The Master

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Paul Thomas Anderson

Overview

Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master stars Joaquin Phoenix as a psychologically damaged war veteran who finds himself working for Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a charismatic figure building his own religion. As the alcoholic, self-destructive former soldier becomes more deeply involved with the leader of this cult-like organization, his natural instincts keep him from embracing his new position as strongly as others in the group would hope. The Master screened at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/26/2013
UPC:	0013132597171
Original Release:	2012
Rating:	R
Source:	TWC
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:18:00

Special Features

Back: Beyond; Outtakes; Additional Scenes; Music by Johnny Greenwood; Unguided Message; 8 Minute Short; Behind the Scenes; Teasers; Trailers

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Joaquin Phoenix	Freddie Quell
Philip Seymour Hoffman	Lancaster Dodd
Amy Adams	Peggy Dodd,V.A. Patient
Laura Dern	Helen Sullivan
Jesse Plemons	Val Dodd
Rami Malek	Clark
Ambyr Childers	Elizabeth Dodd
Martin D. Dew	Norman Conrad
Joshua Close	Wayne Gregory
Jillian Bell	Susan Gregory
Kevin Walsh	Cliff Boyd
Lena Endre	Mrs. Solstad
Madisen Beaty	Doris Solstad
Patty McCormack	Mildred Drummond
Mimi Cozzens	Chi Chi Crawford
Price Carson	V.A. Doctor
David Warshofsky	Philadelphia Policeman
Mike Howard	Rorschach Doctor
Sarah Shoshana David	V.A. Nurse
Lorelai Hoey	Baby
Bruce Goodchild	V.A./Doctor Interview
Matt Hering	V.A. Patient
Andrew Koponen	V.A. Patient
Jeffrey Jenkins	V.A. Patient,V.A. Patient
Patrick Biggs	V.A. Patient
Ryan Curtis	V.A. Patient
Jay Laurence	V.A. Patient
Tina Bruna	Portrait Customer
Kevin Hudnell	Portrait Customer
Hunter Craig	Portrait Customer,Portrait Customer
Rodion Salnikov	Portrait Customer
Emily Gilliam	Portrait Customer
Kody Klein	Portrait Customer
Amy Ferguson	Martha the Salesgirl
W. Earl Brown	Fighting Businessman
Frank Bettag	Frank
Ariel Felix	Filipino Worker
Vladimir Velasco	Filipino Worker
John Mark Reyes	Filipino Worker
Brian Fong	Filipino Worker
Diane Cortejo	Young Filipino Woman
Leonida A. Bautista	Nana
Myrna de Dios	Angry Filipino Woman
Katie Boland	Young Woman
William O'Brien	Hiring Hall Voice
Kevin J. O'Connor	Bill William
Zan Overall	Bartender
Barbara Brownell	Margaret O'Brien
Brady Rubin	Michelle Mortimer
Jill Andre	Beatrice Campbell
Brigitte Hagerman	New York Party Girl
Charley Morgan	New York Lawyer
Christopher Evan Welch	John More
Barlow Jacobs	James Sullivan
Gigi Benson	Dancer
Liz Clare	Dancer
Fiona Dourif	Dancer
Audrey Finer	Dancer
Rose Fox	Dancer
Bailey Hopkins	Dancer
Mari Kearney	Dancer
Sarah Klaren	Dancer
Ally Johnson	Dancer
Brittany Kilcoyne McGregor	Dancer
Larain Ring	Dancer
Kimberly Ables Jindra	Processing Patient
Theodore M. Crisell	Jail Bird
Tom Knickerbocker	Judge Phoenix
Emily Jordan	British Receptionist
Amanda Caryn Jobbins	British Receptionist
Olivia Rosemarie Barham	Pub Customer
Napolean Ryan	Pub Customer
Jennifer Neala Page	Winn Manchester
Eban Schletter	Performer
Scott Rodgers	Performer
Melora Walters	Performer
Dan Anderson	V.A. Patient
Patrick Wilder	V.A. Patient
Jonny Greenwood	Composer

