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Ranking artists can be a tricky exercise, given the byzantine difficulties that come with trying to define greatness.
But theres a strong argument to be made that Paul Thomas Anderson is the finest living American director.
Andersons breakout came with his second film,Boogie Nights,which premiered on October 10, 1997.
Its ostentatious, yes.
But its also vital to note that this shot is not simply empty dynamics.
What results is a scene in which Andersons writing and Hoffmans acting capture a moment of brief human agony.
We understand so perfectly what Scotty is feeling that it pierces us as it does him to the core.
Magnolia(1999)
Opening Sequence
Anderson is fantastic at beginning movies.
Her role inMagnoliais a precisely-observed exploration of terrible human heartache.
Frank T.J. Mackey Interview
Tom Cruises character inMagnoliais one for the ages.
Its perhaps the most subtly accomplished moment of acting inCruises career.
Sandler is amazing in the scene, handling the emotional shifts beautifully.
Anderson puts this sequence together with his typical brio.
He loves these characters, and it comes through clearly.
There Will Be Blood(2007)
With 2007sThere Will Be Blood, Anderson pivoted again.
This is established in the first moments of the film, in another of Andersons unparalleled openings.
The rung of a ladder gives way, and he falls, breaking his leg.
I Drink Your Milkshake!
In the confrontation that ensues, Plainview kills Sunday with a bowling pin.
The phrase I drink your milkshake!
But the most intense of these interactions comes when Dodd performs a Scientology-style processing on Quell.
We also see the child-like guilt and fear that live at Quells core and which make him vulnerable.
Here is the entire movie, in a single scene.
And when he touches on this, Anderson is extraordinarily good at finding a visual way to capture it.
Maybe the single best example is a scene inThe Masterwhen Dodd sings The Maid of Amsterdam to his followers.
In one shot, Dodd is singing while his followers laugh and cheer him on.
Its a challenging moment.
Has Dodd convinced them to disrobe?
Is Quell imagining the women without clothes?
But the effect is wonderful.
But its Josh Brolins hardass cop, Lieutenant Bigfoot Bjornsen, who steals the show.
Is it a character study?
Maybe a bit of all of them?
The moment that epitomizes this best comes when Valentine starts a company selling waterbeds.
