There Will Be Blood

This is the story of a man determined to amass enough wealth so that he can “get away from people”. We see his journey from humble beginnings to immense wealth, and all intermediate stages. This story also can be seen as a parable about avarice and egotism, because we see, in the rowdiness and contentiousness of people at a village meeting, how chaos, confusion, mistrust and unhappiness, arrive at what we assume was previously a peaceful village before oil was discovered there. There are also the infernal connotations that are conveyed by the noisy machines and concomitant dirt and grime that we come to associate with the main character, the oil-miner Plainview, at work in his dark office.

Plainview plays a part in practically every scene. This man lacks almost completely in redeeming features, and is only truly sympathetic when he breaks down while reading his deceased brother’s diary. Although it is true that Plainview appears concerned and rushes to rescue his “son” who lies injured near an exploded derrick, Plainview’s own testimony has it that he was rescuing the “cute face” which he used to improve his image when buying land for oil exploration. On another occasion we hear him speak candidly about his hatred for mankind. By the film’s end, we cannot but conclude that Plainview is entirely egotistical and ruthlessly pragmatic in his manipulation of all and sundry to achieve his ends.

Plainview’s ersatz long-lost brother bears him no physical resemblance. When they are on opposite sides of the screen facing each other (there are several scenes when two characters face each other in such a manner) it is evident that the impostor’s facial features are not as “strong” as Plainview’s. This is not the case with the preacher, Eli, however, whose characterful albeit simpering features suggest him to be Plainview's most difficult obstacle, which turns out to be the case, suggesting that this physical characterisation was the filmmakers' intention.

Percussion instruments feature strongly in the film’s soundtrack, but not exclusively so. In one notable sequence when music is used for ironic effect, the music accompanying the installation of the much vaunted Little Boston oil derrick suggests a rousing occasion of new hope, and as such is at odds with the opinion of the audience, who are coming to understand the fact that Plainview is a liar that will say anything in order to to get what he wants which in this instance is the oil lying beneath Little Boston. On a visual note, the director consistently centers his characters in the middle of the camera’s frame. The cumulative effect of this “plainview” style of presentation of the characters perhaps depends on the audience’s tolerance for obtrusive stylising in cinematography.

The final scene is a chaotic and harrowing spectacle that disappoints insofar as it seems out of kilter with the awful enormity of some of the foregoing scenes, including Plainview’s damning of his “orphan” son, as he calls him.

Archive h☼me