Things To Remember When It Comes To Oil

Where there is oil, there is blood. It is said that the United States started a war over oil when the armed forces entered into Iraq. But the larger question is, why is there always blood surrounding light sweet crude? Ever since the discovery of oil in America, we have been an oil hungry nation.

Upton Sinclair, a great American writer once wrote about the early politics of the oil industry in Oil. Drawing from his own experiences of selling his lot to the oil companies, he creates characters that show the greed in which he witnessed. As a part of the story, there is of course blood spilt in the drilling of the California oil.

The greed of this story is exemplified even more throughout the film adaptation There Will Be Blood. The film tells a similar story to the novel, but has many differences. In the screen version, Upton Sinclair’s characters are transformed into hungry characters, hungry for money.

Daniel Plainview, an oilman as he calls himself, depicted by the acting genius Daniel Day-Lewis, finds ways to capitalize on all of the options placed before him. When he starts out, he is not originally hunting for oil, but is mining for silver in California. His early actions establish his character as someone that is in search for riches. How far will he be willing to go though in order to obtain those riches? Will there be blood?

Throughout the film, Daniel Plainview interacts with different characters that act as catalysts, shaping how his greed takes over. Daniel’s son, H.W. Plainview is used as part of an act so that Daniel can manipulate people into leasing their lots. He calls himself a “family man,” saying that he is running a “family business.” In the world of sales, this is a smart move, but there is not much truth to these statements. When H.W. goes deaf from an accident on the oilrig, Daniel abandons his son, only to start doing business with a man who he believes to be his brother. And then there is blood. Not blood from kinship though, blood from greed. When Daniel discovers that Henry Plainview is not in fact the real Henry Plainview, only someone who had known his real brother, and then stole a diary so that he could pose as Henry, Daniel lashes out because of how he was manipulated.

Daniel is not the only self-centered greedy character in the film though. When Daniel ventures out to California in search of the oil he was told is there, he comes into contact with Eli Sunday. Eli, a self-made spiritual leader who believes that his church holds all the answers, consistently pushes his beliefs towards Daniel. As the oil begins to flow from the tracts of land that Daniel leased, Eli begins to pester Daniel for money that he believes he is owed to help his church. This pestering leads to an eventual conflict, which shows that there is blood.

The five hundred plus page book was translated into a two and a half hour film. That means on average, every minute was about three and a half pages in the book. Even though the film is not a pure translation from the book, the main concept still exists and the main characters are reflected in their on screen personas. Director/writer Paul Thomas Anderson took the main ideas from the book and created a larger story from that. His direction was invaluable to the film. Having envisioned the story from its original novel, Anderson was able to fully execute how he wanted to translate the characters from the book into this larger story with its modern social contexts.

In the introduction, the War in Iraq, which is said to be started in part over oil, raises the question of the nature of oil and how blood surrounds it. Having made this film in 2006, and released in 2007, Anderson has grounds for social commentary about oil. He weaves this in while telling a story of the beginnings of the industry. The greed that comes into play when dealing with oil takes over. Oil used to be called black gold, meaning it is dark in nature, but there is money to be made in it. There Will Be Blood shows the darkness of oil and how it leads people to manipulate one another so that only one man can wind up on top.

Looking back on the film, it is easy to understand the recognition that the film received during the 2008 awards ceremonies. The film took two high honors with Oscars for Best Actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Best Cinematography, Robert Elswit. The acting was a big part of what carried the film. The portrayal of Daniel Plainview showed a man who only cares about two things, himself and money, and yet he was the protagonist of the film. For such a shitty type person to find a place in the film as a protagonist, Daniel Day-Lewis becomes the oilman, which he is cast to play.

The cinematography of the film was also a part of what placed this film on the American Film Institutes Top 10 Films of 2007. Robert Elswit used the camera in interesting ways that allowed the audience to enter the world of the film. In one sequence, Elswit uses the deep focus long shot to help reestablish the relationship between Daniel and H.W. The use of this long shot does not allow us to completely reenter this tainted relationship and helps to represent the changing dynamic that exists between father and son.

There Will Be Blood left its mark on the world of film in 2007 and still continues to live on. Remembering the context of the film is important and makes for a better viewing experience. Overall though, the film does not just represent the book, but portrays a true aspect of the ever greedy and bloody oil industry. Remember, when it comes to oil, there will be blood.