More often than not Paul Thomas Anderson makes us wait. Wait a few years between movies; it's been three years since Inherent Vice which came a couple of years after The Master. But then they're frequently saved for the end of the year, making us wait through the awards season is nearly over. We've been waiting all year for Anderson's reunion with Daniel Day-Lewis for Phantom Thread, with so little information that the recently-released synopsis and confirmed title were like a deep exhalation of relief that, yes, this movie is really happening. And now we have the first trailer, so we can start to judge if all of that waiting was worth it.
Rumored to be Day-Lewis' final movie, although he's said that before, Phantom Thread actually charts a path the actor will appreciate since he wants to get in the fashion business. Here's the official synopsis:
“Set in the glamour of 1950s post-war London, renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock (Day-Lewis) and his sister Cyril (Leslie Manville) 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 (Vicky Krieps), 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.”
Well, if these two can make oil drilling interesting then surely they can do the same with the world of couture. Day-Lewis' role is said to be based on “America’s First Couturier" Charles James, a British designer who found great success here in America. However, the movie is set in London which is a sharp change of pace for Anderson. At least he'll have help from Jonny Greenwodd, bringing his metronomic score along with him.
Phantom Thread hits theaters on Christmas Day. I'll be honest, after the disappointing Inherent Vice it's tough for me to be as excited as usual for an Anderson film. We'll see what happens and if it turns out to be a gift or a lump of coal this holiday.
