The Lord Can’t Hear You, Daniel: The Impact of Silence in THERE WILL BE BLOOD

The addition of sound to movies undeniably revolutionized the medium, yet there are still moments that are better told by images alone, with no interfering dialogue. One Perfect Shot devotes this video essay to the impact of silence in Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood, both in its 14-minute opening scene and frequent use of dialogue-free scenes.