There Will Be Blood thread

[Laurie]

I didn't see PFT at all. Where the hell was he?

[Forrest]

I didn't see PFT at all. Where the hell was he?

Okay. You can't actually see him. You're best left listening for the voice. Oh, and it's about 15 minutes in.

[Chris L]

You can see him fall into the ocean during the Coney Island scene at the end.

[Matt]

I just got back.

First off, I had no problem whatsoever spotting PFT. For those who missed him, he's sitting to Plainview's right during his first speech. ("If I say I'm an oil man, you will agree...") PFT acquitted himself very well, as did Will Oldham in the role of Henry.

I liked the movie a lot, but agree with those who found the ending out-of-tune with the rest of the movie. It inspired thought and debate, though, so that's a good thing. As I was watching the movie, I was thinking, "Wow, this really is one of the best movies I've EVER seen," and then, when Plainview put the napkin over his face in the restaurant, things started to go slightly downhill. That said, I always had a great time as I was watching it, and was never bored. I even liked the last couple of scenes, but I liked them more as individual scenes rather than how they fit within the flow of the movie, if that makes sense. It was interesting and I'll be seeing it again soon.

A thought: (SPOILERS)

Someone wrote somewhere that Plainview could be impotent, but I think it goes further than that - the man had to be a eunuch. I'm aware that this is ridiculous, but bear with me. I think Plainview had probably suffered terrible abuse at the hands of (most likely) his father, abuse which may have involved some kind of genital mutilation. So - and here I leap shamelessly - Daniel's competetive nature would have to be his form of compensating. I also think that it was not only Daniel who was abused, but his siblings as well. So, at the beach, when Henry mentions getting some girls, Daniel is immediately convinced that his "brother...from another mother" is not who he claims. I don't believe Daniel was fostering suspicions before that scene. Daniel's reaction to Henry's plan, his return to the ocean and his attitude in the brothel (?) plot Daniel's transition from coaxing confirmation of his suspicions to disbelief to his resolving to kill Henry. (Ah, murder...is there anything it doesn't solve?) I honestly can't remember anything else from the film that would've tipped Daniel off to Henry's true identity. It is referenced in the film that Daniel has sympathy for abused children (More than most people, even!); he indirectly confronts the Sunday father by pulling his daughter aside at the refreshment table and reassuring her ("No more hitting") as her father looks on.

There's also the theory that some people have about the last scene - that it's a figment of Daniel's imagination. The evidence is there, but I'm tired of typing. Maybe later.

[Matt]

PFT on his There Will Be Blood and Magnolia experiences:

Part 1:
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=VTE-jLleg5I[/youtube]

Part 2:
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y_-AzSFV5ak[/youtube]

Part 3:
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=YlqWBtvB7zY[/youtube]

[A.M. Thomas]

Someone wrote somewhere that Plainview could be impotent, but I think it goes further than that - the man had to be a eunuch. I'm aware that this is ridiculous, but bear with me. I think Plainview had probably suffered terrible abuse at the hands of (most likely) his father, abuse which may have involved some kind of genital mutilation. So - and here I leap shamelessly - Daniel's competetive nature would have to be his form of compensating. I also think that it was not only Daniel who was abused, but his siblings as well. So, at the beach, when Henry mentions getting some girls, Daniel is immediately convinced that his "brother...from another mother" is not who he claims. I don't believe Daniel was fostering suspicions before that scene. Daniel's reaction to Henry's plan, his return to the ocean and his attitude in the brothel (?) plot Daniel's transition from coaxing confirmation of his suspicions to disbelief to his resolving to kill Henry. (Ah, murder...is there anything it doesn't solve?) I honestly can't remember anything else from the film that would've tipped Daniel off to Henry's true identity. It is referenced in the film that Daniel has sympathy for abused children (More than most people, even!); he indirectly confronts the Sunday father by pulling his daughter aside at the refreshment table and reassuring her ("No more hitting") as her father looks on.

There's also the theory that some people have about the last scene - that it's a figment of Daniel's imagination. The evidence is there, but I'm tired of typing. Maybe later.

It's pretty clear Daniel was abused, but I don't think it's necessary to say he was physically castrated. Metaphorically castrated? Sure.

Also, this was posted on another board that I read and I thought it was pretty great:

structurally, on a most basic level, i think it is surprisingly similar to giant, i suppose it's impossible to make a movie about oil today w/o referencing giant. ddl's character echoing jett rink.. poverty (spiritual and financial loners) to wealth, complete madness, self-destruction and alcoholism via oil. the son who doesn't live up to his father's expectations a la dennis hopper and rock hudson's relationship, the large jumps in time. also the film's beginning in an archetypical western setting and ending in "hollywood". then how the dates in the film correlate to film history is interesting starting in like 1898, the beginning of filmmaking and then the end like 1933-ish being the end of the silent era and the beginning of hollywood and sound film. the shift from the "great outdoors" to the mansion of artificial comforts, the shift in desires throughout the film.. from oil tycoons to film actors (the preacher's friend needing money to go to hollywood to pursue a career at the end). hollywood is the new oil well.

