plainview's opinion he was a false prophet. Plainview screams (right before killing Eli) "Did you think your song and dance and your superstition would help you, Eli? I am the Third Revelation! I am who the Lord has chosen!" The second reason he kills Eli is because someone he hates so much is now family, which Eli became when H.W. married his sister. The announcement that they are brother-in-laws is a devastating blow to Plainview, who feels he should chose who is part of him and who isn't. This happens right after losing H.W. as his last bit of family, and Plainview can't accept that his only remedy in loneliness lies in Eli. Also I noticed a continuity between the way people died in this film-all from head trauma. I felt that this leads to suggesting the over identification with the head/intellect, and abandonment of the heart's wisdom.

Describe a character.

Daniel Plainview. He is a man that seems to be quite simple but is rather complex. He is a reserved man that keeps to himself and declared “I look at people and I see nothing worth liking”. He is detached from humanity, a being that feels more entitled than the rest of humanity. He makes no efforts to make friends. His name is rather ironic, because he never analyzes others; he takes them for their covers. He views life plainly, but he is selfly complex. His “sons” life is nothing but a tale, a fabrication of lie that were created to appease an audience. Plainview is also a ruthless competitor. He will do anything to get ahead of anyone, including his “son”. Towards the end of the film, he shouts out to his “son” where he came from and the true story. This reminded me of imagery in Night, by Elie Wiesel, where the prisoners were in cattle cars, and a son takes the last morsel of food from his fathers crippled dying hands. Daniel only does things that are in his best interest.

Wow! Your comments are amazing!