Paul Thomas Anderson is one filmmaker that is hard to pin down, in terms of the subject matter of his films. On the other hand, no matter what the landscape of his work, one always knows it is a PTA film, through and through. That could not be truer than with his latest, the six-time Oscar nominee (and one-time winner for Best Costumes), Phantom Thread.
The film that scored nods for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director is out now on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital download formats and is a must-own for PTA fans and cinephiles alike.
Daniel Day Lewis stars — in what the acting chameleon claims will be his final role — as fashion designer/dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock, who with his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville, herself also nominated for the film for Best Supporting Actress) are the toast of post-war London in the 1950s.
Everything is going beyond blissful for the pair when love enters Reynolds life and threatens to tear his entire universe down to the ground.
The pair are tapped to design for royalty, heiresses, socialites, debutants, dames, movie stars and anyone who can afford their couture work through their The House of Woodcock brand. Given his field, it is no surprise that Reynolds has remained a confirmed bachelor all these years and women come and go through his life as quickly as they come and go through his shop. Then, a woman named Alma (Vicky Krieps) finds him becoming obsessed and everything changes between the brother and sister as his lover/muse’s hold on his creativity center becomes almost too unbearable to break from, despite its clear and present cost.
Lewis, as always, is sublime. He finds new levels of expression as his character is given a true and rich arc that requires every ounce of his talent to bring it to life. It is a simply stunning performance, that if it is truly his final bow in the cinematic world, he can proudly say he went out giving his all, leaving nothing on the sidelines.
As sensational as Lewis is, Manville meets him and matches him note for note. Witnessing the two of them share scenes is a movie maniac’s dream come true. Throughout the ebbs and flows of this latest masterpiece from Anderson, the scenes featuring the siblings are beyond electric and sizzle with stress as much as they are joyful, earnest and endearing.
One of the things we rarely mention in our home video reviews is the score. Sure, it is an absolute delight when a composer is given the spotlight in the bonus features and our accolades always run high for those. But, one thing must be mention in this review of the film portion of the Blu-Ray itself… the Jonny Greenwood-written score for Phantom Thread is probably the best the wunderkind has ever produced. It is a match made in heaven to Anderson’s film and once again, Greenwood has excelled where others may have simply done their jobs.
The most unique of bonus features leads our look at the featurettes of the Phantom Thread Blu-Ray. One of the most integral parts of the cinematic process is when the helmer brings in his actors to work a varied list of shooting equipment — i.e. cameras and film stock — as he or she determines what they will utilize to get the tone, color and look of their art. Camera Tests gives us an inside that process, all with the priceless insight of Anderson himself who provides audio commentary.
One of the scenes from the film that will certainly rank high on the fashion-conscious folks who inhale this latest gem from Anderson is the House of Woodcock Fashion Show. Adam Buxton narrates the scene in the bonus features, giving it added insight that certainly adds layers to the scene itself.
What Greenwood did with the score is so powerful, his presence is felt on the final two bonus features on Phantom Thread. For the Hungry Boy is a series of deleted scenes, all scored by composer. Lastly, Behind the Scenes Photographs are just what you would expect, except what sends these great looks at the making of a Best Picture nominee into a whole nether level of awesomeness is that viewers get demo versions of Greenwood’s score that matches the beauty of the images themselves.
Film Grade: A
Bonus Features: B