Delve into the tangled web of power in the gripping tale of There Will Be Blood. Explore how family, religion, and money intertwine in shaping ambitions. The podcast dissects Daniel Plainview's embodiment of Nietzschean individualism, revealing a stark contrast with its socialist roots. Witness a fierce rivalry driven by ambition and morality, paralleling Citizen Kane in its portrayal of the hollowness of wealth. Ultimately, it highlights the destructive clash between capitalist aspiration and religious authority.
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Quick takeaways
The podcast highlights the interplay of family, religion, money, and state as fundamental institutions that shape societal dynamics and individual actions.
It contrasts the film's focus on individualistic power struggles with the original novel's broader critique of capitalism, emphasizing personal ambition and moral decay.
Deep dives
Exploring Institutions of Power
The podcast discusses the four primary institutions that exert power in any society: family, religion, money, and the state. These institutions can dominate social dynamics and interact in complex ways, influencing how individuals navigate their lives. The importance of these institutional frameworks is emphasized, indicating that no individual can prevail against a powerful institution without leveraging another one. For example, one can challenge family authority through political means, or confront religious dominance with economic power.
Connections Between 'Oil' and Its Film Adaptation
The discussion centers on Upton Sinclair's novel 'Oil,' which lays the groundwork for the film 'There Will Be Blood' by Paul Thomas Anderson. The novel incorporates elements of family, religion, money, and political corruption, showcasing how these forces intertwine in the quest for oil in early 20th-century California. Unlike the book, however, the film omits explicit political themes, focusing instead on individualistic power struggles exemplified by the protagonist, Daniel Plainview. This shift reflects a transformation from a socialist narrative to a hyper-individualistic one that scrutinizes personal ambition and moral decay.
Nietzschean Themes in Power Struggles
A key theme explored is the Nietzschean concept of the will to power, which is vividly illustrated by the antagonistic relationship between Daniel Plainview and the preacher Eli Sunday. Both characters embody competing forces of capitalism and religion, respectively, revealing the struggle for individual dominance over societal structures. The film is characterized as an exploration of hyper-individualism, where both men exert their will against each other in raw confrontations. This relentless pursuit, however, leads to mutual destruction, highlighting the fatal consequences of their competition for power.
Family's Role in Human Destruction
The narrative unfolds to reveal how family dynamics ultimately define and influence the characters' fates, particularly Plainview’s relationship with his son. As Plainview's ambition deepens, his connection to his son deteriorates, showcasing how the protagonist's individualism does not extend to nurturing familial bonds. This breakdown results in the rejection of his son as he prioritizes his own ruthless aspirations over familial loyalty. Ultimately, the notion is presented that while one may master various institutions, the intrinsic power of family remains inescapable and can lead to one's downfall.
Our great political films series reaches the twenty-first century with Paul Thomas Anderson’s unforgettable There Will Be Blood (2007), starring Daniel Day-Lewis as oilman Daniel Plainview in one of the all-time great screen performances. Based on Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil! (1927), the movie swaps out Marx for Nietzsche and tells a story of money vs religion and family vs both. What, in the end, is the force that cannot be overcome?
Out now: two bonus episodes on PPF+ to accompany this series: Shoah part one and Shoah part two, exploring Claude Lanzmann’s path-breaking, harrowing, unforgettable 9-hour documentary about the Holocaust. Sign up to PPF+ to get all our bonus episodes plus ad-free listening https://www.ppfideas.com/join-ppf-plus
Next time: The Social Network
Past Present Future is part of the Airwave Podcast Network