Fin- Daniel Opens Up, Shows Us the Dark

"I went to Kansas, just couldn't stay there, couldn't. I don't like to explain myself. You an angry man, Henry?"

"Bout what?"

"Are you... envious? Do you get envious?"

"I don't think so. No."

"I have a competition in me... I want no one else to succeed. I hate most people."

"That part of me is gone. Working and not succeeding. All my failures have left me, uh, I just don't... care."

"Well if it's in me it's in you. Sometimes when I... look at people I see nothing worth liking. When I earn enough money I can get away from everyone."

"What will you do about your boy?"

"I don't know. Maybe he will change. Does your sound come back to you? I don't know. No one knows that. Doctor might not know that."

"Where's his mother?"(second time Henry has asked this)

"I don't want to talk about those things. I see the worst in people, Henry. I don't need to look past seeing them to get all I need. I've built up my hatred over the years, little by little that... having you here gives me a second breath, I.. can't keep doing this on my own. With these.... umm... people." *cue manacle laughter*
~~~

This is the most important scene in the movie, the axis point, the truth about many aspect regarding Daniel's character. Daniel is hurt inside, from family failings, from a lousy child hood, maybe his father neglected him, maybe he just grew up like this. This is my final posting and I will tie up a few key points regarding Daniel's character. After this scene, HW attempts to burn the cottage down in resent to Daniel's new found companion. Daniel ships him away to foster care so that he can learn sign language in a different town. Daniel soon discovers that Henry is not a legitimate brother, which startles Daniel beyond belief, leading to Henry being shot in the head by Daniel. He does this because of the betrayal he felt. He was played, he was so happy that he had that lifeline left and that line was taken away. If anything the murder was out of passion. Daniel soon reunites with his second lifeline, HW, because he's all he has left.

There you have it, the sorrow mind of Daniel Plainview. The rest of the movie is beyond tragic and I hope with this extra insight, you will be able to appreciate Daniel's actions regarding the rest of the movie. He has no more developments, only developments on what's already established.

I'm finished.

27- Daniel Gets His Conformation from Henry

In this conversation Daniel asks Henry why he is there. Work is the obvious answer but Daniel follows it up with, "I just want to hear from you that you want to be here" which is a very sad line. Daniel wants nothing more than to have a scrap of family that loves him back. He now has conformation that Henry will be his partner.

26- Daniel's Resentment Towards HW, HW's Resentment Towards Daniel

In this scene it shows Daniel trying to will HW to drink a glass of milk and whiskey so that he sleeps easier. Daniel is forceful with HW, despite not showing those signs earlier in the movie. He acts like this because in his mind he has the superior crutch in the form of his brother. Now that he has true blood to rely on he no longer has to rely on HW. HW senses this, and eventually rebels, burning Daniels house down.

25- Meet Henry "Plainview"

"I am your brother... from another mother." Speaks Henry, softly. He shows up on Daniel's door step with bonafied proof that Daniel has a blood brother, even if he is a half brother, that's significant for Daniel. This is a very important series of events in the movie that flesh out the rest of Daniel's character. Daniel immediately starts asking questions. He's annoyed by the convenience of his arrival right after his oil strike but when he shows identification it seems that Daniel has brightened right up. It's too good to be true that he has someone else to back up on, someone to help him finish what he started.

24- The Second Christianing

Eli confronts Daniel about the $5 000 he promised the church. Daniel lashes out, smacking him around, and finally calls him out on his "profession".

"Aren't you a healer!? And a vessel for the Holy Spirit!? When are you coming over to make my son hear again! Can't you do that!?"

He then drags Eli down to the oil field and slaps oil in his face. It's less of a Christianing than it is a full fledged baptism. Daniel knows he's a fake, he knows that his church is a fraud. He knows Eli is in it for nothing more than the money, which is why he hates him so. He rubs the true wealth in Eli's face, he lets Eli know that he's the winner.

"I'm going to bury you underground, Eli."

There it is, the second threat. This time against Eli, instead of Paul. Let's see how this plays out.

23- Daniel Tries to Cope with HW

Here we have Daniel comforting HW, humming a tune, while HW makes moaning noises, still trying to will his ears to hear. Daniel tells HW "That's enough! That's enough now." to his moaning but alas he wont stop. Daniel has no idea how to deal with this. Daniel shows so much pity in the scene it's heartbreaking. It hurts him more than anything to see his last line of life suffer in such a way, especially considering that he cannot offer any more insight to the oil business.

