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The Master

  • 20122012
  • RR
  • 2h 18m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
171K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
941
26
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, and Amy Adams in The Master (2012)
A Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by The Cause and its charismatic leader.
Play trailer1:12
8 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Drama

A Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by the Cause and its charismatic leader.A Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by the Cause and its charismatic leader.A Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by the Cause and its charismatic leader.

IMDb RATING
7.1/10
171K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
941
26
  • Director
    • Paul Thomas Anderson
  • Writer
    • Paul Thomas Anderson
  • Stars
    • Philip Seymour Hoffman
    • Joaquin Phoenix
    • Amy Adams
Top credits
  • Director
    • Paul Thomas Anderson
  • Writer
    • Paul Thomas Anderson
  • Stars
    • Philip Seymour Hoffman
    • Joaquin Phoenix
    • Amy Adams
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 581User reviews
    • 505Critic reviews
    • 86Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 3 Oscars
      • 75 wins & 187 nominations total

    Videos8

    Theatrical Version
    Trailer 1:12
    Theatrical Version
    Exclusive Trailer Premiere
    Trailer 1:12
    Exclusive Trailer Premiere
    No. 1
    Trailer 2:39
    No. 1
    A Guide to the Films of Paul Thomas Anderson
    Clip 2:14
    A Guide to the Films of Paul Thomas Anderson
    "She Wrote Me A Letter"
    Clip 1:39
    "She Wrote Me A Letter"
    "Hopelessly Inquisitive"
    Clip 1:30
    "Hopelessly Inquisitive"
    "Was There a Fight?"
    Clip 1:40
    "Was There a Fight?"
    What Roles Has Joaquin Phoenix Turned Down?
    Video 3:02
    What Roles Has Joaquin Phoenix Turned Down?

    Photos165

    Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix in The Master (2012)
    Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Ambyr Childers, and Jillian Bell in The Master (2012)
    Joaquin Phoenix in The Master (2012)
    Beth Brinker in The Master (2012)
    Paul Thomas Anderson and Joaquin Phoenix in The Master (2012)
    Amy Adams at an event for The Master (2012)
    Paul Thomas Anderson, Amy Adams, and JoAnne Sellar at an event for The Master (2012)
    Paul Thomas Anderson and Amy Adams at an event for The Master (2012)
    John Turturro at an event for The Master (2012)
    Joseph Gordon-Levitt at an event for The Master (2012)
    Joaquin Phoenix and Heather Christie at an event for The Master (2012)
    Amy Adams at an event for The Master (2012)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Philip Seymour Hoffman
    Philip Seymour Hoffman
    • Lancaster Doddas Lancaster Dodd
    Joaquin Phoenix
    Joaquin Phoenix
    • Freddie Quellas Freddie Quell
    Amy Adams
    Amy Adams
    • Peggy Doddas Peggy Dodd
    Jesse Plemons
    Jesse Plemons
    • Val Doddas Val Dodd
    Price Carson
    Price Carson
    • V.A. Doctoras V.A. Doctor
    Mike Howard
    • Rorschach Doctoras Rorschach Doctor
    Sarah Shoshana David
    • V.A. Nurseas V.A. Nurse
    Bruce Goodchild
    Bruce Goodchild
    • V.A. Doctoras V.A. Doctor…
    Matt Hering
    • V.A. Patientas V.A. Patient
    Dan Anderson
    • V.A. Patientas V.A. Patient
    Andrew Koponen
    Andrew Koponen
    • V.A. Patientas V.A. Patient
    Jeffrey W. Jenkins
    Jeffrey W. Jenkins
    • V.A. Patientas V.A. Patient
    Patrick Wilder
    • V.A. Patientas V.A. Patient
    • (as Patrick Biggs)
    Ryan Curtis
    • V.A. Patientas V.A. Patient
    Jay Laurence
    • V.A. Patientas V.A. Patient
    Abraxas Adams
    • V.A. Patientas V.A. Patient
    Tina Bruna
    • Portrait Customeras Portrait Customer
    Kevin Hudnell
    Kevin Hudnell
    • Portrait Customeras Portrait Customer
    • Director
      • Paul Thomas Anderson
    • Writer
      • Paul Thomas Anderson
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Following his discharge from the US Navy after WWII, Freddie Quell is having difficulties adjusting to non-military life partly due to his war experiences in the tropics. He has a violent temper. He is obsessed with sex, which is partly why he can't and won't commit to his teenaged girlfriend, Doris Solstad. And he is an alcoholic, drinking primarily concoctions he creates himself with dangerous ingredients. It is these factors in combination that lead to him being fired from one job after another, from department store portrait photographer to cabbage picker. Wandering one night in 1950 while drunk, he stumbles upon a yacht being used by Lancaster and Peggy Dodd, the yacht aboard which their daughter Elizabeth will get married. Feeling a connection to the stranger, Lancaster invites Freddie to stay aboard to work. In addition to that work, Lancaster indoctrinates him into his cult, named the Cause, which purports to do things as varied as cure serious maladies and create world peace. Peggy, Elizabeth and Elizabeth's husband Clark all subscribe to and support Lancaster's teachings. The only one of the Dodd family that doesn't is Lancaster and Peggy's son, Val Dodd, who believes his father is just making things up as he goes along. Because of being lost psychologically, Freddie is easy prey, he who is looking for something or someone to guide him to a higher plane. But as Freddie travels with the Dodd family as they spout the gospel, he and the Dodds may become at odds with each other if Freddie cannot or does not find from them and the Cause what he needs in life to survive emotionally. —Huggo
    • scientology
    • past life regression
    • psychological testing
    • cult
    • mentor protege relationship
    • 281 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Genre
      • Drama
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated R for sexual content, graphic nudity and language
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      During the jail cell scene, Joaquin Phoenix breaks a real toilet. His actions were entirely improvised. Due to the historical past of the building where the scene took place, the toilet was considered "historical." Joaquin had no intentions to break the toilet, nor did he think it was possible.
    • Goofs
      In the "pacing" scene, as Quell goes from wooden paneled wall to window and back, the second time he goes to he wooden paneling, he breaks out a panel when he pounds it with rage. In the numerous successive shots, the wood panel is restored.
    • Quotes

