“There Will Be Blood” Review

September 17, 2021 by Essay Writer

The character Daniel Plainview, was a major focus throughout the movie “There Will Be Blood’ due to his connections to the oil industry. Daniel was dressed in plain colors such as tan, brown, and occasional greys. The clothing he wore symbolized the late 1800’s and early 1900’s when there was a major rush for finding oil, in order to make money to support your family. Most his outfits throughout the movie were variations of trousers, a baggy shirt, and suspenders symbolizing he was a working man in the oil company during that time frame.

Daniel’s clothes were not fancy, instead symbolizing the poverty and struggles he went through at the beginning of his life. Working in the oil company was a dirty job that would leave the employees covered in black by the time they were done with a day’s work. As the movie progressed and Daniel earned more money, the audience saw Daniel own fancier clothing such as a suit. Owning a suit during that time was a major sign of wealth and showed that he was not as much of a working man, but an overseer of his company. Throughout the movie it was prominent that Daniel felt he was better than most people based on the amount of wealth he was accumulating.

Daniel stated that he feels like the best version of himself when he is all alone and he wants to be the best. He cared about money and beating his competitors so much, he even sent his son away. Eventually, he brought his son back, but there was a big disconnect between the Daniel and H. W. (the son). The producer showed the disconnect by the distance placed between the two characters in the field and in the restaurant. Daniel didn’t care about how he treated people, he was just looking to get ahead in life. Another thing the producer did was zoom in on the side of Daniels’s face when he was in deep thought. There also were close ups on Daniel’s face whenever he would address crowds or be in an argument. Even though there were close ups on Daniel’s face, he rarely look the audience in the eye. The audience saw Daniel progress into a man that began losing his mind as shown in many of the close-up images, showing the anger in his eyes.

Finally, throughout the film Eli’s and Daniel’s relationship can represent the relationship of God and a human being. Eli represents God trying to bring Daniel to the Lord and realize what he is doing to those surrounding him. Eli also believes that Daniel being connected to the Lord will help his oil company and his overall happiness. However, the very last scenes of the movie reverse the characters rolls in the movie. This time Eli is looking for guidance and goes to Daniel for help. Instead of being the helping hand, Daniel kills Eli.

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