Matthew Collins
Film Analysis 4A
Mr. Bauks
3/10/14
Bastard in a Basket
Daniel Plainview is a complex character; he has motives that are often not quite clear to the viewer of the movie. In one of the most crucial moments in the film is when Daniels tells H.W. that he meant nothing to him and was just “a sweet face to buy land”. Daniel has risked so much trying to get to the top of the oil empire the viewer cannot tell if what he is saying to his son is true or not. This scene is one of the most important parts in the whole movie. Robert Elswit the cinematographer created this moment within Daniel’s mansion where he is confined to solitude accompanied only by his alcohol. The lighting is set up to be the style of a horror movie and the quiet clap of thunder that takes place when lights his cigar creates great atmosphere in the scene itself. In the scene Daniel renounces any love he had for the son he had taken in; he does this because H.W. betrayed him and moved to Mexico with his wife. Daniel loves H.W. but the fact that he is deaf and that he left Daniel’s oil business; he sees him as competition and thats the reason he calls H.W. “A bastard in a basket”.
I agree with you Matthew. A lot of the small detail can make a scene feel complete. Although the sound of thunder is subtle but it evokes an evil beneath his breath. This fills the scene with a creepy atmosphere and you can tell just by the environment that Daniel is working in shows that he his empty, and has filled his life with pointless things and is ultimately unhappy. I believe that Daniel felt like he was being deserted when his son wanted to leave for Mexico, which would completely leave Daniel alone.
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