The film ‘There Will Be Blood’ by Anderson presents various themes among them capitalism, greed, hatred, revenge and godlessness. However, the title of the film summarizes its most important concerns. Daniel Plainview is prevents the hero in the film from succeeding and later becomes lonely, a factor that ends the film tragically. This essay analyzes the perspectives presented in the title of the film and how they help in understanding the concept’ There Will Be Blood.’
Daniel Plainview is a complicated character in the film who is overly mistrusting. His last name ‘Plainview’ serves to portray his supposed lack of trust. He does not strive to gain a better understanding of people and never values them since they just like commodities to him. His ability causes him to be proud and also compels him to feel disgusted with the incompetence of other people. He cannot see anything in people that would make him like them.
The only person he ends up liking later is a child he adopted. He says that he cannot continue to do things with people he does not trust because it makes him feel lonely. Daniel’s first name means ‘God is my Judge’ and ‘judgment by God’ (A Critical Analysis of There Will Be Blood 2). The meaning of the name first implies that as the film ends, God judges him by retribution for his pride. Secondly, it is also implied that Daniel subconsciously considers himself as a God who judges.
He strongly believes that the words he speaks are powerful and that things must turn out they way he says they will. His appearance before people is characterized by talks of the things he intends to do for them. For example, his meeting with Tilford turns into a confrontational platform where he tells him that he should not lecture him on how to raise his own family.
He eventually threatens to cut his throat to silence him. After his winning of the oil contract of the union, he says that it was obvious for him to win. Plainview’s voice is his power thus he does not allow anybody to silence him. This helps the audience to understand him well and the reason why he always uses force to achieve his goals. He will use any means even it is shedding blood hence the title ‘there will be blood.’
As the film comes to an end, the words spoken are ‘I’m finished.’ The ending is quite a sad one as Plainview tries to prove that he still possesses the power of speech, although it is evident that he is not happy. He declares that the film has ended and also says that he is finished thus presenting double meaning. He destroys his life by perpetrating a murder in the presence of a witness. This portrays him as a person who will do anything to achieve what he wants.
He had said that there will be blood and this justifies the title of the film through this murder. Another significant portion of the film is the one that presents the idea that what is said is believed. In this portion of the film, the underlying meaning behind its title is clearly brought out. The first literal meaning is that violence will not be inevitable in the film. Plainview has the ability and will to kill in order to accomplish his mission.
The second meaning is inferred from his words when he says there will be blood. This makes the outside audience believe so because he has said it while the third and most important one is the statement he makes as he attempts to create family or kinsblood for the sake of his mission. It is a desperate endeavor for an individual to create a family by simply saying it verbally. This is sheer vanity which forms the bulk of the play (A Critical Analysis of There Will Be Blood 5).
His son is a symbol of the God complex Plainview talks about. He strives to have the child resemble him. In other words, his desire is to see a rebirth of himself through the son. Unfortunately, the son suffers from deafness which is the last thing he could have expected. This makes him lose all the powers he has over his son hence he fails to raise him in the manner he wants to.
He can no longer use his authoritative voice to communicate to his son. Eventually, his verbal stories of being a family man never materialize. Plainview looks for blood to finish his loneliness in a manner that is rather pitiful. He declines to accept his alleged long-lost brother, Henry, and tells him that he must denounce his ambition.
This gives him an opportunity to have close association with somebody who does not challenge him. He later kills Henry when he discovers him to be an intruder since it is impossible for him to have people who are not his blood close to him. His shortsightedness causes him to lose any family that could be close to him.
The section of the film named reaping the conclusion leads to the film’s tragic irony and the other meaning of ‘There will be Blood. Plainview does not succeed in his attempts to solve the loneliness he is going through.
He ruins every person who qualifies to be his blood, even though not necessarily family blood. ‘There will be blood’ implies that sacrifices have to be made according to him. However, this compels him to lose individuals who could be his blood. His arrogant way of speaking does not negate the fact that he is human and mortal.
Irony becomes more evident when Eli is considered ideal. And yet, he continually offers sacrifices to the salvations due to his fate. This is God but in a person who is mortal. Biblically, Jesus was given to the human beings by God but this is a sacrifice that Plainview is not ready to make. In the name of God, Eli is false just like Plainview is in the image of God.
One important aspect to highlight is the misconstrued notion that the main focus of the film is capitalism. It is true that capitalism is one of the themes in the film but this is not what drives Plainview.
Human greed in the film resembles capitalism. The word refers to capital accumulation which means sanctioned property or riches. Plainview cannot be described as a greedy man because greedy people value personal gains rather than values and people close to them. In a bid to prove his ability, he chooses to pursue difficult long-term benefits instead of cheap short-term ones.
His wish to have a trustworthy person in his business is also evident (A Critical Analysis of There Will Be Blood 12). The film strikingly uses an appropriate cinematography to document the loneliness of Plainview. This is done through the inviting opening scenes and the shots that depict solitary vegetation and deserted landscapes. It is an interesting film to watch because in real life, many people have characteristics that resemble those of Plainview hence it is easy for them to identify with it.
Works Cited
A Critical Analysis of There Will Be Blood 2008. Web.