Paul Thomas Anderson's movie There Will Be Blood (nominated for Best Picture) is based on Upton Sinclair's muckraking 1927 novel Oil!. Sinclair--a feverent socialist--hoped his novel would expose the greed and moral corruption inherent in capitalism--and generally smash the system.And how faithfully has Tinseltown brought Sinclair's message to the big screen? Well, There Will Be Blood pretty much ignores the author's socialism in favor of rugged individualism, turning Sinclair's tale of a malignant system into a movie about a repugnant man. Unspool that one at your Oscar night party, I dare you. It makes a change from talking about gowns or Johnny Depp.
PS: This rant was cribbed from an article in the San Jose Mercury News by Ernest Freeberg. Check it out.--David E
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