'There Will Be Blood' - Story & Themes Explained
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- Опубликовано: 20 окт 2024
- 'There Will Be Blood' is an American epic, following an early oil prospector's fight to grow his business. It's a film about power, greed, and religion. Paul Thomas Anderson uses biblical parallels to create a story that speaks volumes on American culture.
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Looking back - this is a video I no longer completely agree with. For instance, my Paul and Eli theory...
However, it's been fun to watch this video grow. I've enjoyed reading the comments from those who love this movie. And I've come to love the comments that so heavily disagree with my perspective. I was 24 when I made this video and my perspective has changed.
What matters is that this movie is amazing. I still love it. I have it's poster hung up in my media room till this day. Thank you all for watching.
The theory that Paul and Eli are the same person literally has to be wrong. When Eli attacks his Dad at dinner he talks to him about Paul and how he sold them out for his own gain. That proves that he does have a twin brother and his family even acknowledge that
I know right? I hate these fake “analysis” vids like this. They are so shallow and I can’t really find any good ones on this movie.
@@thesun564 "God and the American Capitalism in There Will Be Blood" is a better analysis
It is possible that Eli was blaming his alter ego for the family's failure. The beating of his father could have symbolized his regret for being born. This would be similar to Doc Holiday explaining how he relates to Johnny Ringo in Tombstone. I'm not saying this is right, but it might be true.
Your right because in the last scene Daniel literally tells Eli his brother Paul sold them out and is now running his own oil rigs, three of them.
Eli mentions the $5000 with interest still owed along with his business prospect in order to admit he is a false prophet and god is a superstition, after he admits it Daniel literally tells him the oils gone (I drink it up), Paul took the $5000 to start his own prospect and Eli has nothing to offer for anything.
Tl;dr I think the theory is only wrong if you take it very literally.
I think if you look at it from the standpoint of "how do these characters function *within* the story then it's pretty easy to see they might represent different versions of the same person.
Twins too. Not much other reason for them to be twins, storytelling-wise, if we aren't meant to see a connection between this person and the one at the beginning of the movie.
Watch a tear fall from Daniels face when he abandons his son on the train. That says a lot & I didn’t see it until like the 15th time I watched it. A true masterpiece
I just rewatched that scene a few minutes ago. I feel like his face tries in vain to hide his guilt and anguish over him doing it. Truly, he only really cared for his son out of all people.
But that wasn't his son...
Box baby
@@philosophicalactions9376basterd from a basket!!😅
@@emoishguy08 To achieve the great things he set out to do Daniel overruled his humanity and inate desires as a human being. Eschewing sentimentality wherever necessary, and sometimes even unnecessarily, to achieve. This behavior wasn't something natural to Daniel. It was learned over time through his experiences striving for the success he desired. Seeing his brother again brought back that sentimentality for a moment until he realized the truth of his situation. A truly brilliant film with a microscope fixed on Daniel throughout and serving as a fine example of what great achievement truly demands of those who seek it out.
Small correction but I believe he started off as a precious metals (more specifically silver) miner in the first scene.
yeah i think he was mining gold and found some silver and used that money to start his oil venture when that started blowing up. i could be wrong but that’s how i took it
Would make sense. Wasn't the gold rush in the west a huge thing before oil became such a commodity?
I also believe he got Eli and Paul mixed up in the beginning
Just watched it on Netflix and honestly it confused the crap out of me. Thank you
What did you find confusing about it?
Colin Montgomery Maybe he is confused because the film is way too long at 2 hours and 38 minutes. The film is anti christian with the father murdering his own son a preacher at the end of the film. The film is very dark and celebrates evil.
@@JesusSavesSinners , it's not an inordinately long film. And Eli wasn't his son, but his brother-in-law, through marriage. I didn't detect any anti-Christian themes in the picture. Eli is portrayed as what he was, a charlatan. At least Plainview really believed in his work.
