85 - There Will Be Blood

    A long, character-study driven epic about a misanthrope oilman's purchase of land, and his dealings with the community, his family, and his church/preacher.

    I watched this once before, about three or four years ago.  I enjoyed it, and recognized it as an exceptionally well-done movie.  I suggested to my Dad that he might like it.  I believe he did.  But it's been a hard movie to muster the same enthusiasm for as P.T. Anderson's other movies.  With Boogie Nights and Magnolia, despite their length, they cut between scenes very quickly, so the pacing always feels really exciting.  With this one, Anderson went with longer shots, a more luxurious pacing.

    I felt like the characters were much more complex this time through.  Despite the oilman (Plainview) behaving in ways that we would normally consider to be unethical, it's hard to feel like he's actually that bad.  It's established that he seriously loves his adopted son, and that the presence of that boy helps to keep him more in-line than he would normally be.
    There are a few scenes that establish his motivations more clearly.  Plainview states

"I have a competition in me. I want no one else to succeed.  I hate most people."

and a little later…

"I see the worst in people.  I don't need to look past seeing them to get all I need.  I've built my hatreds up over the years, little by little…"

    He articulates that his goal is to make enough money that he won't have to deal with people again.

    The part of the story that deals with the preacher is completely fascinating.  While Eli Sunday is supposed to be morally superior to the greed that Plainview fixates on, Sunday comes off as just as unethical, if not worse.
    When Plainview is baptized, Sunday uses the opportunity to shame him.  Plainview goes along with it, although he clearly resents his treatment.  The sequence is mirrored at the end, when Plainview uses Sunday's desperation to get Sunday to proclaim

"I am a false prophet and God is a superstition."

    While his actions are entirely selfish, they feel like an appropriate revenge for Sunday exploiting his advantage during the baptism.

    I can talk about these ideas for a while, but my point is mostly that the movie was more complex than I remember.  If it were a bit shorter, I'd be more interested in re-watching it more often.