Holy Crap Look at this Shot!

Sorry, I'm just astonished at the horrible beauty of this sequence. I have absolutely no idea how they pulled it off.

22- The Eruption of the Well (B)

"What are you looking so miserable about? There is a whole ocean of oil under our feet that no one can get at except for me!"

This is a haunting scene. Not only is it one of the most jaw dropping sequences I've ever seen, but it is a huge character metaphor and character development tool. Just look at the contrast between Daniel and his employee. Daniel is now possessed by the oil, driven by it. Even when his son has lost his hearing and his well has gone up in flames, he still looks at the big picture, and knows it's his goal.

21- The Eruption of the Well (A)

The well has erupted, the oil is bountiful. During the well's explosion, HW was cast off the roof where he was watching the well and the impact disables his hearing. Daniel runs to the well and immediately grabs HW, meaning he is who he was primarily thinking of. When he brings HW to safety he learns that HW is deaf, and he shows much sign of resent for that fact. HW was his only connection, his only sense of family he has left and now he is deaf. When the well erupts into flames he immediately leaves HW's side. Hurt inside that he can't communicate with his son he checks that off his list and goes right to the next most important thing, his investment.

20- The Church

Daniel attends one of Eli's sermons and it is a sight to behold... At the end of the sermon Daniel and Eli have a brief exchange of words resulting in my favorite quote in the movie by Daniel.

"That was one Goddamn, Hell of a show."

First of all, he blasphemies (which Eli does not question), he mentions Hell, plus he refers to it as a show. Eli does not stop or question any of this. It's an extremely pivotal point between the two characters and such begins the bitter rivalry between the two. Eli wants to expand his church so he can get more customers because of the blooming population, and Daniel wants to keep him down because of his resentment towards competition (his only real competition in the entire locale).

Part 19- Daniel is Passed Out

Here it shows one of the workers trying to inform Daniel of an incident at the well. Daniel is passed out on the floor as it shows him drinking during the festivities. This is the second occurrence of Daniel's indulgence with alcohol. When woken up he seems not concerned in the least about the death.

Part 18- It's for HW

This scene shows Daniel talking to Mary. He promises there will be no more hitting from her father, looking him square in the eyes when he says it. It is also made clear that he bought a new dress for her. Daniel has done this because earlier in the film HW stated that he fancied Mary. Daniel is creating a sense of trust with Mary who he hopes will eventually be HW's wife, and furthermore, the closest he has to continuing his legacy, even if it isn't by blood. This also shows that Daniel is thinking about HW's better interest.

Part 17- The Blessing of the Well (B)

So this is Daniel's slap to Eli's face. This is Daniel saying "I don't trust you". In this scene he disregards Eli's presence and grabs his little sister up to the front stage to bless the well. In fact, Daniel blesses the well himself. He does not believe in Eli's game. He even goes as far to repeat the words Eli asked him to say, replacing him with his sister, Mary. This is all intentional, he does this only to send a message to Eli.

Part 16- The Blessing of the Well (A)

This is a wonderful scene. In this scene Eli talks to Daniel about allowing him to bless the oil well when it opens the following day. Daniel agrees with all that he says and basically tells him "sure" yet he never says goodbye to Eli, and gives him that stare as he walks out. He knows Eli wants his name on that well, he knows Eli wants the spotlight to gather publicity for his church. The oil man sees the worst in everyone, and he sees right through Eli, just like when the rival prospector saw right through Daniel's "Family Business".

Part 15- Wise Words

This scene has Daniel telling rival prospectors that the land was already being worked on by him and that he should go East. The interesting part of the equation is the prospector telling Daniel "must be easy carryin' that cute kid around with you" showing Daniel that he sees right though him, the trick of an Oil man's trade. He also gives HW some sound advice, "Make sure you don't get swindled, boy. Get half of what your dad's makin' ". This is an interesting character turn for Daniel, as he starts becoming more defensive regarding what HW is exposed to. He wants HW to run his own way and begins to resent other people making comments about him and his son.

Part 14- Daniel Buys the Land

