P.T.A.’s Visual Storytelling

Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 film There Will Be Blood is a masterpiece; and for anyone learning to tell stories that are independent of words, its opening sequence deserves to be studied. The first ten minutes of the film are without dialogue. Nevertheless we (the audience) fully understand the events laid out before us, and better yet we have an impression of what events may come. We owe a lot of our understanding to Anderson’s American Western gothic cinematography and portrayal of a damningly determined (and thereby seemingly sympathetic) protagonist, but we owe even more to the movie’s unsettling -- often atonal -- score, masterfully composed by Jonny Greenwood, one of Anderson’s frequent collaborators.












 

We learn from the date displayed on screen that the action we see is occurring during the turn of the 19th century, presumably during the oil boom in southern California. After the setting is established with a wide shot of desolate desert, we are introduced to the main character, whom we later learn is named Daniel Plainview.

It is interesting to note that he is not named until he signs a gold and silver claim certificate -- only through the acquisition of wealth can he make a name for himself. Daniel epitomizes the American dream, and the film’s opening sequence captures the succession of moments in which he trades his rags for riches. This process begins once he is able to tap into a vein of oil buried within Earth’s dusty landscape; however it is not exactly presented as an achievement, as the eerie minimalist soundtrack creates a tension that seems to warn of imminent danger.
 

Throughout the film Greenwood’s score mirrors the emotional state of Daniel, and as a result we sympathize with him and fear him all at once. We’re forced to scrutinize our initial opinions concerning this dubious embodiment of the American dream. Without the accompanying score, the opening sequence would undoubtedly be understood differently. Would we not be inclined to see Daniel’s hard work as progress, as the beginning of a new prosperous age for America? Instead we are made to see it as a sort of fall from grace. What we unearth (both literally and figuratively) can never be put back. Daniel Plainview -- no matter who he was before we met him -- will never be the same again. America will never be the same again.