Colin Montgomery The film is 2 hours and 38 minutes that is long. Yes the film is anti christian. The film has a father beating his son to death.... Really evil. A very bloody scene.... What is the moral???? Evil, Greed wins....
@@JesusSavesSinners that's not being anti Christian.
I just now noticed that the only two people we see Daniel murder on-screen, the fake Henry and Eli (I wouldn't put it past him to kill more people outside of those two), both ended up saying something like "I'm your friend, Daniel!"
Omg
for how meticulous this movie is, i wouldn’t be surprised if the fact he seems unfazed by both killings and the means he did so wasn’t purposefully trying to imply he’s done it before
as a person from the bakersfield/taft area (which is actually referenced in the film) and a person that’s worked in the oil and gas industry, i really enjoyed this one. the score during the gusher scene reminds me of all sounds you hear when you’re out in the oil fields
This is my favorite film, and you approached it from an angle I haven't heard often. Great work so far, my only criticism being that it felt rushed. Don't be scared to explore a topic. I think it only would've improved if this video were say 16 minutes, instead of 8. Keep it up!
Thanks for being honest! I agree that it does feel rushed. I tried to pack the ideas tightly to make a more consumable video. I'll work on it.
What’s your analysis?
@@thefilminformer most hardcore fans of films im sure would rather watch a 1 hour long video that goes into extreme depth rather than a short video with a confined amount of information trying to be conveyed
Just finished watching the movie! You had the best film analysis for the film, thanks a lot!
I think instead of wealth, Daniel is obsessed with the idea of success, maybe in a similar way to how Eli wants to prove to be more successful than his brother. We're never shown Daniel relishing in his money or doing anything that doesn't further his business. To me, I think a part of this film reflects how businesses operate, but through the lens of a human being.
Also, I got the impression that we didn't witness the "fall" of Daniel, but were shown more and more of his pretences slipping. Of course he went on a downward spiral at the end, but there are a bunch of details that hint at Daniel losing his ability or interest in pretending to be an upstanding person. I saw it as Daniel acting more and more like himself, and he even threatens Paul the same way in which he would go on to do later on.
I also think this because I read somewhere else that noted that Daniel stops caring for the people around him once they lose their purpose for him. He only cared for them through narcissistic possession and the utility they have, and only used their utility to further his success.
“With these People “ resonates, a demise of self
There will be blood to me was a representation of people and their “relation “ with each other .Because Daniel has no blood relatives , he is ungrounded and pretty much on a death wish . He hates the idea of God and struggles, always buying and selling himself . At the end having slain the devil , he says “I’m done here “
That’s his proclamation of his life
He said " I'm finished"
I consider it one of the best films if not the best movie of this subject. The greed, the unrelenting quest for money & the brains and cunning to pull it off.
I was a poor kid growing up and used my back and own hands to pull myself up into the upper class. My work ethic was flawless,but once you get to a certain level without education & someone you can trust to advise you.
I was conned out of $20,000 in a BANK by a swindle that should not have happened. Market advisors cannot operate out of a bank in that area. And the same situations continued one leach after another.
Education is paramount when large amounts of money are made.
I thought there was something about a bird in the hand or not flying too close to the sun in the way that Paul was able make a small profit and live by asking for less, but Eli was not (assuming they were separate people; originally two different actors were cast). Also, it seems that Daniel would have been better off taking the Standard Oil deal and spending time with his son rather than endlessly pursuing more wealth.
are you telling him how to raise his boy?
That wasn't his son just some baby in a box
Greed
Bastard in a basket
Greatest breakdown of this film I’ve seen.
Also, what was the point of making them twins. It could have been another actor playing a brother, maybe a could years older or younger. The director clearly wanted at least hint at the idea of both being one person.
The voice of the guy making this video sounds exactly like Tom Cruise.
This is a killer movie always loved it! DDL was the top 3 actors of all time.
"Michael Clayton" is a really good movie, too.
