Steven Shaviro, who applauds Daniel Day-Lewis‘s performances as Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood, poses an insightful rebuttal to Stephanie Zacharek’s critique of that performance.
In doing so, he deepens my appreciation of Anderson’s latest masterpiece even further, and inspires enthusiastic comments.
Funny how Stephanie Zacharek is exemplifying something akin to what Aton Ego spoke of.
“But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talents, new creations. The new needs friends. Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source.”
Day-Lewis’s performance is something Zacharek has never experienced before, and she doesn’t know what to make of it, just like a lot of critics out there who, when not spoon-fed plot or character development, give the film or character a blanket label of “disappointing.”
It’s kind of sad, but also kind of exhilarating to watch all these different reactions from people.
*Anton