Even if you’re already looking forward to P.T. Anderson‘s There Will Be Blood, we’ve got two more reasons to put the opus on your holiday must-see list: a deleted scene and the early praise of top critics!
P.T. Anderson directs; Daniel Day-Lewis stars. What more do you really need to know? In this sprawling epic adaptation of Upton Sinclair’s Oil!, Day-Lewis is ruthless turn-of-the-century prospector Daniel Plainview, who with his young son moves from town to town in the Southwest buying up land to pump out the precious crude below. Anderson makes a case for auteur status with the multi-generational saga of greed and corruption, made richer by powerhouse performances by Day-Lewis and Paul Dano as local evangelical Eli Sunday.
Thanks to our sharp-eyed RT forum users, we know that There Will Be Blood production blog Little Boston News was recently updated with a deleted scene from the film. Posted alongside it is the message “Here’s a good scene that we didn’t need…it won’t spoil anything.”
Having seen TWBB, we can tell you that the clip is a short scene in which Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his son H.W. (Dillon Freasier) sit with Abel Sunday (David Willis) and his son Eli (Paul Dano), whose land they have come to check for oil under the pretense of quail hunting. And although there aren’t any spoilers — delightfully little actually happens in the scene — you can glimpse the level of passionate nuance given to both Daniel and Eli’s characters.
Meanwhile, There Will Be Blood has earned a 100 percent early Tomatometer from critics, with ten reviews counted. Variety‘s Todd McCarthy calls it “boldly and magnificently strange,” while Movie City News‘ Dave Poland argues a flawed cinematic bravado that “defies Fresh/Rotten designation by being SO good and SO bad all in one very confused act of inspiration.”
There Will Be Blood, which is lining up as a very strong awards-season contender in multiple categories (acting, directing, screenplay, score by Jonny Greenwood, production design by Jack Fisk), opens in limited release December 26.
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