The Master - SPOILERS!

Started by polkablues, August 18, 2012, 01:41:45 AM

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Yes

I agree with what you said. It moves so fast. The pacing is so quick.
Still watching it now, the scene with Dodd at the court and the judge declaring he pay up the money, and then the next scene is the dinner talk-it speeds up in such an incredible pace it continues to catch me off guard.

Ulivija

After trying unsuccessfully to decipher the correct lyrics for the "Moby Dick" song, I found them on the iTunes captions of the digital copy. The last lines are nowhere to be found on the Internet, and the song is not subtitled on the Bluray version:

I'll go no more a-roving with you, fair maid
A-roving, a-roving since roving's been my ru-i-n
I'll go no more a-roving with you, fair maid

Her eyes are blue her cheeks are red
Mark well what I do say
The wealth of her is on her head

I put my arms around her waist
Mark well what I do say
She said "Young man you're in some haste"

I put that girl upon my knee
Mark well what I do say
She said "Young man you're rather free"

She swore that she'd be good to me
Mark well what I do say
She'd spend my money fast and free

The sailor was a captain
He was a mighty dog
Served out to all the company
A double sheriff's grog

Lottery

Quote from: Alexandro on March 08, 2013, 01:41:26 PM
Well, I've seen it three times now.
I guess after reading all these comments I have few things to say, but PTA's mention of Raoul Walsh as a "nuts & bolts director" and influence here really starts to make sense after the second viewing. This film goes very directly from one thing to the next, every scene as a consequence of the last. There's almost no wasted time, no contextualization, no introductions, just the action, the moment taking place. You're there in the moment with Freddie, particularly during the first 15 minutes or so, when everything happens so fast and you start realizing it's all about him, it's all about how he's walking directly into the Cause. But after Lancaster and Freddie meet, this continues. I think that by using elipsis in this way PTA is somehow rediscovering narrative cinema for us. He is going the opposite of what "contemplative cinema" does, and at the same time he's distancing himself of all the "narrative fat" most films have. It really is a "nuts & bolts", very direct film. It may be just too direct for audiences to follow completely, which would explain why people think is pointless. They can't keep up with it's rhythm.

I like that and I agree. But could someone give me examples of narrative fat from all his previous films?

Alexandro


I think the old PTA, in the motorcycle sequence for example, would have done what he did in Boogie Nights before the attempted drug deal in Alfred Molina's house: a whole scene of "this is what we well do next". But now, we are just suddenly in the desert with barely a context or explanation of why are they there, how they got there and what does the master wants to accomplish.

AntiDumbFrogQuestion

Quote from: Alexandro on March 14, 2013, 01:26:32 PM

I think the old PTA, in the motorcycle sequence for example, would have done what he did in Boogie Nights before the attempted drug deal in Alfred Molina's house: a whole scene of "this is what we well do next". But now, we are just suddenly in the desert with barely a context or explanation of why are they there, how they got there and what does the master wants to accomplish.

this might be because *GASP* Paul Thomas Anderson actually TRUSTS his audience to connect the dots!
I understand what you mean, it's strange and sudden, but I kind of enjoy this type of cut. Eventually we kind of figure out that this is Dodd's idea of fun, although it's disorienting to be in the middle of nowhere. I like that this stripped down way of storytelling. I noticed this in CWBB as well. Good stuff.

Alexandro

I'm not saying is bad at all. I'm just giving an example.

Ulivija

Lawrence Wright, the author of a major book about Scientology, thinks "The Master" is terrific!

http://www.pacificsun.com/marin_a_and_e/film/article_63b4cf74-813e-11e2-be0b-0019bb30f31a.html

Frederico Fellini

Glass is made out of SAND.

Wooden walls are made out of WOOD.   BENCHES are also made out wood.  Letters are written on PAPER. Paper is made out of WOOD.

The wall is dead and cold. The glass window is warm and comfy.
Freddie makes out with the Glass window. But it's angry at the wall, he punches it and breaks it.
He would much rather be with his warm inanimate object (Think of Benny Profane in "V"), than with the uncertainty and the pain of a real life girl.

PTA hints that the glass window= sand/the beach, and wall =  doris/letter/bench... When Freddie kisses the glass there's a cutaway to Freddie at the beach making the sand woman.... and when Freddie puts his face against the wooden wall, PTA cuts to Freddie on the ship reading the letter Doris sent him.


"What color are my eyes?"
"Green"
"Change them to BLUE"


Doris's bench is GREEN.  The bench in the background when Freddie slaps the shit outta Bill White, it's a BLUE BENCH.   Freddie still has the same anger inside him, it's just of a different color.
We fought against the day and we won... WE WON.

Cinema is something you do for a billion years... or not at all.

Pubrick

that's good. possibly the best thing you've ever said.

don't take this the wrong way, but.. who did you steal it from?

if it's someone at IMDB please tell them to come and post here.
under the paving stones.

Lottery

I like this part.
Quote from: Freddie on March 18, 2013, 04:56:18 PM
The wall is dead and cold. The glass window is warm and comfy.
Freddie makes out with the Glass window. But it's angry at the wall, he punches it and breaks it.
He would much rather be with his warm inanimate object (Think of Benny Profane in "V"), then with the uncertainty and the pain of a real life girl.

Reel

Quote from: Freddie on March 18, 2013, 04:56:18 PM
He would much rather be with his warm inanimate object (Think of Benny Profane in "V"), then with the uncertainty and the pain of a real life girl.

who wouldn't

AntiDumbFrogQuestion

Quote from: Alexandro on March 15, 2013, 12:23:55 PM
I'm not saying is bad at all. I'm just giving an example.

I didn't think you were saying that, sorry, sometimes my sarcasm makes me come across like I disagree, which is not the case =)

Fernando

I am an accountant, a business mayor, a film enthusiast and a football player. But above all, I am a man, a man that just saw The Master, just like you.

Robyn

I liked the boobs.

I could also tell that he was under the influence of drugs while making this movie. You can't tell what I am influenced by when I make one. Just sayin'.

Ulivija

I don't know if everyone's already seen this excellent article. It features a great photo of LRH sitting on a fence in cowboy outfit that closely resembles Lancaster Dodd's when Freddie photographs him. And this article also mentions that LRH was also a photographer, like Freddie.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/dochollywood/2012/09/unlocking-the-master-plan/

PS. Since PTA talked about John Steinbeck's life as an influence on Freddie's character, I read a Wikipedia article about John Steinbeck's non-fiction book "Travels with Charley" and it mentions how Steinbeck took great liberty with the truth. This quote by Steinbeck's son reminded me of what Val tells Freddie about his father, and also what Freddie tells Lancaster in the jail ("You make this shit up!"):

Even Steinbeck's son believes his father invented much of the dialogue in the book, "He just sat in his camper and wrote all that [expletive]."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travels_with_Charley:_In_Search_of_America