Xixax Film Forum
The Director's Chair => Paul Thomas Anderson => Topic started by: Scrooby on September 14, 2023, 04:53:21 PM
TWBB : The Three and the Triangle
Shot 1 : the place where three ways meet (narrative - character - audience).
(15:26) : As he speaks for the first time, Plainview has three eyelights in each eye.
By this point limping Plainview is marked for life. His Fate is already encoded inside him.
His Fate :
Silver Success in New Mexico (5:40) +
Henry from New Mexico (1:19:00) +
Killing Henry on the Bandy Tract (1:45:48) +
"Perhaps you remember Mr. Bandy?" (2:20:02) =
Sending Eli Heavenward (2:29:51) &
"I'm finished."
As a tag to this :
H.W. : "I'm going to Mexico." (2:10:33)
The three sacrifices of Plainview :
Lifetime limp (4:52)
"Big Brother" (12:52)
H.W. loses hearing (1:00:50)
Plainview's three acts of revenge :
Henry (1:45:48)
H.W. (2:13:04, revenge on Plainview himself included?—self-hatred leads to family hatred?)
Eli (2:29:51)
The three mistakes leading to success :
Broken leg = silver reveal (5:40)
Dropped drill = oil reveal (9:30)
H.W. falls down = oil reveal (30:24)
The triangle.
In (15:26) the eyelights delineate a triangle in each of Plainview's eyes.
Theory : When we see a triangle in PTA, something "mega" may be going on.
See Phantom Thread, 1:10:44
Isn't Plainview's oil tower a slender triangle?
Now everybody—
If we're continuing down the valley of the 'power of three within TWBB', and the implicit christian imagery that comes with that, theres a point to made with Daniel, H.W. and Eli being the father, son and holy spirit. Together they hold a proto-capitalistic grip on Little Boston, but their relationship frays with the development of the film. The downfall of American Christianity, whose body is invaded and reanimated by capitalism???