In this scene Daniel buys all of the land in the area, at six dollars an acre. Daniel is furthering his goal to build the drain pipes, as he needs to drain from all of the land in the area. The drain pipes are his finish line.

The Groundwork for Daniel

Alright, we've established a fair number of Daniel's persistent character traits. He's manipulative, he's well spoken, he's determined, he's hard working, he's caring, he's resentful, he's very good at deciphering character, and he's, above all, an oil man. What is an "oil man"? Well, that's up for you to decide.

I will be skipping through the movie much faster at this point, focusing only on key character moments and pivot points, along with scenes which contribute to the other parts.

Part 13- The Further Resentment Towards Eli

Here is Daniel buying the ranch from the Sunday family. The whole conversation basically involves Eli calling Daniel out on his search for oil and turning it into a bidding war. Eli demands $10 000 "for the church" and Daniel gives him another stare down, he knows something is up. Daniel then makes it clear that he will buy the property for $5 000, and he offers the church a $5 000 "bonus"* down the line. When they go to shake hands Daniel, Eli, and HW shake in the traditional method when you are saying grace before a meal. Daniel breaks from his grasp in a resentful manner and makes his leave. This is because Daniel is onto Eli, he knows he's a schemer, just like Paul, and he makes his money through the church. This is expanded on much later in the movie but Daniel's sense that Eli is a phony is apparent the entire movie and further proof exemplifies that.

*Daniel describes the majority of the money he gives to people as "bonuses". It's a fine example at his mastery of wordplay as the word bonus always comes off as "something extra" even though the bonus is probably the only money Daniel gives you.

Part 12- Daniel's Teachings

This is when Daniel explains to HW his plans to build a pipeline out into the ocean so that he does not need a well to get to the oil. It will drain out of the ground straight into a bucket. This is an important scene which regards Daniel's disliking of people, and that is revealed later. If Daniel has a pipeline then we will not need a crew, he will not need workers, he can basically sit back and let the profit come to him. The land that he buys from the Sunday family has no fertile land so basically he wants to drain the soul of the land itself.

This scene is also important because he is educating HW about the oil business, and getting him involved first hand on different methods and ideas. Both this premise and the drain pipe are important story elements regarding Daniel.

Part 11- Eli Sunday

This scene introduces Eli, the twin brother of Paul. While this looks like a friendly encounter, you will notice that Daniel is staring him down the entire time. Throughout the entire scene Daniel has his eyes fixated "in" Eli, because he senses something wrong with the boy. This also begins the rivalry between Daniel and Eli, even at a mutual level.

Part 10- The First Threat

At the end of the scene with Paul, Daniel says to him, under the grasp of a hand shake, "if I travel all the way up there and I don't find what I'm looking for, I'll take more than my money back. Do you understand?". This is the first threat against a human muttered by Daniel Plainview, and it's also, rather ironic, foreshadowing(seems like everything is, eh?). Daniel is proving in that scene that he will take a human life to achieve what he wants. Nothing can stand in his way, and nothing will phase him.

Part 9- "What church do you belong to?"

In this scene Daniel is approached by a young man named Paul regarding information about a wealth of oil in a certain location he wishes to sell to Daniel. Now, I could focus every single post interpreting Paul and his "twin" brother, Eli, but that's for another time. In this scene he asks Daniel which church he belongs to. Daniel replies that "I enjoy all things, I don't belong to one church in particular. I like them all... I like everything" which is a hilariously ironic quote and a fine example of Daniel's manipulation. He struggles to spit the quote out and even pauses before saying it, obviously aware that Paul is a worshiper of God. He delivers the line like that because he has a lasting resentment for church, and Christianity, throughout the movie. This is the introduction to that part of his character. And the "I like everything" part of the quote is also foreshadowing.

Part 8- I'm a Family Man (B)

But wait, after his speech, the crowd goes into a frenzy. In this shot it shows Daniel, taking it in, focusing on only his face. This is to show his resent for this behavior, this chaos, and decides that the town does not deserve his help so he walks out without a word. He explains to the man trying desperately to bring him back that "there is too much confusion. I will not take your lease if you gave it to me as a gift". Which further exemplifies that. He doesn't want any hassle, he just wants to do his work no questions asked.

