FAQ for
There Will Be Blood (2007)

The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags are used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.

For detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb Parents Guide for this movie. The Parents Guide for There Will Be Blood can be found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0469494/parentalguide.

Yes. There Will Be Blood is loosely based on Oil!, a1927 novel by American author Upton Sinclair [1878-1968], although producer, director, and screenwriter Paul Thomas Anderson admits that he changed the title because "there's not enough of the book... to feel like it's a proper adaptation."

Paul Dano was originally cast as Paul Sunday only. When the original actor playing Eli Sunday left, Dano was recast as both because, at that point, it was too late to re-shoot scenes, so the film plays out that Paul is Eli's identical twin. Paul Dano stated to an NPR interviewer that he had less than a week to prepare for the role of Eli.

It's rather obvious that Daniel and Eli have had a feud ever since Daniel snubbed Eli publicly at the dedication of the Little Boston well, and the baptism didn't help nor the payment. The fact that H.W. was now going to be a rival to Daniel caused more fury and anger in him. When Eli visited & told Daniel about Mr. Bandy's land, Daniel had already drained the areas with the wells he'd drilled surrounding that area. Daniel wanted nothing to do with Eli. He killed Eli out of greed and hate. The last line "I'm Finished" meant he was finished with his guest along with his life. It could also mean that Daniel had eliminated the last possible source of competition Another potential explanation lies in Daniel's view of family. He accepted H.W. as his son, as he had control over the child. As H.W. became autonomous, he withdrew from Daniel, destroying Daniel's attempt at family. Eli arrives telling that he and Daniel are now brothers. As Daniel never sought this creation of family with Eli, he decided to destroy it.

H.W. is the son of one of Plainview's men in the early part of the film. The boy's father is killed in accident (the film's first death), and he is "adopted" (taken) by Daniel. We are forced to speculate on Plainview's motivations for taking & keeping H.W., though he clearly does not want the fact he is not the boy's biological father public (and this would be why he avoids discussion of the boy's mother).

The track in question is the third movement (Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace Poco più presto) of the Konzert für Violine und Orchestra D-dur (Violin Concerto in D Major), Op. 77 (1878), by Johannes Brahms. A variation can be found at http://video.aol.com/video-detail/brahms-the-violin-concerto-in-d-major-op-77-heifetz/4194027707.

The important thing, though, is that, if you want the exact performance as featured in the film, you have to find the version featuring the Berlin Philharmoniker, conducted by Herbert von Karajan and featuring Anne-Sophie Mutter as soloist. (Incidentally, if you watch the credits for the film, they are wrong on this point, and include António Meneses as a second soloist alongside Mutter. This is from the original release of the recording of this concerto, which also featured the Brahms 'Doppelkonzert', Op. 102, which DOES feature Meneses as soloist [on cello, to Mutter's violin].)

The best quality release of this particular version of the piece is available here: http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=3692 and is selling, at present, for $14.99. It is a pristine mastering of the Concerto from the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft label, which originally released the recording in 1982. If you are a bit cheaper, another, more budget version can be found at http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=1018.

Convergence, By Jonny Greenwood. You can find it on youtube, but its the version from Bodysong, which is more complex than the version used in the film.

The composer of the film was Jonny Greenwood, primarily famous as the guitarist for the British rock band Radiohead. Paul Thomas Anderson sent Greenwood a copy of the film, and a few weeks later, Greenwood sent back hours and hours of music. Much of the music was scored directly for the film, although a few pieces were taken from Greenwood's prior composition "Popcorn Superhet Receiver", which Greenwood composed as BBC's composer in residence. As for non-Greenwood music, classical pieces by Arvo Part and Johannes Brahms are used in a few places, such as the final scene in the bowling alley and the spudding of the well, but the brunt of the score is Greenwood's original compositions. Unfortunately, the score was ruled ineligible for an Academy Award nomination, due to an AMPAS rule that does not allow 'scores diluted by the use of tracked themes or other pre-existing music.'