The Book: “Oil!”

Written by Upton Sinclair (1927)

Sinclair’s novel views early twentieth-century capitalism pitted against the budding socialist and communist movements – all through the naive eyes of Bunny Ross, son of prosperous oil magnate J. Arnold Ross.

Bunny worships the ground his father walks on, but when the oil field laborers he has befriended become oppressed by the soulless industry, he experiences a conflict between his morality and his loyalty to his father.

The novel is a fairly straightforward commentary on twentieth century capitalism. Sinclair’s prose isn’t astoundingly artful, but the story is elaborate and revealing. Bunny experiences the labor movement, sees the growth of Eli Watkins’s evangelical church and expresses shock and awe at political corruption.

The Movie: “There Will Be Blood”

Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (2008)

The J. Arnold Ross character, renamed Daniel Plainview, personifies the capitalism in Sinclair’s book. Daniel Day-Lewis roars across the screen in an almost laughable, though not unbelievable performance as Plainview, and Paul Dano takes on the role of his evangelical nemesis Eli Sunday.

Anderson’s masterful cinematography captures the California oil fields with beautiful, long, wide shots, and Jonny Greenwood’s score-sparse, percussive and precise-gives an excellent air of suspense.

And the winner is… The Movie

Sinclair’s story winds through the twists and turns of the era, using Bunny’s naivete to explain elements straightforwardly. The book is a compelling view of a tumultuous few decades in American history, and it’s seen from the point of view of the underdog.

But Anderson’s character-driven “Blood” is where the action is. Though, at times, the camera work is slow and dreary (but perfectly matched with the landscapes), Day-Lewis’s powder keg performance steals the show. From his morbidly calm remark to a competitor whose throat he plans to cut while he sleeps to the “Hurricane Plainview” finale, “There Will Be Blood” crushes its ink and paper origins.