Not sure I understand the Eli is also Paul alter ego theory... Daniel confronts Eli at the end and appears to have well founded knowledge that his brother Paul has a few wells and created a prosperous business. Eli also confronted his dad in the one scene and remarked how he was a stupid father to a stupid son for giving away the land and the father didn't refute it nor mention anything about Eli being delusional. It has also been discussed that the actor Paul Dano was cast as Paul Sunday but they decided to change the actor playing Eli Sunday at the last minute with Paul Dano and adjusted the script to make him a twin brother. Paul Dano only had a couple weeks to prepare for his additional role as Eli.
But I can see where you are going with the alter ego theory...perhaps its not a literal/actual alter ego but rather it was meant to be symbolic of the theme you are trying to describe (guilt/sin) and the director purposefully used the same actor for both roles for that reason. In that case it's genius.
It's not his alter ego. They're twins. This guy doesn't realize he's mining for silver at the beginning either. So..yeah...
Paul and Eli were twins and it was silver at the beginning.
I loved your analysis.But there was a movie which ruthlessly grind the American dream better than "There will be blood".That movie was "Citizen Kane".I know everyone heard or watched it.
The movie gets compared to Kubrick's movies a lot, and TWBB is Kubrickian. Meaning it's beautiful in spots but also interminably long and nothing happens way too often.
Among the many attributes of this film is the score. I thought it was riveting.
Thx very much for explaining this film. I got the dvd of this movie as a present - may be you can explain how to open it and how to connect the tv with the electricy?
Success should lead happiness..That's it u hit the nail! For that let me thank u. 👍
Varun Mani happiness can never be fully achieved, only pursued
I have a complete different interpretation. Daniel is not evil but a true follower of God. His motivation is not greed but as he see through the facade of the people he meet, he sees the worst in them, their will to power and their resentment. His son turns into a poisonous snake after his injury and his fake brother is a ghost a shell of a man that parasite on him. Eli needs no mention. Daniel is a force of nature and portrays himself often as a predator. He wants to accend beyond the state of human corruption.
Why do you think HW turns into a poisonous snake?
How did him not buying the land cause a snowball effect of misfortune?
Thank you my dude
Yeah, but have y'all seen Bill Hader's Plainview impression on SNL? That's some intensely funny shit.
Great video
Who the hell is this Paul character? I've watched this movie twice now and I have no clue as to who Paul is or his role in the movie.
GreatestGulag Paul is Eli’s twin brother. He came to Daniel and told him about the town’s oil, Daniel pays him in return. He then leaves, and isn’t seen after the one scene he is in.
@@huckleberry5774 Thanks so much, I think I just imagined that character to also be Eli and completely missed the twin part
I always took it that Paul and Eli were the same person and that Eli was acting out to be Paul so he would not expose himself as a beneficar when he told Daniel that thier was oil on that land. He wanted to keep his true idenity hidden since he was the Pastor of that small cult. That was my take on it.
Actually Paul dano is suppose to only play the role of paul but as the actor for eli quits
The director PTA decided that paul dano should play both twins
@@heisenberg1372 Does it ever state that in the script or was it stated by the writer? There is never solid evidance of that so that is why I always had my take on it.
Good vid!
So wrong on so many basic points. A waste of my time.
Great stuff, thanks alot for the shared ideas.
Something interesting I found: When PTA was asked about how he deals with themes when he writes he said this in the link and the time stamp provided:
ruclips.net/video/T9aBe0FB3d0/видео.html go to: 12:15mins - 13:16mins
So how is this film so riddled with meaning and impact, I think it had a powerful, emotional experience that PTA delivered because of the specific plot he chose and the way the characters acted in said plot based on a specific experience he wanted the viewer to have (just my opinion....sort of),
What I personally experienced watching this film: Planview, and the other characters will go/look beyond pain and suffering in the pursuit of wealth/personal gain, that's the point of the film:
-He endures to claim his silver despite his broken leg.
- He revels in his ocean of oil despite his son's deafness.
-Eli will look beyond his faith by denying it to gain wealth.
