Introduction
Up to what extent must a person do in order to satisfy his or her needs or desires? Until where should a person go in order to achieve his goals? What does he become once he achieves what he wants in life? To a writer for example, the ultimate goal is to become a better thinker because writing helps explore and analyze new experiences. To a scientist, the ultimate goal is to help make the world a better place through discovery, inventions and technology. To a business tycoon with a ruthless mind, however, the goal is quite different: to become powerful, wealthy, rich, whatever the consequences. To this business tycoon, in Paul Thomas Anderson’s film, “There will be blood,” his efforts evidently turned him into a powerful oil tycoon. Literally, no one can get in the way. Literally, he’ll do whatever it takes to take away the unfufillment that he feels deep inside.
The film “There Will Be Blood” is about a turn of the 20th century oil prospector, Daniel Plainview, who exploits local landowners of an oil rich area in Isabela County in California. Through Plainview’s actions and relationships with others, one can analyze his real intentions. Daniel Plainview in “There Will Be Blood” represents the human mind’s constant struggle for self satisfaction through the attainment of power in order to satiate the never-ending sensation of unfulfillment. This unfulfillment Plainview struggles with represents the human defects of insecurity and pride. The need to be constantly satisfied with himself is shown through his great effort for authority, reputation, and worthiness. Yet, despite his labors, the fulfilling sensation Plainview strives for is never reached as seen through his destructive demise. The film portrays through the anti-hero, Plainview, human desire for selfish accumulation of wealth, power and prestige in order to fill up one’s personal unappeasable bin of merit.
Critical Analysis of the Movie
Impressive is the fact that Anderson managed to show the detail description of American oil business at the initial stages of its development. The realization of the entire oil ocean by Plainview is observed due to the details of technical drilling aspects and perfect entrepreneurship activities. The atmosphere of oil companies’ development and the feeling of big money power stimulated the protagonist for numerous uncontrolled and unpredicted actions. Anderson portrays the human drive for fulfillment through various perspectives of Plainview’s life. One important aspect is through Plainview’s rigorous ambition and drive in finding and attaining oil and silver. In the beginning of the film, after blasting silver mine, Plainview accidentally falls while climbing down the mine, thus severely hurting himself. Instead of immediately looking out for his health, the bloody and battered Plainview looks to confirm if silver was found from the explosion. This action gives evidence to believe Plainview has a strong desire to become wealthy and powerful. This beginning scene immediately exposes to the viewer the serious willpower of Plainview and begins to show his efforts in building himself into someone of great influence and power. It is these efforts that immediately show from the beginning of the film can be interoperated as his need for fulfillment of wealth.
The unfulfillment that Plainview feels can be inferred in one way from the setting of the film. The film takes place in an open, dry, empty plain where Plainview is mining silver. He worked alone and to further the feeling of solitude and emptiness, the film’s first ten minutes is silent. This lack in visual and audio richness in Plainview’s surroundings can symbolize his empty self and lack of fulfillment. Also the grimness and dirtiness on and around Plainview can represent the struggle he is going through physically but also mentally. The music that emerges after the silent beginning includes organs and bells that further exemplify the dark and unhappy mood of the unfulfilled man desperately working for silver. The tough man from the Wild West trait from western movies can also be depicted from the setting to make further inferences about Plainview’s mental and physical position as needing to be competitive, strong and powerful. In terms of time frame, the 1890’s and 1900’s represented a time in America of great and powerful industrialists, monopolists and tycoons. John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Mellon are some examples of these people. The fact that the film is placed during this time can go complementary to Plainview’s competitive and industrialist nature in becoming powerful and wealthy. This can also hint at the greedy and unsatisfied culture surrounding the era and the constant need for fulfillment through wealth and power that comes with it.
In the film, one of Plainview’s workers dies in the oil fields and the man’s son becomes an orphan that Plainview takes under his wing. The orphan, H.W., becomes Plainview’s partner in his endeavors and thus teaches him the ropes of the oil business. This may seem like a generous and selfless act but in reality, Plainview uses him only to prove to himself and others of his worthiness and thus shows his insecurities. Plainview through H.W.’s childhood watches for his safety but can be seen through the relationship, the distant and uncommunicative relationship between the two. It seems that through the lack of communication, Plainview is giving insight to his intentions with this child.
