When I ranked Paul Thomas Anderson’s movies, I of course put There Will Be Blood at number one, since I’m well aware that most people would consider it his best movie.
However, as much as I love that film (as well as Licorice Pizza, which I didn’t rank in my initial article), I still can’t say that it’s my favorite PTA movie. That distinction would have to go to 2012’s The Master, which I think is one of the greatest American movies ever made.
I recently watched the film again for the umpteenth time, and I wanted to talk about why The Master will likely always be my favorite Paul Thomas Anderson movie.
It Gets Very Deep Into The Process Of Belief, Which Is Something I'm Deeply Interested In
Not too long ago, I wrote about the M. Night Shyamalan bomb, After Earth (which I actually like), and one thing that surprised me when I did research for that film was that a number of people thought it was “Scientology propaganda” at the time, which I just can’t see, no matter how hard I look.
However, as somebody who is fascinated by the process of belief and would love to see an earnest, critical depiction of Scientology, The Master is a good substitute, as the storyline does take inspiration from the famous (or rather, infamous) religion.
In this film, a returning World War II Navy veteran (Joaquin Phoenix) is struggling to make sense of the world that he’s returning to. Though I don’t think anybody would consider this to be one of the greatest war movies ever made, I would consider this, in a sense, to be a war film in the same way that I would consider one of the greatest war movies to ever win Best Picture, The Best Years of Our Lives, to be a war movie. Both films deal with the silent trauma of returning home to a world that no longer makes sense.
I only bring this up because Phoenix’s character, Freddie Quell, is desperately yearning for direction and purpose, and he finds it in Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character, Lancaster Dodd, who is the head of a movement known as the Cause.
Dodd is an enigmatic figure, and one who seems entirely personable and involved. The only issue is, he’s also a bit of a cult leader, and yet, Quell doesn’t see this. At first, at least. In fact, he struggles to understand where his place is within this movement, and whether it’s even legitimate or not.
Quell is violent well before he meets up with Dodd, but he redirects that violence once he forms a personal relationship with Dodd, and is willing to get thrown in jail for him. In a lot of ways, we see a man who is tormented, not only to find a sense of identity, but also with whether he can find it in somebody else. That speaks volumes for how cults ultimately work.
It’s a fascinating movie, and as a Christian myself (who rarely likes Christian movies), it’s an engrossing look into how certain people can fall so heavily into a form of faith.
I Find Its Pacing And Storytelling To Be Hypnotic
One of my favorite books of all time is Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy (which looks to be getting an adaptation, though we don’t know when). I love this story because it made me feel like I was going utterly insane while reading it. Every chapter was maddening, and Judge Holden is one of my favorite characters in all of literature.
I reference this book since I get a similar feeling whenever I watch The Master. It’s one of the most hypnotic movies I’ve ever seen, and I find that I fall into a long, wonderful trance whenever I watch it. So much so that when Philip Seymour Hoffman sings “Slow Boat to China” toward the end of the film, I feel totally ensnared by the story, and it’s like he’s singing the song to me (which I’m sure was PTA’s intention).
I also can’t pull my eyes away when Dodd puts Quell through “processing.” It almost kind of makes me sick to my stomach the way Dodd breaks Quell down from being somebody who started the conversation smiling, to somebody who’s screaming, “I don’t know!” by the end of it.
I’ll tell you, There Will Be Blood is a wonderful movie, and Phantom Thread is deceptively brilliant, but no other PTA film resonates with me and shakes me by the shoulders like The Master. It goes right to my very core.
These Are My Favorite Philip Seymour Hoffman And Joaquin Phoenix Performances
I still miss Philip Seymour Hoffman. He was unforgettable. I’m a big fan of many of the roles you’d probably think of, like his performances in Boogie Nights, 25th Hour, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Doubt. You know, there are just so many to choose from.
But, there’s no other role like Lancaster Dodd for me. The way he’s so domineering, and yet, so vulnerable. You can tell he’s speaking out of his ass, but he’s so confident that you start to believe him. The Cause is never entirely clear in this movie, but you can tell that it’s clear to him. He knows he wants power, and he finds susceptible people to follow him.
When Dodd’s own son, Val, played by Jesse Plemons, doesn’t believe in what his father has to say, Quell criticizes him, but Val knows what’s up. He knows his dad’s a phony. The only thing is, Hoffman is such a great actor that we’re never really sure if Dodd knows that he’s a phony.
And then, you have Joaquin Phoenix, who honestly should have gotten the Best Actor Award for this role. You feel so bad for him, but also scared of him. He’s got so much anger deep inside of him, and you know he’d probably be better off going to therapy than joining with Dodd, but that’s not what he does. Instead, he goes through things like processing, and lashes out at people who question his new faith.
I didn’t even talk about Amy Adams, but she’s also magnificent. There’s just such great acting across the board in this movie, and some of the very best from two of my favorite actors of all time. What more could you possibly want?
It's Also Has One Of My Favorite Soundtracks Of All Time
Anybody who knows me knows that I hate Radiohead. I just find them supremely overrated, and I don’t understand why albums like Kid A, In Rainbows, or OK Computer are considered masterpieces. I mean, I’ve listened to them, and I don’t like them.
That said, I think Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood is an astounding composer. He did the scores for a number of PTA films, including There Will Be Blood, Inherent Vice, and Phantom Thread, which are all great (especially Phantom Thread’s), but I think his work on The Master is his crowning achievement.
The soundtrack is just as mesmerizing as the movie, and I often find myself listening to it when I’m writing. My favorite song is “Able-Bodied Seamen,” which just lures me in every time I listen to it. It’s such a great, alluring soundtrack, and I love it to pieces.
Lastly, It Grows More And More Complex With Every Viewing
I can’t overemphasize just how much I’ve analyzed this movie. There really doesn’t seem much to it at first, but then scenes just seem to overlap in my mind, and when I watch it again, I always discover something new.
For example, the first time I watched it, I thought that Quell met Dodd much earlier in the film when he was taking pictures in the department store. But when I watched it a second time, I realized I was entirely incorrect (it’s actually W. Earl Brown). It made me think that PTA likely chose him because he sort of looks like Hoffman’s character in the movie, and Quell takes out his rage and anger on a man who looks like somebody he would later come to revere and defend.
Also, I wonder who “The Master” even is in this movie. Yes, you would assume it’s Hoffman’s character, but toward the end, Dodd asks that if Quell can find a way to live without a master of some sort, then he is the superior man, which raises the question: Is this really a story about a cult leader, or is a tale of the duality of man wrestling with his sense of being in a society that totally ignores him?
I honestly don’t know, but the more times I watch it, the more things I pick out with every single viewing.
But, what do you think? Do you also love The Master?
