to project the image of a caring family man, Plainview gains the cooperation of almost all the locals with lofty promises to build schools and cultivate the land to make their community flourish. When he learns of oil-rich land in California that can be bought cheaply, he moves his operation there and begins manipulating and exploiting the local landowners into selling him their property. The film follows the rise to power of Daniel Plainview - a charismatic and ruthless oil prospector, driven to succeed by his intense hatred of others and desperate need to see any and all competitors fail. Best Sound Editing - Christopher Scarabosio, Matthew Wood.Best Picture - JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson, Daniel Lupi.Best Art Direction - Jack Fisk, Jim Erickson.Best Adapted Screenplay - Paul Thomas Anderson.Daniel reveals the land has already been drained of its oil through the adjacent wells and is useless.Ĭlimactic Moment: Daniel beats Eli to death with a bowling pin. Eli comes to beg Daniel to buy one last piece of land, in order to fulfill his debts. the truth about his parentage and disowns him.Ĭlimax: Then the plot narrows down to the final confrontation between Daniel and Eli Sunday. marries Mary Sunday and splits with his father, acrimoniously on Daniel’s part, when he tells H.W. However, there is a clear turning point in the story when it jumps forward several years. Third Plot Point: There isn’t a particularly clear Third Plot Point, in terms of a personal low moment, although we see Daniel spiraling deeper and deeper into madness. He is then blackmailed by the one hold-out landowner (necessary for Daniel complete his pipeline to the sea) into being baptized at Eli’s church. When Daniel gets Henry to admit this, he kills him. In fact, the real Henry died, and this man took his place, hoping to find work with Daniel. Second Pinch Point: Daniel pieces together clues about Henry and realizes he lied about being his brother. Shortly thereafter, he sends his son away to a deaf-mute boarding school, refusing even to see him off on the train. He tells Henry, in a Moment of Truth, that he doesn’t like other people. Although this is a relatively episodic plot point, it is what brings Daniel’s journey into focus. Midpoint: A man claiming to be Henry Plainview, Daniel’s illegitimate half-brother, arrives. Daniel lashes out at Eli (Paul’s brother), who claims to be a faith healer, and refuses to pay him the promised $5,000 for his church. Daniel is at a loss how to deal with his “son and partner” now that he is deaf and refuses to speak. is thrown by the initial blast and loses his hearing. This is his entry into the “adventure world” of the main conflict, which centers around this particular well and the Sunday family’s fanatical religious views.įirst Pinch Point: When the first well gushes in, H.W. But the Inciting Event does not happen until 19 minutes in, when the main conflict arrives in the form of Paul Sunday.įirst Plot Point: After verifying there is indeed oil on the Sunday land, Daniel buys it. Indeed, we see a whole mini-story (with no dialogue), showing Daniel’s rise to success and his adoption of his son H.W. Note, that a ton of stuff has happened to Daniel prior to this scene. Inciting Event: Paul Sunday arrives at one of oil prospector Daniel Plainview’s successful wells and propositions him to buy the family farm.
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