There Will Be Blood

My thoughts in general: So, I have been trying to include media other than films, but I felt like I needed to include this one on my blog. Paul Thomas Anderson's latest film, There Will Be Blood, stars Daniel Day-Lewis. I have seen it twice, and it very worthwhile. The film tells the story of Daniel Plainview, the character played by Daniel Day-Lewis, who begins as a gold and silver prospector; then, he ends up in the oil business and becomes very successful. Visually, the film is spectacular, and it is a delightfully cinematic piece that plays metaphorically with blood and oil. Daniel Day-Lewis is amazing, and he deserves to receive the Academy Award for his performance. There is also an interesting question raised by the film about religion. Paul Dano (who was in Little Miss Sunshine) plays a "prophet" who has his own congregation, and this character is juxtaposed against Daniel Day-Lewis who is essentially a "prophet" in his own way. This juxtaposition creates some intriguing exploration into what is religion and how far can/should religion go. Like any P.T. Anderson film, There Will Be Blood abounds with multiple nuances and sub-plots/-themes. It really was great.

My thoughts on application: Again, like most films that I see, this one would not be approved to watch in a high school classroom. However, I find that there is room for instructional exploration in how it represents time period and society. The film takes place in the early 1900s, and it is set in California. However, time and place seem almost inconsequential. The thing that stood out to me that could be brought into the classroom is a comparison between this film and George Steven's 1956 film Giant, starring James Dean, Rock Hudson, and Elizabeth Taylor.

Giant is also the story of an oil man. Both films are based on previously written material. There Will Be Blood is based on the story Oil! by Upton Sinclair, and Giant is based on a novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. However, the latter takes place in Texas, even though both films were actually shot outside of Marfa, Texas. Though many comparisons could be discussed in the classroom, I think the best point of discussion would be how each represents the time period in which it was made. A lot has changed in the 50 years since Giant, and I think a lot of this change can be seen in these two films. Giant has a cast of Hollywood/American icons while There Will Be Blood casts an Englishman as an American. Inherently, this casting questions the idea of being "American." Additionally, the questions posed (and the way that they are posed) about morals in society are quite different, and it is due largely to the environments that produced the different films. This could foster some good classroom discussion.