Plainview is using the child to show people that he is a “family man” and thus has “values” but in fact is using him as a show piece to further his personal wealth and accumulation. It can also be claimed that he is using H.W. as a way for his own reputation and power to be passed on in the next generation to bulk up his pride and feeling of self-worth. In the end of the film when H.W. comes back to tell Plainview about starting his own oil company, Plainview brushes off the idea and immediately bursts into anger. Plainview quickly denies the father and son relationship that they share, and tells H.W. that “you’re not my son; you have none of me in you”. The negative reactions to H.W.’s endeavor which most fathers would be proud of only angers Plainview as it is competition to his wealth and power a.k.a. his self-worth. Plainview measures his self-worth through material and influential gain which is why he feels threatened from H.W. By humiliating H.W. like this, it gives Plainview a higher sense of self that can only be attained by using his will on others that is seen as his aggressive and manipulative nature through the film.
Through the film, viewers can notice Plainview’s need to be dominant over all others. Through the film he talks in the indicative. In one particular scene, Plainview is eating with his son at a restaurant when Tilford, a man from standard oil makes a comment about H.W. becoming happier if he would sign the contract with Standard Oil. Plainview misunderstood this statement and bursts out yelling “You don’t tell me how to raise my family!”
Plainview ruptures become someone else is threatening his sense of power and abilities. The undercurrent of superiority Tilford is showing off makes Plainview tick. He goes on a power rampage by going up to Tilford when seeing him again and shouts “look over there, that’s my son you see? You see? You don’t tell me how to raise my family. I told you not to tell me how to raise my family. So, what do you see? ”
This repetitive and quite psychotic conversation with Tilford shows his unrelenting nature to always be the right one, powerful one, and one in control. This is one aspect of Plainview’s demeanor that shows the insecurity in him. His actions and need for power is his attempt at fulfillment of utmost gluttony of power, money, and status which later can be seen as accumulation that never fulfills him.
In addition, in order to get what he wants, he would deceive people whom he makes contact with. An example is when, in the course of looking for prospects, Plainview lies that he had a wife. Another is deceiving the Sunday Family that he came to their ranch to hunt for quails when the real intention is to look for oil. He lied to them again – while conversing with Eli’s father that he is just hunting for quails but this time, his true intention was revealed when Eli asked him “what about the oil?” He said a bigger lie when he promised the locals of Little Boston that the first road will be built toward their church, that schools will be built for their children, and that their community will flourish which of course, is another lie. Plainview’s string of lies clearly point out that lying is second nature to him.
The analysis of Plainview as an antihero gives an opportunity to evaluate the nature of the character’s behavior. Thus, a lot of critics consider this man to be a sociopathic monster, but this mask is artificial; Plainview was just an ordinary man who tried to deal with usual family problems. Daniel Plainview is an expression of emotional restraint being hypnotic and tempered by unforgiving and hard land. The description of the character as a societal monster is considered to be the great piece of modern cinema. Nevertheless the aspect of unfulfillment influences the flow of events and actions provided by Plainview. To analyze his nature more deeply one can notice that Plainview was just a simple and plain person wishing to fight for his interests. Even the burst of range and anger can be easily rationalized and understood within the film. Being a solitary man Plainview is not afraid of any difficulties and dangers connected with the work chosen by him. Negativity expressed by his behavior can be explained by inner instability of the person who strives to prove his power but not to the society but to himself.
Taking into account Plainview’s attitude to the children there is a contradictory view as to this aspect provided by critics. Some of them state that Plainview used the child as the method of showing his nobility which is artificial and false. Through the whole film Plainview is presented as the person being protective of children. Nevertheless with every passing scene of the movie Plainview comes closer to the longstanding dream of his childhood; the desire to bring up children makes him to cherish family. The theme of family gradually becomes centralized for the character. Thus, when a competitor tried to show Plainview the method of children’s raising, Plainview threatened to cut him. The moments of child’s care and treatment face by Plainview are considered to be interacted with his inner desires to reach his goals of being wealth and independent. This inner frustration, the feeling of unfulfillment and understanding of the principle purpose make the man be strong and sometimes even aggressive.
