Blossoms and Blood: Postmodern Media Culture and the Films of Paul Thomas Anderson

by Jason Sperb

From his film festival debut Hard Eight to ambitious studio epics Boogie Nights , Magnolia , and There Will Be Blood , Paul Thomas Anderson’s unique cinematic vision focuses on postmodern excess and media culture. In Blossoms and Blood , Jason Sperb studies the filmmaker’s evolving aesthetic and its historical context to argue that Anderson’s films create new, often ambivalent, narratives of American identity in a media-saturated world. Blossoms and Blood explores Anderson’s films in relation to the aesthetic and economic shifts within the film industry and to America’s changing social and political sensibilities since the mid-1990s. Sperb provides an auteur study with important implications for film history, media studies, cultural studies, and gender studies. He charts major themes in Anderson’s work, such as stardom, self-reflexivity, and masculinity and shows how they are indicative of trends in late twentieth-century American culture. One of the first books to focus on Anderson’s work, Blossoms and Blood reveals the development of an under-studied filmmaker attuned to the contradictions of a postmodern media culture.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction

296 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2013

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Nick Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

on The Master:

“Many Americans symbolically embraced the likes of the Cause, in all its manifestations—not just Scientology, but more broadly the (arbitrary) narratives of reassurance necessary to maintaining one’s sanity in the chaotic aftermath of a war that raised deeply disturbing—and ultimately unanswered—questions about man’s inherent capacity for self-destruction and the essential meaninglessness of the world. These lingering doubts find embodiment in Freddie, who becomes a symbol of postwar America’s unredeemed sins.” (p. 245)

Cheers 🥂

[Michael Sova · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.00

The subtitle says it all. Sperb argues that Anderson's films ("Hard Eight" through "There Will Be Blood") were influenced by and developed to show the effects of consumerism and media culture. And despite the settings, the films are of their time. For instance, even though "There Will Be Blood" is set in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the influence of the culture around Anderson (circa 2004) such as the war on terror can be felt within much of the film.

At first I was skeptical. My past experience with other film analysis books is less than memorable. It always seems like there's an argument the author is convinced of and he/she will scrape the barrel to prove that point even at the expense of reason. On the contrary, Sperb has clearly done his homework here and reached this conclusion only after meticulous research. There must be hundreds of references and their use balances out his own rhetoric soundly. He's an Anderson devotee since the beginning and relishes the chance to discuss every minutiae of his films, starting with the writing process and the director's motivations. For a fellow Anderson devotee, this is charming stuff and it's hard to come by elsewhere.

So, if you're like me and feel an insatiable hunger for more on the elusive director then it's worth your time. Sure, there are moments (as with every other film analysis book) where it can get bogged down with maddening psychological and sociological babble (a paragraph passes and it's wonder you grasp any of it). However, once you dig deep enough into the mire you'll find plenty of juicy nuggets ripe for the plucking.

[SAMKyrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Former student passed this my way. First half was a tedious read but the two seconds on Punch Drunk Love and There Will Be Blood were written with a great sense of care—redeeming the read. Would deeply enjoy a new addition now with Licorice Pizza out. I’ve found the four most recent PTA releases the most interesting era of his career.

[Luke Tesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for any fan of PTA's work.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable and enlightening overview of PTA's films up through There Will Be Blood. I didn't give it five stars because I felt that the focus was a bit broad on each film. However, as one of the first comprehensive critical analyses of PTA, I've got to give it props. I would like to read a second edition that covers The Master and Inherent Vice.