-Eli will intimidate his father despite his strict religious, loving conduct in pursuit of stopping a man take his family's land
-Daniel tells his """son""" he's a bastard to get a one up on the conversation/argument....and so on.
This is an emotional experience, a "plot of land" so to speak that an amazing writer will conjure in order to deliver a unique and complete experience. Any theme is incidental, most of the time, but especially here.
Though to be fair you still make good points. nice
damn just got through this movie after varun grover's recommendation 🔥❤
I was confused about parts of the movie so I watched this
3:57
Excape?
You from Michigan?
Very insightful. Many thanks
Eli and Paul were not the same person. It's an interesting theory. But there was a completely different actor cast as Paul. But he had to drop out of production unexpectedly. Owing to time and production constraints, Paul Thomas Anderson had no choice but to use Paul Dano and portray them as twins.
Looking back this is the video I disagree with myself the most with.
Daniel doesn't abandon H.W. because he was 'unable to take care of him', as we know they have a lot of money coming in. He thought H.W. was trying to murder him in the fire (in Daniel's mind maybe for various reasons. For example maybe he might have been bitter towards Daniel for his treatment of him (whiskey milk/short temper over not understanding) or that he was trying to take over/compete with Daniel (As was explained with Daniel and Henry's first night of drinking together "I don't want anyone else to succeed")), when H.W. was actually trying to kill Henry, but didn't realize that oil could burn the whole house down hence his shock. H.W. couldn't communicate this to Daniel for possibly various reasons since Henry was always around Daniel.
In the scene before Henry and Daniel drinking together at night, H.W. goes through Henry's things and finds Daniel's brother's diary. H.W. can't read or write yet (thus can't communicate his words) so he can't make out what is written (hence holding the diary upside down), but finds a picture of a woman and a cut out advert for a gun. H.W. doesn't know who Henry is because he can't hear and doesn't trust Henry for two reasons: First he was raised by Daniel and has learned previous to his loss of hearing from Daniel--not to trust anyone and that everyone is trying to steal from them. Second, the gun advert might suggest to H.W. that Henry intends to kill them and take their empire away.
After 'abandoning' H.W. (btw he didn't really want to, hence the tear during the train scene, asking about H.W.'s housing situation, possibly the feelings that the basket boy was the only person he has really ever trusted/pity for the orphan), he tries to create that same relationship in Henry only to begin to have repeated feelings that Henry was trying to get something from Daniel/use him (He claimed that he doesn't need anything from Daniel then turns around and asks him for money/the beach scene where Henry is still hungover and when Daniel mentions bring women to the 'Peach Tree Dance', and when Henry doesn't respond as enthusiastically as Daniel--Daniel's demeanor changes critically in the scene (If they were brother's wouldn't they both have the same desires? “after all, if it’s in my blood it must be in yours.”/thoughts about how if they grew up in the same place wouldn't Henry know about the local dance and wouldn't he be just as excited?)
Since Daniel is always weary, jealous, and paranoid of everyone around him, he then realises he's made a mistake which he has always prided himself in not making--trusting a stranger explicitly with no vetting or confirmation. He 'redeems' his own sin against his own rule by 'burying' Henry. Comes upon the diary and learns the truth of his brother and his thoughts of family return to no other than H.W..
Daniel so desperately seeks out to make everything on his own, yet he desperately wants someone that he can trust--almost wanting to clone himself. He then comes to a realization that his treatment of H.W. was wrong as he shouldn't have been so hard on the boy, who he knows he has always trusted before. He takes back H.W. for his own redemption of his pride and goes through with getting him educated, but also the relationship with Henry has even blurred the relationship with everyone--including H.W.. Ultimately, over the years Daniel has been drowned in success even to the point of being able to fire the gun from the advert from Henry in his own mansion next to his own home office. Ironically Daniel is also drowning in the sense that he will forever be alone in his own ambitions even against the boy H.W. who embodies his failure in Henry.
