Cinema Classics Seminar: THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007)
Schedule
Sat May 30 2026 at 12:30 pm to 04:30 pm
UTC-04:00Location
Bryn Mawr Film Institute | Bryn Mawr, PA
Advertisement
Saturday, May 30, 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm Instructor: Paul Wright, Ph.D., Main Line Classical Academy
Since Max Weber’s essential book, THE PROTESTANT ETHIC AND THE SPIRIT OF CAPITALISM (1905), many historians have written about how capitalism has, over time, adopted the character and charismatic power of religion. Paul Thomas Anderson’s THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007), now acknowledged by many critics as one of the finest films of the 21st century, explores the relationship between capitalism and Christianity as a proxy war over the stewardship of modernity itself.
The film features a once-in-a-generation performance by Daniel Day-Lewis as oilman Daniel Plainview and a compelling turn by Paul Dano as his rival, preacher Eli Sunday. As they battle for the soul of a newly oil-rich community—and by extension, the soul of America—their bitter ideological competition intensifies, and we see in the process the potentially religious nature of capitalism’s claims on our attention and our allegiance.
Very loosely adapted from Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel OIL!, THERE WILL BE BLOOD is at once a three-dimensional character study and an evocative allegory. The film’s title itself draws from the biblical book of Exodus and the story of the plagues visited upon the land of Egypt. In this remarkable film that always rewards repeat viewing, Anderson evokes and expands upon the most haunting work of John Huston, Stanley Kubrick, and other cinematic forebears.
Advertisement
Where is it happening?
Bryn Mawr Film Institute, 824 W Lancaster Ave,Bryn Mawr,PA,United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