[zonny the nun]

SPOILERS

So, at the beach, when Henry mentions getting some girls, Daniel is immediately convinced that his "brother...from another mother" is not who he claims. I don't believe Daniel was fostering suspicions before that scene. Daniel's reaction to Henry's plan, his return to the ocean and his attitude in the brothel (?) plot Daniel's transition from coaxing confirmation of his suspicions to disbelief to his resolving to kill Henry. (Ah, murder...is there anything it doesn't solve?) I honestly can't remember anything else from the film that would've tipped Daniel off to Henry's true identity.

This is a bit confused.

When Henry suggests getting some women, Daniel replies that they could "get them liquored up and take them to the Peachtree dance"--evidently a reference to a well-known event in his hometown which Henry fails to pick up on. He repeats it to no effect, and we can see him look at Henry with suspicion as the realization dawns that something is wrong.

Daniel's attitude in the brothel is explained by his feelings about what he suspects, which he cannot allow himself to express as he decides whether it's true and if so what to do about it.

This is not just a personal interpretation; it's spelled out in the script, which can be found here: http://www.vantageguilds.com/twbb/FinalScript_TWBB.pdf

[Matt]

SPOILERS

So, at the beach, when Henry mentions getting some girls, Daniel is immediately convinced that his "brother...from another mother" is not who he claims. I don't believe Daniel was fostering suspicions before that scene. Daniel's reaction to Henry's plan, his return to the ocean and his attitude in the brothel (?) plot Daniel's transition from coaxing confirmation of his suspicions to disbelief to his resolving to kill Henry. (Ah, murder...is there anything it doesn't solve?) I honestly can't remember anything else from the film that would've tipped Daniel off to Henry's true identity.

This is a bit confused.

When Henry suggests getting some women, Daniel replies that they could "get them liquored up and take them to the Peachtree dance"--evidently a reference to a well-known event in his hometown which Henry fails to pick up on. He repeats it to no effect, and we can see him look at Henry with suspicion as the realization dawns that something is wrong.

Daniel's attitude in the brothel is explained by his feelings about what he suspects, which he cannot allow himself to express as he decides whether it's true and if so what to do about it.

This is not just a personal interpretation; it's spelled out in the script, which can be found here: http://www.vantageguilds.com/twbb/FinalScript_TWBB.pdf

Eh, I like my "cockless Plainviews" theory better.

But seriously, thanks for the link to the script; I didn't know it was available. There Will Be Perusing!

[dave from knoxville]

I am glad I haven't seen it yet, else your detailed descriptions of the ending would not have been nearly such a delightful surprise!!!

[Julie Klausner]

That's pretty astute, Matt..great observation!

One question that still haunts me: why do you think H.W. started that fire? Do you think he read in Henry's journal that he was adopted?

BASTARD IN A BASKET!

[Matt]

One question that still haunts me: why do you think H.W. started that fire? Do you think he read in Henry's journal that he was adopted?

I just thought it was because he was jealous of Henry. Daniel was already having difficulties with H.W. because of his hearing loss, and along comes Henry to serve as a kind of surrogate partner for Daniel, in H.W.'s mind, anyways.

And, having some time to think about it, I've decided that it wasn't so much what happened in the final scene that bothered me, but rather the cheerful classical music that played over the credits.

[Pat K]

When Henry suggests getting some women, Daniel replies that they could "get them liquored up and take them to the Peachtree dance"--evidently a reference to a well-known event in his hometown which Henry fails to pick up on. He repeats it to no effect, and we can see him look at Henry with suspicion as the realization dawns that something is wrong.

You, my friend, just blew my mind. I was totally confused about that scene. I was just watching it thinking "Why the fuck is this guy so into this Peachtree Dance?"

And it does say in the script that Daniel is impotent. He tells Henry at one point: "My cock doesn't even work, how'm I gonna make a kid?" Good find, that script - sooo many questions answered.

(I'm glad that cock line got cut out, though. Spelling it out like that would have been way too heavy-handed, in my opinion.)

Regarding H.W. and the fire, I noticed when he was perusing the diary that there was some sort of picture of a gun or weaponry in it, and I was half-thinking for a bit that H.W. inferred from that that Henry was up to some nefarious scene against Daniel and set the fire in order to save Daniel from Henry, since he couldn't communicate it any other way. But that theory gets shredded in the successive scenes, and it's not mentioned in the script at all. It makes much more sense that H.W. was just jealous of Henry.

[Chris L]

And it does say in the script that Daniel is impotent. He tells Henry at one point: "My cock doesn't even work, how'm I gonna make a kid?" Good find, that script - sooo many questions answered.

Interesting trivia: That same line was deleted from Transformers*

For me, anything in the script but not the movie is no help as it doesn't exist (just like deleted scenes).

*the animated one

[Dorvid Barnas]

PFT acquitted himself very well, as did Will Oldham in the role of Henry.

 
That's a slam dunk.

[Matt]

PFT acquitted himself very well, as did Will Oldham in the role of Henry.

 
That's a slam dunk.

Thank you, Dorvid. It's no secret I strive for goofballs, funnybones and get-a-laffs.

I saw the movie again tonight. Liked it a lot more. Now tied with No Country For Old Men as Best of 2007. (SURPRISE!)