The Birth of a Classic

As i mentioned on the year end review, just two posts below this, i haven't get the chance to see There Will be Blood, not until 2 days ago. And as of 2 days ago, P.T Anderson has officially became my hero. His vision was always great, but in this film, it was just simply astonishing. There is no flaw in his directing, and there are many moments of pure greatness in the picture. This is the film of our time, the Citizen Kane of our generation. Without any doubt, There Will be Blood deserved to stand as one of the best film of all time, along with Schindler's List, Citizen Kane, and Treasure of Sierra Madre.

The movie started with a strange noise which escalated with every second it passes. It drags the audience into the dark and gloomy desert of western America. The noise is followed by almost 15 minutes of wordless shot of Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) working his way to make a fortune by digging for silver ore in a deep well, full of rock. From there, we were brought to his discovery of oil, and how he make his way to be a successful oil man. This transition from an ordinary man to a successful oil man is where the drama starts. We see how an ambition can turns a man against his own nature, and transform himself into someone who defies anything that comes between him and his ambition. An ambition that tested him through his relationship with his son, religion, and the social scene around him.

Daniel Day-Lewis' portrayal of Daniel Plainview maybe the best performance of the year, or even of the decade. He gives a haunting, dramatic and a great depth of emotion into the character. Plainview is a pure old fashioned American, who struggled with his life on the late 19th century. When he discovered about oil, and made success of it, Plainview is not the same man as before. There is greed in his eyes, he sees the world different, and Daniel Day-Lewis showed it with his action, mannerism, and voice. Paul Dano, who played the preacher Eli Sunday also gave a great performance. He managed to match Day-Lewis' greedy portrayal of Daniel Plainview.

Paul Thomas Anderson uses all his creativities in the film. There are many memorable scenes, and some trademark P.T Anderson shot. The one long shot when Plainview is reunited with his son, the shot when we see Plainview is sitting on the centre of the screen looking at the-about-to-explode tower, and the first shot of Plainview in the well are all superb. I guess he brings out all of his creativity in this film. The music, which i mentioned as noises in the beginning, are all thanks to Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood. Anderson ask Greenwood personally to fill in the score for this movie, and it worked really great for the movie.

If you are sick and tired of all the blockbuster hits, Michael Bay stuff, typical romantic comedies, and you want to experience the greatness of film, go watch this film. Paul Thomas Anderson is on the road to join world's greatest directors such as, Scorsese, Spielberg, and Coppola. As for Daniel Day-Lewis, he's now officially put himself in the same spot as Brando, Bogart, and De Niro.