However, it is definitely essential in demonstrating the fight between faith and fortune that many Americans faced during the oil rush.Ĭentral to the novel, the movie, and Doheny’s life is a father-son relationship. One of the central conflicts in the film that involves Plainview and a preacher named Eli Sunday is entirely fictional. Unlike the Dohenys, who were devout Catholics, Plainview is not extremely religious.
In the movie, Plainview’s character heavily engages in corruption and violence to ensure his fortune from the liquid gold that was oil. Plainview’s all-encompassing greed, fiercely competitive nature, and cold pursuit of the treasure troves of oil reflect not only the oil barons of the 1920s but also hundreds of wealthy businessmen across the ages who realized that honesty is nothing but a pitfall on the road to wealth. Plainview’s ambition mirrors Doheny’s, whose rise to power started from his discovery of oil in a private residence in 1892. However, Doheny was acquitted - twice, of conspiracy and bribery charges - but paid $47 million in taxes, penalties, and settlements.
#THERE WILL BE BLOOD TRIAL#
Doheny went on trial for offering a $100,000 bribe to Albert Fall, the United States Secretary of the Interior under President Warren G. He was also involved in the Teapot Dome scandal. Plainview might be twice removed from reality, but he is closer to it than others we’ve seen on screen.ĭoheny was one of the first oil tycoons in the country, responsible for transforming Los Angeles and Southern California into the center of the oil boom. Ross in turn is based on a real-life oil tycoon of the early 1900s, Edward L. However, he structured his film around one larger-than-life character - Day-Lewis’ shrewd oil prospector Daniel Plainview, primarily inspired by the novel’s character of James Arnold Ross. It also has several characters that it uses to dive into themes of ideology, religion, sexuality, education, and family values of the 1920s.Īnderson extracted from the novel valuable information needed to portray the dangerous oil industry and its barons faithfully. Sinclair’s novel sharply focuses on socialism, capitalism, the oil boom years, and the intricacies of the politics of the time. Everything was coming from so many different sources… But the book was a great stepping-stone.” Day-Lewis also read the book to prepare for his role. I was just desperate to find stuff to write. “With ‘There Will Be Blood,’ I didn’t even really feel like I was adapting a book. “We were really unfaithful to the book,” said Anderson.
#THERE WILL BE BLOOD MOVIE#
Anderson loosely based the movie on writer and politician Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel ‘Oil!’ - a satirical exploration of the American oil industry in the wake of one of the country’s biggest political scandals, the 1921-1923 Teapot Dome scandal. It uses events from history to further its mostly fictional narrative.
No, ‘There Will Be Blood’ is partially based on a true story. Is There Will Be Blood Based on a True Story? Is the movie based on actual historical events? Is it based on a true story? Or is it just the fantastic imagination of Anderson? Let’s dive right in and find out. Its portrayal of the at-once pious and proud, grimy, and greedy world of late 19th Century and early 20th Century America has made many fans wonder about its connection to reality. As far as period pieces go, ‘There Will Be Blood’ is brilliant, brutal, and cuts no corners in its storytelling.
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