Technical Credits

Paul Thomas Anderson

Paul Thomas Anderson	Director,Screenwriter,Producer,Camera Operator
Megan Ellison	Producer
Joanne Sellar	Producer
Daniel Lupi	Producer
Ted Schipper	Executive Producer
Adam Somner	Executive Producer
Christopher Scarabosio	Sound/Sound Designer
Cassandra Kulukundis	Casting
Mark Ulano	Sound Mixer
Garrett Warren	Stunts
Jillian Giacomini	Script Supervisor

Editorial Reviews

As long as a year before it finally hit screens, the buzz surrounding Paul Thomas Anderson's sixth movie, The Master, was that it would be a veiled exposé/attack on Scientology, but the film itself turns out to be far less interested in any specific cult or religion than in exploring mankind's eternal struggle between faith and skepticism. Joaquin Phoenix stars as Freddie Quell, a shell-shocked WWII vet prone to violent outbursts, who spends most of his time looking for sex, drifting from job to job, and making remarkably potent moonshine from seemingly whatever material he has on hand. All the while, his rage is brimming just under the surface, ready to boil over into a physical confrontation for any reason -- or even no reason at all. One night he sneaks onto a yacht owned by Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a self-described writer, scientist, and "inquisitive man" who takes an unexpected liking to the stowaway, in no small part because of Freddie's hooch-making prowess. Lancaster senses a lost soul in the former soldier and soon invites him to stay on the yacht, becoming part of the religion that Lancaster runs with the help of his wife Peggy (Amy Adams) and children. The scenes between these two acting heavyweights are spellbinding. Phoenix seizes on his character's constant discomfort -- when Freddie stands he puts his hands on his hips in such a way that his elbows jut out awkwardly, and when he does smile it tends to look more threatening than peaceful. He also maintains an unrelenting feral intensity that contrasts beautifully with Hoffman's performance, because the PTA regular plays Lancaster as a cool and confident leader whose calm is more assuring than frightening -- even though what he's espousing occasionally sounds insane. It turns out that the organization the Dodds have created involves asking personal questions of their members, since they believe that emotional wounds can be carried on for lifetime after lifetime, and these painful memories are exposed through a series of questionnaires. The scene when Freddie first agrees to answer the questions turns out to be one of Phoenix, Anderson, and Hoffman's finest achievements -- it's an exquisitely written sequence, and it's amazing to watch the shell that we've seen Freddie construct get cracked open by Lancaster's quiet insistence. Anderson had to be aware that he had struck gold on the page with all of the scenes between his two lead characters. However, what's missing is a sense of momentum, of a story moving forward. The relationship between these two men may change over time, with Lancaster feeling protective -- or possibly controlling -- of Freddie, and Freddie inevitably blowing up at fellow members or those who question the Dodds. But there's a sameness to the action, even though the movie remains captivating because of the stellar acting and scintillating dialogue. In addition, the film is so beautifully photographed that you don't want to look away from the screen. Working for the first time with cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr. -- who shot Tetro and several other recent pictures by Francis Ford Coppola -- Anderson gives us startlingly beautiful images of water in the wake of a boat and Freddie's nervous eyes peeking under his helmet as he awaits deployment, but this is a film that comes loaded with close-ups. We get lost in the nooks and crannies of the actors' faces; Lancaster's facial hair practically becomes hypnotic as he speaks. The Master feels like the most open-ended of Paul Thomas Anderson's films so far. The concept of constructing a family is also less prominent here than in his previous work: Freddie isn't necessarily looking to have people around him, but instead is just floating -- or rather drinking and fighting and screwing -- his way through life no matter what gets thrown in his path. So we're left to consider the themes the movie returns to over and over, as concepts of faith and friendship are questioned without answers being provided. You might expect an epic, but in fact The Master is smaller. It's a meditation rather than a grand statement from one of our very best filmmakers.