“Aren’t you a healer and a vessel for the holy spirit? When are you coming over and make my son hear again? Can’t you do that?”
It is important to state that Plainview expressed concern about H.W. not only for using the advantage of the business gimmick. The loss of the ability to communicate with son appeared to be a true shock and complete despair. Certainly, mental faculties of the boy were important for Plainview but hearing his voice and just talking to him was of great value for the man. The whole film is the row of failures and frustrations of Plainview. The burden of family troubles makes Plainview to perceive life in a specific Individual way; his self confidence and resistance to the environmental impact make him differ from his team members and all other characters of the story. The newfound brother of Plainview together with the news of his son’ deafness drives him away from society and leads to breakage and madness. Relationships with the brother make Plainview open his soul and show emotionality to the person who just lied and appeared to be charlatan. Daniel Plainview taught this man his family business and disclosed his life secrets; the truth resulted in one more profound life frustration.
Some positive moments of Daniel’s behavior allow seeing a simple and open person who strives to form his family and find inner stability and harmony. Nevertheless his nature reflects brutality to the surrounding people. Thus, discovering camping in the western outback men Plainview killed and buried them in shallow grave. The feeling of unfulfillment suffered by Plainview is merely caused by treasons experienced by the man throughout the movie. The case when H.W. strives to start his company makes Plainview to use different methods against him such as the evidence that they are not blood family. But this fact leads to the Plainview’s openness and showing his soul: “I’ve abandoned my boy”
There will be Blood presented eccentric vision of Anderson; this film discloses forensic or allegorical analysis of the protagonist’s worldlook which is idiosyncratic and sophisticated. The plot of the story turned Plainview into a monstrous grotesque providing the instability of his character and manner of behavior. To characterize the movie in general it should be stressed that this film had undergone different interpretations: “There will be Blood is oil, family, birth, death, passion” (Drumb, 2008)
The combination of numerous aspects of life leading to the tragedies was faced by Plainview in the story. This work is considered to be an impressive achievement reflecting simulated realities in accordance with time and human moral values.
“Once Plainview takes wing, the relentless focus of the performance makes the character unique” (Kenny, 2007)
The problem of unfulfillment is the motivator of protagonist’s behavior and attitude to the society. Life difficulties appeared to be deeper than work dangers and that is why family troubles and inner sufferings had strong power and significant influence of Plainview’s world perception.
The power of money changes the person completely; there is always room for achievements and developments. Recognizing this fact Plainview could not rich the established goal being followed by the sense of incompleteness and unfulfillment. He considered that his power would allow him to finish all the global tasks of life concentrating on work and wealth; but such position only took his time given to everyone for love, mutual understanding and family harmony. The feelings of madness and aggressiveness can be stabilized only through social involvement and mutual respect to close people. Plainview’s personal unappeasable bin of merit lied in constant desire for self realization as a wealth powerful and influential person. His selfishness was the obstacle for taking away the feeling of unfulfillment.
Conclusion
Power, wealth and prestige does make a person dangerously corrupt if gone unchecked – just as what Plainview portrayed in this movie. His charisma, authoritative, and persuasive personality go to extremes. In order for him to take away the unfulfillment that he feels within him, he eventually blinds himself from seeing the harsh consequences that will surface in the course of his actions. He would go humiliating another in front of many. He would deceive many so that things will go according to plan.
The line “I have a competition in me, I don’t want anyone else to succeed,” just so proves that literally, no one can get in the way. Literally, he’ll do whatever it takes to take away the unfufillment that he feels deep inside.
References
- Anderson, Paul Thomas, dir. There will be Blood. Paramount Vintage and Miramax Films 2007.
- Gibbons, Denny. Plot summary for There will be Blood. 2008. IMDb.com.
- “There will be Blood (Official website).” 2008. Paramount Vintage and Miramax Films.
- “There will be Blood (2007).” IGN.com. Web.
- Kenny, Glen. There will be Blood. Premiere. 2007.
- Drumb, Cole. There will be Blood: Daniel Plainview. 2008.