Phantom Thread (2017) - Anderson's exquisite drama of an English dressmaker and his Alma

♥♥♥♥♥♥

+ 3rd Best Movie of the Year
+ Most Undeserved Flop of the Year + Best Drama of the Year + Best Period Movie of the Year

Daniel Day-Lewis and Vicky Krieps are superimposed onto each other on this elegant poster for Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread

Reynolds Woodcock is a leading couture dressmaker in England of 1954. A confirmed bachelor, he lives a disciplined, routine-bound existence with his sister Cyril in London, when on a countryside visit he meets and falls for a German-born waitress named Alma.

Phantom Thread is the 8th feature from Californian master filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson (Hard Eight (1996)), who has written, shot and directed it. It is his second masterpiece in my estimation, following his other collaboration with Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln (2012)), the period oil drama There Will Be Blood (2007).
Phantom Thread bears likeness to established classics Citizen Kane (1941) and The Leopard (1963), my favorite film of all time, but Anderson is such an expert filmmaker in his own right that the film stands securely on its own: The resemblance is the focus on a male master of his own realm, whose control is nevertheless about to be upset. The film probes some of life's major themes, namely creative enterprise, love and marriage, and it does so with insight and depth of grasp. 

Day-Lewis, one of the greatest actors of our time, is tremendous as the uncompromising master of timeless fashion, who has evolved into something of an ever-suave albeit equally egotistical, super-esthetic tyrant in his life. Vicky Krieps (The Colony (2015)) is moving as his doting Alma, who finds difficulties in conforming to Woodcock's life, SPOILER and who finds herself forced to draw drastic consequences in the latter part of the film, which deals poignantly and surprisingly with a darker aspect of marriage, namely that marrieds literally put their lives into their partner's hands. In the film's third crucial part, Lesley Manville (Spike Island (2012)) radiates feminine toughness as well as considerate affection in the part as Cyril.
The film is exquisite in every way: The sets and production design and especially the costumes by Mark Bridges (Deep Blue Sea (1999)), which rightly stand out in this film of a prime aesthete in the sartorial trade, are a gift to behold. The makeup and hairstyling and glasses worn in Phantom Thread also deserve praise, as does the seductive, nuanced, rich score by Jonny Greenwood (Norwegian Wood (2010)), as well as the cinematography by Anderson himself.
Phantom Thread's virtues may not make enough 'noise', - that is, it isn't controversial or timely enough, - to make ecstatic audiences flock to it in droves, but it is a generous and lasting masterpiece nonetheless.


Related posts:

Paul Thomas Anderson: 2017 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Boogie Nights (1997) - Anderson's irresistable porn 'Casino'
Mentioned movies: The Leopard/Il Gattopardo/Le Guépard (1963) - The greatest film ever made?
Citizen Kane (1941) - The cold elephant on the shelf

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 35 mil. $
Box office: 43.5 mil. $ and counting
= Not certain yet, but looks like a big flop
[Phantom Thread premiered 24 November (Beverly Hills, California) and runs 130 minutes. Anderson became interested in the fashion industry after reading about Spanish fashion master Cristóbal Balanciaga. He modeled the story loosely over the life of American designer Charles James. Day-Lewis has announced that he will be retiring after this his performance in Phantom Thread. Shooting took place in England, including London, and in Switzerland from January 2017 - ?. It is Anderson's first time shooting outside of the US. The film opened #26 to a strong 216k $ first weekend in 4 theaters in North America, where it widened to 1,186 theaters after having peaked at #12 and has so far grossed 20.9 mil. $. The film has yet to open in Norway, Turkey (13 April) and Japan (26 May). It was nominated for 6 Oscars, winning one, for Best Costumes. It lost Best Picture to The Shape of Water, Actor to Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour), Supporting Actress (Manville) to Allison Janney (I, Tonya), Score to Alexandre Desplat (Shape of Water) and Director to Guillermo del Toro (Shape of Water). It was also nominated for 2 Golden Globes, won 1/4 BAFTA noms, won 2 National Board of Review awards and many other honors. Phantom Thread is certified fresh at 92 % with an 8.5 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Phantom Thread?