As with the previous one, same here: not enough time back when I had just seen it, so here are my notes for There Will Be Blood. In a word, this one is rich in identification, or reciprocation, of the enemy other. Familial rivalry and deceit.
Son’s baptism in oil at beginning; Daniel buries Eli in oily mud, slaps him repeatedly; Eli baptizes Daniel with water “in Jesus’ blood,” slaps Daniel repeatedly.
Daniel & son – repetitive shots toward beginning, repeated dialogue – “So.”
H.W. – driven deaf and (at first) mad by oil; Daniel – driven mad eventually by oil.
Daniel – feeds H.W. liquor as baby; mixes liquor with H.W.’s milk after accident
Film begins in silence – 20 min.? – H.W.’s deafness
Daniel’s confession/conversion by Eli; Eli’s confession/recantation by Daniel.
Eli & broth Paul; Daniel & “half-brother”
Eli overcoming his father – “You are weak!”; Daniel overcoming Eli at end – “you are weak,” “beaten by Paul”; Daniel’s vindication of “brother’s” deceit by overcoming Eli, who is “wekaer than Paul”; Daniel & Eli – black through most of film – one in oil, one in church garb
I will be very interested in your complete review of this movie. My own feelings after watching this movie was quite overwhelming. After reading what you have so far, do you feel these parallels were deliberate? I mean, do you think the script was written to make people think through the comparisons you pointed out? After speaking to the friend I saw the movie with about your views, she said she had chills.
Don’t know when there will be a full review; I’ll have to watch it again. As for the parallels, they were definitely deliberate. The truth is, there were many more that a more experienced reader would see; this is why it warrants multiple viewings. You sort of have to go into watching movies like this, giving the filmmaker the benefit of the doubt. Unless you have reason to believe otherwise, assume that parallels this strong are extremely deliberate and have lots of rationale behind them. Also note the difference between “reading into” a film and “reading” a film. When you watch carefully and the minor points support the major theme(s), you’re probably on the right track.