His scene of the 'Bastard in the Basket' shows of his way of being about to justify his separation from H.W. in a way to help him feel remorseless, but ultimately goes back to his own selfish and narcissistic failure in both H.W. and Henry. After all he's sacrificed, even H.W. didn't want to be like him--again proving to Daniel that he has no family and is alone.
Sacrifices are extracted in the form of competition in Eli (Oil, religion, the feeling of having power over people), betrayal in Henry in the form of false family, honest men like the father of H.W. killed in an accident working in the creation of someone else's wealth, and self, when Daniel nearly kills himself digging up precious metals/scraps for his own launch into his future.
You could say the title is fitting, there will be blood--if you truly follow perfect ambition.
Excellent commentary.
omg i completly agree about Paul and eli being the same person , althought casting rumours would say otherwise .
"Paul was the chosen one". Paul and Eli are not the same.
"Your stupid son Paul, a stupid son from a stupid father."
Daniel day Lewis is the greatest actor ever in my opinion...what do you think filminformer???Everyone is talking about Joaquin phoenix performance in joker(which is great) but I don't think anyone can top his performance in there will be blood...Great video btw...Deserves much more subscribers....keep it up👍👍👍👍
I can't say there's one greatest actor but if I made a list of like ten actors he'd 100% be on it 😂
He's great but I highly doubt he's the greatest when there's Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson. He's definitely top 5 and i think that they can be ranked in whatever way you want inside that top 5, but it'd be dumb to say either one is undeniably better than the others.
One of the greatest time
pieces i have ever seen :D
Very good
I have one major hang up…. How are you possibly equating Daniel leaving his son to pursue oil, with God sending Jesus to save the world? I dont know how you could credibly justify that thought process
PS, now that I’ve watched the whole review, I think I understand why you made that argument. You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, and you’re just bad at this. That’s ok, I can understand that.
LOL!
Excellent!
His first hole is a silver mine. Derp. And if Eli is Paul, why is Eli back at the ranch with his money, getting upset about selling the land to Daniel? Sorry, this is incoherent.
it’s not just about drinking milkshakes?
Great take except the part about when Daniel sends his son away being compared to Jesus other than that it's very good
Got this wrong in many ways...first off, I don't see Plainview as the bad guy
Check that. It wasn’t the first accident. DP fell down a mineshaft. With a broken leg, crawled back to civilization…. That Matters. ☝️
Daniel got rich before the last piece of land and signed the deal with the oil company. Shortly before but yeah
It seems the story or the writer of it has a negative view of religion. Even the name Eli Sunday, in the past a famous Evangelist was named Billy Sunday?
you need more substancious depth. no offense. eli is devil, the twin brothers are only one? you are dreaming
Love the TWBB clips, but this analysis is fkn shithouse. Since this is m likely the finest piece of cinema ever constructed, I appreciate the time this young man took to sift through these themes. Thank you. P.S. does Daniel say 'Im finished' simply because his character arc is complete (in terms of what is revealed to the audience)?
Eli references Paul to his father during dinner. I don’t agree with the false identity theory
Considering he beats his father in that same scene without any opposition, it is clear Eli has a hold over his father and family. Maybe they're just going along with his plan?
Capitalism is not the reason for our greed. We are. We make ourselves greedy.
Damm right ❤
Can someone explain to me of Eli and Paul are the same person or twin brothers caus at the end Daniel says Paul has 5 wells??
Paul was Eli’s twin brother, Daniel was lying to Eli, telling him that Paul screwed his family over and became rich in the process
@@ZacTheFirst Paul screwed over how
jerin Joseph By telling Daniel where his family’s goat farm was. Paul, Eli’s twin brother, told him there was oil on their land
@@ZacTheFirst thank you so much
Jamie Owns Well said.
I really hope this video is intended as a joke.
2:26 Love your subtle use of foreshadowing here
The promised land?