      Lancaster Dodd: If you figure a way to live without serving a master, any master, then let the rest of us know, will you? For you'd be the first person in the history of the world.

    • Crazy credits
      After its title, this film has no further opening credits.
    • Connections
      Edited into Conspiracy: The Hollywood Files (2015)
    • Soundtracks
      Baton Sparks
      From '48 Reponses to Polymorphia'

      Written by Jonny Greenwood

      Performed by The Aukso Chamber Orchestra

      Courtesy of Unreliable Ltd.

    User reviews581

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    " If you blink we go back to the start."
    What is the nature of man? Is he so depraved and aberrated that he must grovel in his own misery all the days of his life? Or is he merely asleep, bound by the negative emotions of his previous existences, hoping that his perfect nature will be resurrected one fine day? Director Paul Thomas Anderson has long been heralded as a philosopher of the human condition. In his 2012 film, The Master, Anderson employs powerful performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman to readdress themes he discussed in There Will Be Blood (2007).

    Freddie Quell (Phoenix) is a Navy WWII veteran with an insatiable lust for sex and alcohol. After accidently producing a batch of liquor that kills a man in Salinas, he flees and hides away aboard a boat captained by Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman). Dodd is the leader of a budding cult which appears all too similar to L. Ron Hubbard's Scientology. Over several months and multiple "processing" sessions Dodd hopes to cure Quell of his "animal" tendencies. The film spirals as it begs to resolve who will be the master and who will be the slave.

    Anderson offers a honest vignette of humanity, painting fleshly desire and moral rationalism plainfully for all to see. The Master's audience walks away in fear, identifying their lowest self with Dodd's actions. The film's emotional response is greatly in part due to Phoenix and Hoffman's explosive chemistry. The duo delivers possibly the greatest scene of dialogue in the last 50 years. Anderson, who also wrote the screenplay, perfectly crafts the film's hypnotic and symbolic interchanges. Every frame is visually striking thanks to Mihai Malaimare Jr.'s cinematography. Often, more than not, more can be gleaned from scenes' blocking than actual words or action. Characters appear larger when they are in control and symmetrical shots are largely abandoned to display who is the scene' subject.

    The Master is a film for thinking. No viewer is allowed to be numb during its showcasing. This principle likely played to a drop in its commercial success, but it reminds us that there is still room in the world for gorgeous shots, heavy subtext, and low concept plots. The Master, along with There Will Be Blood and Inherent Vice, has printed Anderson's name in the annals of brilliant filmmakers.
    helpful•32
    5
    • smithpaulusmc
    • Feb 18, 2019

    FAQ1

    • What is the score at the start of the movie on the beach?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 21, 2012 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Filipino
    • Also known as
      • Người Áp Chế
    • Filming locations
      • Mare Island, Vallejo, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • The Weinstein Company
      • Ghoulardi Film Company
      • Annapurna Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $32,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $16,377,274
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $736,311
      • Sep 16, 2012
    • Gross worldwide
      • $28,258,060
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 18 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Datasat
      • Dolby Digital
      • 70 mm 6-Track
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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