"there will be blood" - by P.T. anderson

chaplin, hitchcock, hawks, curtiz, welles, and wilder.  coppola, capra, cassavetes and carne.  those are the names associated with the auteur film theory with the academics.  scorsese, scott (ridley - not tony), the brothers coen, rodreguiez, tarantino, altman and sayles are making names as the new auteurs.  what is an auteur?  it's complicated, but essentially it's the idea that the director, no matter the genre, is the primary vision or "author" of the film.   there will be blood, the latest film from director p.t. anderson cements his position as a true auteur film-maker.

anderson's catalog includes his break-out hit boogie nights, the sweeping magnolia, and the sleeper punch-drunk love.  his films have proved to be indicting commentaries on modern relationships and focus on characters who struggle to find community in a society full of characters who cannot find community.  

there will be blood is an adaptation of the upton sinclair novel "oil" set in the turn of the century, oil thirsty, western, wastelands.  it stars our generation's truest actor, daniel day-lewis as daniel plainview, an enigmatic "oil man" who along with his young son, canvas the west for families willing to let him suck the oil out of their land.  after a mysterious messenger leads him to what may be the oil strike of the century, plainview sets down roots in the middle of an agriculturally barren community, with promises of wealth, education, and amenities.  as with most stories, complications ensue.  

anderson's ability to put his imprint on a period piece that is so diverse from his usual thematic and stylistic stomping grounds is what reveals his rightful claim to auteur status.  he made the transition deftly to an epic adaptation of a world very different to the one he haunts.  to many, that is the exact definition of a true cinematic author.

that is not to say however, that the movie was not stolen by two of it's prime collaborators, because it was.  there will be blood in many ways was a character study, and without daniel day-lewis' steady, deliberate, and unflinching portrayal, we might not have had much of a character to study.  in some ways, and maybe because of the breadth of the story, we are not privy to the inner workings of plainview's character.  day-lewis however pulls of a remarkable feat by engaging the audience with his intensity and commitment to the role.  with a story that was at times uneven, and a cast that was simply not his equal, his performance should be celebrated.

anderson also benefited greatly from the craftsmanship of cinematographer robert elswit.  it was elswit who gave life to the barren surroundings and was constantly painting the portraits of the people and the land they inhabited.  in many ways, his work on this film was reminiscent of nestor almendros' work on terrence malick's days of heaven, considered by many to be a masterpiece of cinematography.  

anderson must be applauded for his inclusion of elswit and day-lewis.  part of putting your stamp on any collaborative piece of art, is choosing your collaborators wisely, and if one wishes to transcend to the ranks of auteur, it would be wise to follow anderson's lead in his choice of friends.