Film Review: "Phantom Thread" (2017).

From the director of There Will Be Blood and The Master comes Phantom Thread. This romantic period drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Set in the glamour of 1950s post-war London, renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock and his sister Cyril are at the center of British fashion, dressing royalty, movie stars, heiresses, socialites, debutants, and dames with the distinct style of The House of Woodcock. Women come and go through Woodcock's life, providing the confirmed bachelor with inspiration and companionship, until he comes across a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who soon becomes a fixture in his life as his muse and lover. Once controlled and planned, he finds his carefully tailored life disrupted by love.

Anderson got the initial idea for the film while he was sick in bed one day. His wife, Maya Rudolph, was tending to him and gave him a look that made him realize that she had not looked at him with such tenderness and love in a long time. Anderson was later fascinated by the fashion industry after reading about designer Cristóbal Balenciaga. For the lead character of Reynolds Woodcock, Anderson loosely based him on English-American fashion designer, Charles James. By late January 2017, Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, Lesley Manville, Camilla Rutherford, Gina McKee, Brian Gleeson, and Harriet Sansom Harris were cast. In preparation for the film, Daniel Day-Lewis watched archival footage of 1940s and 1950s fashion shows, studied famous designers, consulted with the curator of fashion and textiles at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and apprenticed under Marc Happel, head of the costume department at the New York City Ballet. He also learned how to sew, and he practiced on his wife Rebecca Miller, trying to recreate a Balenciaga sheath dress that was inspired by a school uniform. At the same time, with a budget of $35 million, principal photography commenced, and wrapped in late April. Filming took place throughout England. In June 2017, it was reported that Anderson would be serving as his own cinematographer on the film as his regular cinematographer Robert Elswit was unavailable during production. However, Anderson refuted the claim in November, stating that there is no official credit for the cinematography and that it was a "collaborative effort". Anderson and Bauman pushed their 35mm film stock and filled the frame with haze in order to "dirty up" the image. In addition, it was announced that Day-Lewis would retire from acting after this film.

The film stars Day-Lewis, Krieps, Manville, Rutherford, McKee, Gleeson, and Harris. Terrific performances were given by the cast, especially Day-Lewis, Krieps, and Manville. Though Day-Lewis seethes juicily in his final role, under the weight of all that allegory, Woodcock steadily grows more docile and less fascinating, wasting away to just a cackle and an empty leer.

Phantom Thread was so good that it's making me rethink those last six PTA features. An amazing study of power, control and relationship dynamics, expertly crafted by Anderson. The cinematography is breathtaking and the score by Jonny Greenwood is mesmerizingly original.

Simon says Phantom Thread receives:

Also, see my review for The Master.