There Will Be Blood: Two-Disc Collector's Edition DVD Review

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Title: There Will Be Blood: Two-Disc Collector’s Edition

Region: One

Genre: Drama

Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Dillon Freasier, Paul Dano, Kevin J. O’Connor, and Ciaran Hinds,

Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson

Based On The Novel “Oil” By: Upton Sinclair

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Feature length: 158 minutes

Extras: The Story Of Petroleum Vintage Film, Slideshow, Deleted Scenes, Dailies Gone Wild, Teaser, and Trailer

Languages: English, French and Spanish Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Subtitles: English Closed Captions and English, French, and Spanish Language Subtitles

Packaging: Gatefold Within Cardboard Slipcase

Chapter Stops: 8

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Year of Theatrical Release: 2007/DVD Release: 2008

Theatrical Distributor: Paramount Vantage

Home Video Distributor: Paramount Home Entertainment

MPAA Rating: R

Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera

Daniel Day-Lewis deservedly earned his second Best Actor Oscar® as well as numerous other awards for his role as self described “Oil Man” Daniel Plainview in Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood. Plainview was a sole silver miner who accidentally discovers oil in a dig site where he was working and gets a few workers to help him siphon it from the ground. During the process one of his men is killed in an accident leaving Plainview, who is already a man ill at ease with people, his orphaned baby son to care for. Years later Daniel has discovered a way to use his adopted son, who he calls “H.W.” to bring forth a more congenial image to the people who he sees and pitches about leasing the rights to drill and siphon out their oil. Despite his seemingly straightforward demeanor, Daniel is a shrewd businessman obsessed with success and dreaming to be wealthy enough so he can “get away from people” because he only sees the worst in others, but for Daniel to achieve his dream he must confront a young Preacher (Paul Dano) with a theatrical faith healing church and ever expanding congregation that includes some of Daniel’s employees. Yet neither man can claim to be exactly what he appears to be on the outside and ultimately both men are opportunists, but whether it is in the business or harvesting oil or believers, both mean are struggling with their own inner demons and in danger of losing more than each other can possibly imagine.

Kevin J. O’Connor, Ciaran Hinds, and Dillon Freasier also appear in the film and the film is arguably Paul Thomas Anderson’s best directing and feature film since Boogie Nights. The film is for lack of a better expression, “Kubrickesque” and as such feels more like watching art in motion than a feature film. The film is completely engrossing as well so that despite the more than two and a half hour running time, I barely noticed the passage of time at all and in fact could watch the film ten times more and never be bored because of all the character nuances and the wonderful visual recreation of the period based on actual vintage photos and film, which are presented for comparison among the extra value features on disc two. Jonny Greenwood composed the original soundtrack for the film and he beautifully captures a sense of unrelenting dread that matches the often-bleak landscapes.

Paramount Home Entertainment’s DVD edition presents There Will Be Blood with a beautiful 16 by 9 anamorphic widescreen transfer and a well-rounded and atmospheric English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack. A French and Spanish Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Soundtrack as well as English Closed Captions for the deaf and hearing impaired and English, French and Spanish Language Subtitles are encoded as options too. Bonus features exclusive to the two-disc set includes the vintage government film The Story Of Petroleum (25:00), a vintage comparative companion gallery of shots that informed Anderson on the look of the film as well as for capturing a sense of historical accuracy (17:14), two deleted scenes presented in anamorphic widescreen as well as Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound (15:36) as well as a scene from the dailies that could have been considered another deleted scene if not alternate take (2:47) and the film’s theatrical teaser (1:20) and trailer (2:12).

The menus are standard silent interactive frames that aesthetically fit in with the film and bonus materials included. The only weak link is the cardboard packaging, which offers little protection for the discs. There Will Be Blood: Two-Disc Collector’s Edition will debut on DVD-Video on Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at retailers on and offline courtesy of Paramount home Entertainment.

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