Part 7- I'm a Family Man (A)

"This is my son and my partner, HW"

This is the scene where Daniel is pitching to a nearby town that he is the best man to drill their oil. This scene displays Daniel's excellent manipulation of words and the English language in general. Daniel beats around the bush in a convincing manner and eventually pulls the Family Business card, inspiring a sense of responsibility in the crowd. Daniel plays with words and events that have happened to manipulate who he is talking to, as in this side of his character he will stop at nothing to get what he wants, but he has his morals too...

Part 6- Daniel's Idea

In this shot it shows Daniel on the train with HW, and HW is pawing at Daniel's face. In this scene you see Daniel crack a smile which shows, mainly, that he does care for the child. It is also the realization that this could be Daniel's successor, as he has no siblings, seemingly, and no hints or traces of a family. It will be explained later why Daniel will never have a wife. Aside from that, HW is his family business. It is on the train where you hear the beginning of Daniel Plainview's speech to a local town about drilling for oil on their land. The speech is first audible in the train because he knows HW will be good for the marketing, everyone likes a family man.

The key is that he does express genuine feelings for the child in this scene, so it plays both ways.

Part 5- Daniel's "Son" HW

When Daniel and a fellow worker, the father of the child, are down in the oil well bucketing the oil up, the pulley system breaks and sends a large plank of wood down on top of the father's head, killing him instantly. Daniel now looks upon the child, feeling responsible in a sense for his father's death, and decides to take the child in. This is also the first scene that shows Daniel with whiskey, having him take a slug from his bottle before trying to pacify HW with it, and then having HW reject the bottle completely. This is very sad foreshadowing.

Part 4- Daniel's Discovery

Daniel, after mining the shaft for some time, discovers a wealth of oil underneath. After creating a primitive drilling apparatus, he sends the spike into the ground, uprooting the oil beneath. The first time the spike comes up he brushes his hand against it, raising his dark, and oily hand to the heavens as a sign of triumph. You can see the sun behind it, obscured by the dark moment of victory. It is at this very moment Daniel decides to become an oil man. And it is at this moment where he begins his downward spiral, and just when you think he is at the top of the world.

Part 3- Daniel's Determination

In this scene the shaft's ladder breaks and sends Daniel tumbling to the bottom, breaking his leg in the process. When he hits the bottom he inspects his leg but eventually ignores it to check the rock he just blasted with dynamite to see if it contained any silver. With his silver in his pocket he drags his injured body out of the hole and slides back to his camp presumably to show everyone proof that the mine shaft is a silver deposit. This all symbolizes that Daniel will put anything on the line to get his job done, and the job is the object of utmost importance to his character.

This is also the first of many occasions where the failure of machinery leads to the injury or death of someone in the film.

Part 2- Meet Plainview

The first time you see Daniel, he is mining in a dark and claustrophobic shaft. While this is an obvious comment that Daniel is an extremely hard worker, it's also a rather drab form of foreshadowing. Daniel Plainview, throughout the film, is digging himself into a hole. Anderson lets you know right from the start that (a) he will not stop until he is finished what he has set out to do (more on that further into the scene) and (b) that his story will not end on a bright note. In fact, Paul does not want to obscure that fact. The title of the movie is "There Will Be Blood".

Part 1- Introduction

There Will Be Blood is the fifth film by writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson. Many compare it to timeless classics such as Citizen Kain and Treasure of the Sierra Madre, others see it as nothing more than an exercise of misery. Daniel Day Lewis gives viewers one of the most praised performances of the last twenty years, a dark and lonely oil man who cares for nothing more than to succeed. Or so it seems.

Some people have mistakenly classified Daniel Plainview as a flat character, nothing but an empty soul without any empathy for other humans. I respectfully disagree. He is damaged, he is a hurt man, but his resentment for humanity is something displayed only at face value. Follow me as I dig inside the head of Daniel Plainview.

There Will Be Blood

Hello, reader. I offer to you my final writing project, an in depth interpretation of There Will Be Blood. I will include screen shots regarding the specific scene that I am discussing. I hope you enjoy my insight.