A Grandmom's Movie Review

A Grandmom's Movie Review

No, it’s not a kid movie, in fact it is rated R, no child under 17 permitted without a parent, and for good reason. I strongly advise against bringing any child to it under any circumstances. This film, which has been nominated for many awards and may indeed win a number of them, truly troubled and angered me. I found “There Will Be Blood” very difficult to endure, especially after all the extraordinary rave reviews (off the charts, not merely the typical “Best Movie of the Year,” but best of all time! I couldn’t wait to see it).

Neither my husband nor I had spoken up, but we discovered when the lights went on that we had each wanted to walk out. He didn’t want to intrude, expecting me to find something worthwhile about any film since I do enjoy movies. Not all movie viewing is equally pleasurable, but I usually find something redeeming and have rarely wanted to walk out.

That is why my strong revulsion for “There Will Be Blood” was startling even to me. But I think I know why it evoked anger in me. The acting was good, too good, since the film told a story of greed and what Hannah Arendt (alluding to the Holocaust) called “the banality of evil.” Evil was uncontested and relentless.

Remember, I grew up before the present era of war-like video games that have no heroes, only violence. I was comfortable with Aristotle’s definition of tragedy in drama: There would be a good guy who succumbed because of a tragic flaw in his otherwise fine character. Sometimes bad things happened to good people; and the guy didn’t always get the gal — usually because of some higher moral message, as in “Casablanca.”

I guess I hate to think of a world where nothing is worth fighting for but the fun of fighting, hurting, or annihilating others. I have never read Oil!, the novel by Upton Sinclair on which “There Will Be Blood” is reputedly based, and maybe I should; but knowing a little about Sinclair’s work, my bet is it was a satire (i.e., had a moral message). The film was not. It was simply a display of monstrous character. I found no message and incidentally, hated the direction that the critics also honor. Without the soaring music (including a lot of Beethoven, which provides its own drama), most of the film would be just plain dull. Men dug for silver, then oil; fussed with gadgets; looked grimy and expressionless; the classic composers provided the only passion or affect.

Enough of my lament; but here are the issues: Is it a generational difference that I am describing -- a dissonance between me and my current cultural world? Or do I have a point about the loss of principles, morals, messages, reasons to hope? Is there anything to my deep concern for my grandchildren growing up in a world without an authentic cultural struggle between good and evil; evil apparently having won, hands down?

Have you seen the film? What did you think?

February 13, 2008

Comments

[sylbar]

Adele, I don't think its a generational issue because I recently saw the movie and had the same reaction. It was so disturbing and dark, I had a hard time sleeping that night! Daniel Day Lewis certainly put all he had into his role but basically it was one dimensional--he was a bad guy and that's the story! Our solace has to be that no kid I know would find this movie appealing so its just us grown ups that will have to suffer through it. I know there have been plenty of movies about bad guys--and I have enjoyed some of them, but not this one. No way, no how.

[Adele Brodkin]

Hey, Sylvia,

Glad to see you're still checking on me. Reassuring to hear that you felt the same way. What's the problem with the legion of critics who loved it? That's what worries me---are we becoming culturally desensitized to evil? And too many people think they are supposed to like what the critics rave about---so they convince themselves it's great."The Emperor's New Evil Clothes"! Something like that.

[patrick]

finally got to see the infamous There Will Be Blood... Daniel-Day Lewis' performance was top-notch. He takes well to the overbearing, violent father-figure role -- he also did this in Gangs of New York.