Format: Movie
Released: 2007
Screenplay By: Paul Thomas Anderson
Directed By: Paul Thomas Anderson
Run Time: 151 Minutes
Character: Daniel “I drink your milkshake!” Plainview
Plot summary of the 2007 film There Will Be Blood continues below…
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There Will Be Blood: Story Structure Analysis
DRAMATIC PHASE ONE: THE SETUP
All of the main characters are introduced. The story world and its mechanics are established. Foundations are laid for the main throughline, subplots and central conflict.
ACT ONE: DEALING WITH AN IMPERFECT SITUATION
A character in an Imperfect Situation faces Oppressive Opposition as he pursues an Initial Goal. But when there is a Disturbance to his routine, he faces a Dilemma regarding his situation, and must assume a New Role.
Daniel Plainview (the imperfect situation) deals with life on the frontier (oppressive opposition) as he struggles to become a success as first a prospector and then wildcatter (initial goal). But when a miner dies in his oil well and Daniel adopts the man’s son (the disturbance) he is approached by Paul Sunday who sells him information on a potentially lucrative drilling location (the dilemma) prompting Daniel to travel there (the new role).
The Imperfect Situation: Daniel is struggling to build up wealth, first through prospecting, and then through wildcatting.
Initial Goal: Become a success.
Oppressive Opposition: Life on the frontier is no joke. Mining accidents are common. Daniel breaks his leg in search of silver. One of his workers later dies in a oil well accident.
Turning Point Catalyst – The Disturbance: – A mining accident kills one of Daniel’s men, orphaning the man’s infant son. Daniel adopts the boy as his own to assume the appearance of a family man.
Turning Point One – The Dilemma: Start Time: 19 minutes (12.5%) – Now a successful oil man soliciting leases and investors, Daniel is approached by Paul Sunday, who tells him he knows of a place where the oil flows like water. Daniel agrees to pay for this information.
The New Role: Daniel becomes a temporary resident of Little Boston.
Act Run Time: 25 minutes (16.5%)
ACT TWO: LEARNING THE RULES OF AN UNFAMILIAR SITUATION
The character Learns the Rules of an Unfamiliar Situation and faces Incidental Opposition in pursuit of a Transitional Goal. But when he receives a Reality Check, he makes a Commitment to his New Role.
Act Start Time: 25 minutes (16.5%)
Daniel and HW arrive in Little Boston (the unfamiliar situation) and face naive but distrustful locals (incidental opposition) while trying to determine if there’s oil (transitional goal). But when Daniel tries to swindle the Sundays, and Eli proves a shrewd negotiator than assumed (the reality check) Daniel agrees to some of the terms and begins buying up land (the commitment).
The Unfamiliar Situation: Daniel and HW arrive in Little Boston and seek out the Sunday ranch under the guise of going quail hunting.
Transitional Goal: See if there’s oil in Little Boston.
Incidental Opposition: Eli is distrustful of Daniel’s intentions.
Turning Point Catalyst – The Reality Check: 33 Minutes – Over dinner with the Sundays, Daniel offers to buy the Sunday ranch for quail hunting. Eli points out that they have oil on the land making it worth more than the quail price Daniel offers. Eli demands $10,000 for the church.
Turning Point Two – The Commitment: Start Time: 36 Minutes (23.8%) – Having purchased the Sunday ranch, Daniel goes to the local realtor to begin buying up the surrounding area.
Act Run Time: 12 minutes (7.9%)
DRAMATIC PHASE TWO: CONFRONTATION
The character is thrown in the middle of the Central Conflict and is placed at direct odds with the forces of antagonism. He undergoes a series of successes and failures as he works toward resolving the main throughline.
ACT THREE: STUMBLING INTO THE CENTRAL CONFLICT
The character stumbles into the Central Conflict and faces Intentional Opposition in pursuit of a False Goal. But when there is a grave Turn of events, he has a Moment of Truth.
Act Start Time: 39 Minutes (25.8%)
Daniel slowly finds himself at odds with Eli Sunday and William Bandy (the central conflict), as the former has a divine sense of self-importance and the latter won’t sell his land (intentional opposition) while Daniel attempts to drill oil in Little Boston (false goal). But when HW is deafened in a gas explosion and Daniel’s long lost brother, Henry shows up (the turn) HW tries to burn Henry alive and Daniel has him shipped off to San Francisco (the moment of truth).
The Central Conflict: Daniel is put at odds with Eli and eventually, HW. Daniel’s men begin arriving by train to start the operation. William Bandy won’t sell his land. HW learns Mary gets beat if she doesn’t pray. Daniel has a talk with old man Sunday.
False Goal: Drill the oil in Little Boston.
Intentional Opposition: HW is told to draw up a contract as he’s entitled to half of what his dad makes. William Bandy won’t sell his land.