@@AshikurRahmanRifat idk I forget lmao
@3:17 EXACTLY. I suspected this right from the start. The idea of twins was just too convenient and not very deep, compared to the symbolism in the film. I always thought Eli was a shifty character and that he was playing two sides to the same person. Considering how charismatic he was, and the fact that his family practically worshipped him, it comes as no surprise that they went along with the ruse, if you can call it that. More than likely, this split personality had manifested early in his childhood or formative teenage years and the family grew to accept the eccentricity, as families tend to do. They may have even thought it something divine, the way Jesus also showed apparent split personalities on occasion. Who knows. Anyways, great take and I'm thankful that someone has real horse sense out there and doesn't take the lazy "twins" interpretation (especially since Paul's character is arguably never developed, it's almost happenstance).
But it IS twins. The director even said as much. He was so impressed with the actor that he had him play Eli as well. So he made it a twin brother.
@@cheshire_skatkat9093 Also from the scene where he attacks his father Abel.
@@cheshire_skatkat9093 absolutely they are twins. That's what's so impactful in the final scene; Daniel is hammering Eli for his worldly greed, and the hypocrisy he displays as a self professed prophet of a supposedly non materialistic religion. He uses his brother as an example, quite explicitly and plainly, of how Eli would be doing if he had his brothers traits, particularly the ascetics he should have in abundance as a holy man. His brother took a modest pay off, started a company with it, and now enjoys moderate success. He throws this at Eli like a rock, even exaggerating the pay off his brother received (10,000 instead of the actual 500 dollars). If they were the same person, none of this would have injured Eli. He'd know they were one and the same person, and would act accordingly. But that isn't what happens. Daniel knows these words will cut Eli to the core, and they do just that. The first time we meet Eli, in the initial negotiation scene, would also make no sense if in fact he and his brother were the same person.
So why did H.W try to set Henry on fire??
Because H.W. had already figured out Henry wasn't Daniels brother earlier
❤
I loved the film. I however totally missed any kind of interpretation of the two characters being two sides of the same man, and never would have connected to relation to bible stories etc blah blah blah. I just thought it was a great story and great acting, plain and simple.
Yeah that’s what I think makes it great. It’s just an entertaining movie with great characters, acting, writing, cinematography etc. but it also has a lot to dig into thematically on repeat viewings.
Ugh dude. This sounds like everyone in 2020 who tell us we need to atone because we're such sinful people.
@Insert Token They don't teach people history anymore. They start with the premise that everything evil came from America. Money, religion and power are all ancient concepts. In fact if you look at his driven a lot of people have been to invent and invest it's pretty amazing how many people across the globe have been lifted out of poverty. I clearly remember when I was a kid the global hunger problem, and millions were literally starving to death every year. That's the blight of poverty. This notion that people can only become wealthy by pushing others down is such a sick way of viewing the world.
Another criticism of capitalism. How intelligent of you 👏
good movie. BUT I REALLY THOUGHT that PAUL AND ELI were the same person. we never see PAUL AFTER THE 1ST SCENE. so when we meet ELI I THOUGHT HE WAS PAUL. I know Paul said he had a brother, BUT HE NEVER SAID TWIN. USUALLY WHEN A TWIN BROTHER SAYS THAT he has a brother, they ALWAYS SAY MY TWIN BROTHER. to prove my point, we NEVER SEE THEM TOGETHER. it makes no sense to me, and it ruined the entire film 4 me. but as usual DANIEL DAY-LEWIS IS EXCELLENT.
It is odd I agree. When Daniel and HW show up to the Sunday range, after Eli brings them potatoes , they look at each other like, wtf is that not Paul, what's going on. So there is definitely something there. 😊
Who are you ❤
I always thought Daniel had Paul killed after he got what he needed out of him. 🤷🏾♂️
over rated movie...don't understand how he can easily murder people with no consequences...looks like a phsychotic character...there is no clear message in the end...many better movies with better messaging
Good deep movie but i still cringe wgenever dday lewis acts all crazy fake and charming, and also when eli does his TBN act. So cringe, botj of them.
Says the guy who can't write a sentence.I thought the same.
This movie was horrible
An overrated movie
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