tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post9085278325319490976..comments2023-11-28T15:20:59.369-05:00Comments on Cinema Viewfinder: The Master (2012)Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-82860931837293349162012-09-27T19:40:28.375-04:002012-09-27T19:40:28.375-04:00Jason,
THE MASTER is definitely worth another loo...Jason,<br /><br />THE MASTER is definitely worth another look. Like THERE WILL BE BLOOD, one of the film's most disaquieting effects is the sense that something big is about to happen in the next moment, like a "delayed gratification." The fact that nothing of that scale ever does occur adds to the unsatisfying feeling one has when the movie is over.<br /><br />Watching it a second time, with this disturbing feeling having evaporated, frees the viewer and the movie to see some of the expressions you refer to in the exchanges between Hoffman and Phoenix.Tony Dayoubhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-14996746421672374822012-09-26T22:03:56.083-04:002012-09-26T22:03:56.083-04:00"But the final recurrence of the waves, this ..."But the final recurrence of the waves, this time accompanied only by the water's serene, diegetic sounds, indicate Quell ultimately takes a step towards enlightenment without depending on the oppressive Dodd for help. And if Quell doesn't entirely find peace, it's still an affirmation that he's progressing towards a form of contentment instead of stagnating under the influence of one man's cult."<br /><br />Or just stagnating on his own, which is what he seemed to be doing before "The Cause" came along.<br /><br />Indeed, Freddie may not be enlightened at the end, and may in fact be incapable of enlightenment, but in the least he's "lightened," not carrying the same load of inner torment that we see for the bulk of the film. And he does seem to have gained a bit more sense of self; he knows that he doesn't want to devote his life to "The Cause."<br /><br />The scene I'm most eager to see again is the final goodbye. There seems to be a lot of communication going on between the two men without actually talking about the issues in question. I'm sure there are insinuations and expressions that are even more meaningful than I first detected.Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-84417867956604834532012-09-22T09:24:35.758-04:002012-09-22T09:24:35.758-04:00"However, I wasn't struck by this film an..."However, I wasn't struck by this film and completely wowed by it in the same way I was with MAGNOLIA or PUNCH DRUNK LOVE; the energy is just...different."<br /><br />On the surface, THE MASTER feels more sprawling and epic than the other two films because of the larger span of time and locations. This deceptively makes it appear to be less focused than those two films. But I actually see it and THERE WILL BE BLOOD--both centered on an antihero and his opposite number... and, in fact, each is really just centered on the antihero himself--as more narrowly focused because it hones in on its lead character so tightly.Tony Dayoubhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-70672291718938987992012-09-21T23:50:42.604-04:002012-09-21T23:50:42.604-04:00Tony:
I'm not much of a plot person in terms ...Tony:<br /><br />I'm not much of a plot person in terms of needing exposition to explain things. Yet, I still found <i>The Master</i> pretty aimless. The primary problem I'm having with <i>The Master</i> is that even though it's not boring by any means (the music, the cinematography, the production design, the lease performance from Phoenix...they're all great), I just didn't find it all that engaging. <br /><br />I had the same reaction to <i>There Will Be Blood</i> when it first came out, so we'll see if this one grows on me with subsequent viewings as most PTA films tend to do. However, I wasn't struck by this film and completely wowed by it in the same way I was with <i>Magnolia</i> or <i>Punch Drunk Love</i>; the energy is just...different. <br /><br />I was fascinated by Phoenix's performance. The initial interview he has with Hoffman is a thing of beauty, but the film doesn't seem to involve the viewer beyond that. I never felt like I had a grasp on his character.<br /><br />Perhaps that evasiveness was intentional, and perhaps on subsequent viewings I'll pick up on more, but I agree with Ebert who used the great image of reaching for the film with his hand and finding that is "closes on air."<br /><br />My final thought here: I liked that you mentioned the connecting theme in the last two PTA movies of the individual "railing against the collective." Often throughout <i>The Master</i>, I thought of Kierkegaard's idea of the crowd being "the untruth." It's an interesting theme to explicate, and I'm curious if it draws me in a little deeper the next time I see the movie (it did with <i>There Will Be Blood</i>, so I have hopes for <i>The Master</i>). <br /><br />Anyway, sorry for the rambling. Great piece, Tony. Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-26366456471885000902012-09-21T21:10:04.939-04:002012-09-21T21:10:04.939-04:00"...I can't help but notice that this see..."...I can't help but notice that this seems to be a common trend with strong, distinct films over the past year..."<br /><br />Aden, as Glenn Kenny recently noted elsewhere, I believe it has something to do with the fact that people have difficulty "watching" movies as opposed to listening to them. Take TINKER for example. Obviously Alfredson elided through much of Le Carre's plot heavy novel in order to compress it for the screen. But if viewers just focused on the visuals they would have found that many of those plot points had simply been worked into the images instead of the dialogue. It makes for a much better picture, in my opinion.Tony Dayoubhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-69224295213423450762012-09-21T16:14:14.745-04:002012-09-21T16:14:14.745-04:00Awesome review, sounds like I'm gonna love thi...Awesome review, sounds like I'm gonna love this movie, I love films that explore the nature of religion, this is a theme that Anderson seems hellbent on exploring. Gotta love him for having the guts to do so and with such beautifully made films I might add. Franco Macabrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-22855082488837809832012-09-21T13:23:56.287-04:002012-09-21T13:23:56.287-04:00You've done a nice job comparing and contrasti...You've done a nice job comparing and contrasting "The Master" with "There Will Be Blood", especially in terms of comparing the dynamic between Quell and Dodd with Plainview and Sunday.<br /><br />The two films very much feel as if they've built off one another, both in terms of the character similarities that you mentioned and also in the way that they take place in much earlier time periods than Anderson's previous films.<br /><br />You noted that some viewers and critics find the film hard to decipher and I can't help but notice that this seems to be a common trend with strong, distinct films over the past year: the same thing has been said about both "Tinker Tailor" and "Prometheus" and now "The Master".Aden Jordanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17382319068170476270noreply@blogger.com