Turning Point Catalyst – The Turn: HW is deafened in a gas explosion. Daniel beats up Eli for being a false prophet and blaming the explosion on Daniel not allowing him to bless the well.
Eli in turn beats up his dad. “Henry Plainview” arrives in Little Boston.
Turning Point Three – The Moment of Truth: Start Time: 81 minutes (53.6%) – Daniel gives HW a white Russian and sends him to bed in the middle of the day. He then asks Henry what he wants. Henry wants a job. HW rummages through Henry’s stuff and finds a picture of a woman. That night Daniel tells Henry about his competitive nature and what he wants from life.
“I have a competition in me. I want no one else to succeed. I hate most people. … There are times when I look at people and I see nothing worth liking. I want to make enough money, I can get away from everyone.”
When they go to sleep, HW tries to burn Henry alive. Daniel puts HW on a train to California.
Act Run Time: 54 minutes (35.7%)
ACT FOUR: IMPLEMENTING A DOOMED PLAN
The character implements a Doomed Plan and faces Self-Inflicted Opposition in pursuit of a Penultimate Goal. But when an unthinkable Lowpoint occurs, he pulls himself together and discovers a Newfound Resolve.
Act Start Time: 91 Minutes (60.2%)
Daniel turns down Standard Oil in favor of Union, and gets to know his lost brother (the doomed plan) and antagonizes them both out of spite (self-inflicted opposition) as he attempts to build a pipeline to the California coast (penultimate goal). But when Henry reveals he’s an impostor and Daniel murders him (the lowpoint) he is caught by William Bandy who offers to absolve him and sell him his land if he is baptized at Eli’s church to which Daniel agrees (the newfound resolve).
The Doomed Plan: Daniel turns down Standard Oil and their railroad and instead goes with Union Oil to build a pipeline for his Little Boston wells. He has to buy the remaining land from William Bandy, the holdout.
Penultimate Goal: Build a pipeline.
Self-Inflicted Opposition: Daniel antagonizes Standard oil and murders the lying, impostor Henry in rapid succession.
Turning Point Catalyst – The Lowpoint: Daniel murders “Henry” when the latter reveals he isn’t really his brother.
Turning Point Four – The Newfound Resolve: Start Time: 108 Minutes (71.5%) The next day Daniel is awoken by William Bandy who knows about his pipeline and the murder. Bandy tells him if he is saved at the church he will sell him his land. At the church, Eli makes Daniel admit he abandoned his boy before slapping him up.
Act Run Time: 25 of 151 minutes (16.5%)
DRAMATIC PHASE THREE: RESOLUTION
The character engages in a final confrontation with the forces of antagonism to resolve the Central Conflict. The main throughline and all additional subplots are resolved. The new status quo is established.
ACT FIVE: TRYING A LONGSHOT
The character tries a Longshot and faces Ultimate Opposition while trying to accomplish the Ultimate Goal. But just when it seems All is Lost, he makes a Final Push against the forces of antagonism and either succeeds or fails.
Act Start Time: 116 of 151 Minutes (76.8%)
Daniel reunites with his son (the longshot) against his competitive, solitary nature (ultimate opposition) as he tries to be a good dad to HW (ultimate goal). But when HW attempts to go off into business for himself and the two have a falling out (all is lost), Daniel is visited by Eli and exacts revenge on his old rival to prove his superiority (the final push).
The Longshot: Daniel brings HW back from California and they’re reunited.
Ultimate Goal: Be a good dad to his son. He struggles with this simple task.
Ultimate Opposition: Daniel’s competitive nature gets the best of him. He drunkenly insults Standard Oil again for their past slight against him not taken care of HW.
Turning Point Catalyst – All is Lost: About 16 years later in 1927, HW is grown up and marries Mary Sunday, Eli and Paul’s sister. HW approaches Daniel and asks him to dissolve their partnership so HW can go into business for himself in Mexico. Drunk and angry, Daniel mocks HW’s deafness and reveals that he is actually an orphan. HW tells him he is glad they are not related and leaves for good.
Turning Point Five – The Final Push: Start Time: 136 of 151 minutes (90%) Eli, now a successful radio preacher, visits Daniel who is drunk and passed out in his private bowling alley. He offers to sell the now dead William Bandy’s land to Daniel, who agrees on the condition that Eli denounce his faith and admit he is a fraud. When Eli does, Daniel reveals the property is worthless because he already drained its oil through slant drilling. Eli confesses he is broke from straying from his faith. Daniel taunts him mercilessly, before beating him to death with a bowling pin.
The End.
Act Run Time: 35 minutes (23.1%)
ACT SIX: LIVING IN A NEW SITUATION
Having accomplished (or failed to have accomplished) the Ultimate Goal, the character is shown living in a New Situation.
Act Start Time: NA
The New Situation: We’re left to speculate what happens to Daniel and the plurality of his last line of dialogue…
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