THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007, U.S.A., 158 min.), directed by Paul Thomas Anderson; screenplay by Anderson, based on the novel Oil by Upton Sinclair; cinematography by Robert Elswit; edited by Dylan Tichenor; music by Jonny Greenwood; production design by Jack Fisk; with Daniel Day-Lewis (Daniel Plainview), Paul Dano (Paul/Eli Sunday), Kevin J. O’Connor (Henry), Ciaran Hinds (Fletcher), and Dillan Freasier (H.W.).

 

Please jot down answers to the following questions and answer three in detail (c. 150 words each).  One of the three should be an answer to the last question.

 

 

1.     Discuss the title of the film.  Does it work?  Where does it come from?  How does it serve to capture what the film is about?

 

 

 

 

2.      The film opens with some stunning visuals that establish the setting of the film, again “The West.”  What are some of the ways in which the setting adds to the impact of this film?

 

 

 

 

3.      The opening of the story, which shows us Daniel Plainview prospecting for silver, is both unique and powerful.  What do you notice about the way that the film opens?  What does it tell us about Plainview, and how does it prepare us for the film to come?

 

 

 

 

4.      Discuss the character of Daniel Plainview, the man at the heart of this film.  What is it that motivates him?  Would you call him a complex man?  Does he change over the course of the film, and if so, how?

 

 

 

 

5.      Discuss Plainview’s relationship with HW.  Is it a relationship of love? How and why does the relationship change over time?

 

 

 

 

7.      Now discuss HW as a boy and then as a man. 

 

 

 

 

 

8.      Discuss Eli Sunday as a character.  What is it that motivates him? 

 

 

 

 

  

9.      Perhaps the most memorable scene in the film is the one in which Plainview strikes oil at the Sunday ranch, the big gusher that eventually explodes into flame.  What is so striking about this scene (visually), and why is it so important?

 

 

 

 

10.    What do you think of the ending of the film?  Were you surprised by it?  Does it make sense as a way to end this particular film, the story of this particular man?  Why or why not?

 

 

 

 

11.    How would you characterize the music in this film?  What do you notice about it?  Any scenes that stand out?

 

 

 

 

12.    How about the film’s visual quality?  What would you say about the look of the film, its lighting, etc.?  Any scenes that stand out?

 

 

 

 

13.    So, the story of Daniel Plainview is in many ways the story of American Capitalism.   What does the film have to say about capitalism?

 

 

 

 

14.    The film also has a lot to say about American Evangelism and the abuse of religion.  Discuss this aspect of the film.

 

 

 

 

15.    So, what would you say is the point of this film?  Is it in any way a commentary on our times?

 

 

 

 

16.    Compare/Contrast the five reviews on the website.  What is the main argument of each?  Which do you prefer, and why? 

 

 

 

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