by Marjorie Baumgarten / Marginalia
The secret closing-night film of
Fantastic Fest 3 in
Austin, Texas, on Thursday night turned out to be the first public screening of
Paul Thomas Anderson's "
There Will Be Blood." In "
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," it's not the gold that destroys men's souls but greed; in "There Will Be Blood," the commodity that drives the greed is oil.
Anderson was in attendance and answered a few questions following the screening. The film, which is based on Upton Sinclair's
Oil!, really only uses "about the first 150 pages of the novel," according to
Anderson. "The book goes on to Hollywood and Washington" and was just too expansive for his purposes, though he said that those opening chapters contained Sinclair's clear descriptions of the workings of the derricks and the precipitous moods that hung over communities that were about to sell their land to the oil prospectors.
Anderson's usual mix of stunning landscape shots and long takes blend with his close-up scrutiny of the hidden meanings of faces and comportment.
Essential to the movie is the original score by
Jonny Greenwood, the
Radiohead guitarist and
BBC composer in residence. In addition to some uniquely haunting orchestral arrangements, there's this insistent string motif that sounds like the buzzing of an insect inside one's head, a sound that grows louder and more unavoidably distressing whenever soulless events are about to occur.
"There Will Be Blood" was indeed an unusual choice to close out this year's Fantastic Fest, as Alamo Drafthouse Cinema founder and host
Tim League was the first to admit. Though the film hardly belongs to the science fiction, fantasy, animation, and crime genres that attendees had been snacking on all week, League attested in his introduction that the film is undeniably "fantastic." League met
Anderson this summer when the Drafthouse's Rolling Roadshow hosted an outdoor screening of "
Boogie Nights" in the
L.A. area and the director made a surprise appearance. The two became fast friends, which led to the Fantastic Fest screening. However, it took
Ain't It Cool News'
Harry Knowles to point out during the Q&A that
Plainview was the "best monster" he had seen all week.
Anderson responded that Dracula was in his thoughts as he was writing the screenplay. "There Will Be Blood" indeed.
Michael Jones is the film festival editor at Variety.com. 
Can't wait to hear Jonny Greenwood's score.
Posted by: Mel | 9/28/2007 12:03:17 PM
there will be oscars
Posted by: manu | 9/30/2007 10:30:02 AM
I'm ready to have my socks thoroughly rocked by P.T. and There Will Be Blood.
Posted by: BRANDON | 11/6/2007 10:23:46 PM
i drink your milkshake!
Posted by: nickbeam | 1/2/2008 8:17:34 PM
I AM THE THIRD REVELATION!!!
Posted by: AWESOME | 1/23/2008 3:05:13 PM
Hi mister! Cool website and nice content!!! Thanks!!!
Posted by: Tara_Reid | 4/10/2008 4:51:34 PM
This movie is a grand epic that encompasses all that is right, and all that is wrong with American business today and yesterday. One man's descent into hell--made real by the metaphoric use of the oil wells and their accompanying "holes," is both telling and informative. The hidden meaning in the film--as many conservative pundits have argued, is not about the evils of capitalism (although there are many examples to support this without the film), but simply concerning how one man deals with factors that are both within and without his direct control. It also examines the role of religion as it relates to business, and how these two entities can be at one point in agreement, and the next, diametrically opposed. YES, CAPITALISM, AS PRACTICED IN THE UNITED STATES IS BOTH PREDATORY AND DAMAGING TO THE HEALTH OF THE BODY POLITIC. When actors, actresses, athletes, and CEO's make 400 times what the average worker earns there is a problem
Posted by: SeanBirm@msn.com | 4/16/2008 9:38:10 AM
This comment seems to confuse total well-being with equality of well-being. It does not follow that if a minority group''s share of income is higher than a majority group''s share, than the total income is less than if both groups received equal shares. Would you rather have half of a 16 oz milkshake, or 1/10th of a 100 oz milkshake? Another angle: What is the competing alternative model for an economic system that will provide more total welfare? If you use net migration as a test of where people would choose to live, the US far dominates any other country. As a separate measure relevant to this forum, the US dominates in the number of film festivals per year and per capita. Both suggest the US system works better than any other system currently.
Posted by: Ktroop | 4/16/2008 11:55:40 AM