Christopher Nolan discusses the brilliance of Paul Thomas Anderson movie ‘Phantom Thread’
Paul Thomas Anderson has a rather prolific filmography, beginning with 1996’s Hard Eight and most recently 2021’s Licorice Pizza. In between, he has made some of the greatest films of recent years, such as There Will Be Blood and Boogie Nights.
However, arguably his most accomplished work thus far is Phantom Thread. Released in 2017, the film stars Daniel Day-Lewis as a renowned dressmaker and Vicky Krieps as the waitress he begins a romantic relationship with whilst treating her as his muse. Set in the 1950s and breathtakingly scored by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, Anderson’s historical drama is a master study of jealousy, obsession, desire, power, and genius.
The film marks Day-Lewis’ final film role, and his performance couldn’t have been a better send-off. A frequent method actor, Day-Lewis even learnt dress-making to prepare for the role, eventually recreating an iconic Balenciaga dress with his skills.
Despite six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Original Score, and Actor, it only won one for Best Costume Design. Nevertheless, the film is a feat of filmmaking, and it is no surprise that many successful filmmakers have highly praised the film, one of them being Christopher Nolan.
In a 2018 discussion at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Nolan sat beside Anderson, Greta Gerwig, Jordan Peele, and Guillermo del Toro, discussing his love for Phantom Thread. He began by discussing the time he took his kids to see the film: “My wife and I made this slightly strange decision to take our kids to go see it and ever since, every time I do anything vaguely, I suppose they would say, dictatorial, it’s ‘Oh Mr. Woodcock, are you a spy? Get out your gun. Do you have a gun?’ We’ve been hearing this for weeks, and everytime Emma [Nolan’s wife] cooks mushrooms now – huge hysterics”.
However, he also explained why the film is so amazing, particularly through its attention to detail and use of sound: “I’ve seen the film a couple of times and seeing it on 70mm was such a pleasure, and the thing I found strangest about it as it opened up, on its photochemical version, I was suddenly very aware of the sound […] the use of sound in the film is so extraordinary, because it’s so simple and gritty, and then extremely loud. I mean the spreading of the butter on the toast… you feel it up and down your spine, it’s amazing”.
