Boogie Nights And There Will Be Blood Film Studies Essay

Both movies were directed by Paul Anderson. Boogie Nights was releases in 1997, and films the events of the 1970s. There will be blood was released in 2007, and casts events of the 1900, about oil exploration in California. Most of the scenes in the two movies show the type of society. In the boogie nights, it depicts a careless, suburban society, where people’s lives dwelt around social evil and immorality. There will be blood is a movie which reveals the industrial society in the early 20th century, and the challenges of modernization. People are socially greedy, and want everything for themselves, except Christianity.

Boogie Nights employs costumes and clothes of the 1970s such as bell bottoms, actors wearing vests without shirts in some scenes. Sport jackets and platform shoes are used as style aspects in the movie scenes. These reveal the duds of that decade. The clothes looked ugly judging by present standards. They are clearly distinguishable form the current fashion representing the oldies of 70s.Dirk wore platform shoes which are embossed, of course they were made of leather. The disco dresses worn by Amber waves gave a reflection of the setting, impact and elegance in the movie. The costumes in the scenes are sinfully synthetic, judging the movie content and its dramatic twists and lifestyle. The decoration and design of Dirk’s newly built house, after his indulgence in the porn industry is a touch of the 1970s fashion. These include the rust color, red ochre and the outer wall hangings. These address the historic meaning of the movie including the audiences’ memories of the time. The pop songs are carefully sampled to invoke memories of the 1970s. Such songs included Jesse’ Girl and Boogie Shoes (Hagener and Valck p.156).

There will be blood, done in a remote setting in the oil company. The music is plaintive and the camera oblique. The space is very big, and the actors do deliberately walk in front of the camera. There is less blocking of the camera and the action is packed, somewhat. The costumes are dusty, and the free dialogue that mark the beginning of the movie leaves the audience anticipating what will unfold (Middletown and Roger, p.27)

Themes

Corruption

Boogie Nights is a movie which cast corruption in terms of envy, greed, and moral decadence. Dirk, Todd and Reed decide to deceive Rahab Jackson, the drug dealer, by selling to him half a kilo of baking powder as cocaine. This was successful at first, and they obtained $ 5000. The envy of the class is also revealed. Reed aspires to be a magician. Dirk becomes socially corrupted to the extent that he wishes his name was Dirk Diggler and not the birth name, Eddie Adams. People’s minds are socially corrupt. Pornography and sex is like the order of the day in the society. Dirk and Rollergirl go out looking for someone to have sex with Rollergirl in the car back-seat. Unfortunately, they find a man who identified them. The porn industry serves to be the work Dirk and Reed can get involved in. Their level of education is low. Even after falling out with Jack, Dirk still reconciles with him to continue this immoral business. Jack picks Eddie as his actor in the porn films, taking advantage of him at his house. He uses Rollergirl and Eddie to act at his house.

There will be blood focuses on greed. Plainview is greed for wealth. He explores the silver and gold deposits. He falls into the pit and gets injured. Instead of seeking assistance and going for treatment, he searches in the rubble for silver and gold which he gets. He goes straight to the goldsmith, and takes the wealth accrued as remedy for the injury. Plainview is much greedy that he acquires property and employs workers in his oil company. The workers get injured; some die in the process, and while others including H.W. become deaf due to the explosions. These serious accidents occur in search for wealth. The oil extraction is done with less care to human life. The people are also corrupted socially. In making deals, one has to confess that he id something wrong. Plainview is forced to confess when he was to go to church. In the other hand, Plainview retaliates by seeking confession from Eli, that he is a false prophet, before making the land deal. Plainview tells Eli that he has drained the oil in his property through the other surrounding wells. This shows the amount of greed that is perpetuated by the actor in the last scene moments before he kills Eli.

Violence and drugs

Boogie Nights have violent scenes. Todd is killed by Rahab in the ensuing gunfight when Todd attempted to rob Rahab. The Rollergirl and Jackson beat and injure the man who identified them in the street, leaving him unconscious. During the New Years Eve party at Jack’s house, Little Bill shot and killed his wife, the blonde porn star, and her lover, before killing himself when everyone was watching. There was violent robbery at the donut shop and the ensuing situation saw the thief, clerk and a defending, gun-wielding customer kill each other. Swope took the money that the thief had stacked in a bag. Drugs become abused and closely linked to violence. Dirk’s mother is alcoholic. Amber Waves is addicted to cocaine, and this makes the court to determine that she cannot have custody of Eddie, in a court battle with her former husband. She has a criminal record as well. Dirk becomes addicted to cocaine and methamphetamine which makes him have erection problems and violent mood swings.

There will be blood portrays death and violence occasioned by scramble for wealth. Plainview kills “Henry” on realizing that he was not the real Henry, his half brother, and buries his body. Plainview also chases Eli across the room and beats him up, killing him with a bowling pin. H.W., on realizing that “Henry ” was telling Plainview fake story, decides and attempts to kill him by setting his bed linen on fire. Drug is also abuse. Plainview is alcoholic, though extremely wealthy. Plainview adds hard liquor to the milk of his surrogate son, H.W.

Familial relationships

In the Boogie Nights, the families as depicted in most scenes are unstable. The porn stars marry each other. They are morally unfaithful, and uncaring. The blonde porn star, for instance, embarrasses her husband in public by having sex with other men in her husband’s presence, like she did in a scene at Jack’s house. Amber waves got divorced. Buck Swope decides to marry fellow porn star who he impregnates. He eventually opens a business using the shop robbery money. Dirk is rejected by his mother.

It is easy to contrast the familial relationships in Boogie Nights and there will be blood. In the latter case, stable families are not portrayed. Plainview is not married and only adopted H.W. after the death of his father. It is also revealed that at the time of his father’s death, H.W. had no mother. Plainview also kills Henry when he realizes that he was not his real half brother. This reveals to us the bond that exists in families, whether in spirit and blood. The family initiation rite of passage into adulthood is revealed when the man rubs oil on the son’s forehead to signify baptism. This clearly indicates the doom of the bible, even though Eli tries to capture the flock in the local church.