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.

Director:

Paul Thomas Anderson

Writer:

Paul Thomas Anderson

Stars:

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 76 wins & 183 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joaquin Phoenix	...	Freddie Quell
Price Carson	...	V.A. Doctor
Mike Howard	...	Rorschach Doctor
Sarah Shoshana David	...	V.A. Nurse
Bruce Goodchild	...	V.A. Doctor / Interview
Matt Hering	...	V.A. Patient
Dan Anderson	...	V.A. Patient
Andrew Koponen	...	V.A. Patient
Jeffrey W. Jenkins	...	V.A. Patient
Patrick Wilder	...	V.A. Patient (as Patrick Biggs)
Ryan Curtis	...	V.A. Patient
Jay Laurence	...	V.A. Patient
Abraxas Adams	...	V.A. Patient
Tina Bruna	...	Portrait Customer
Kevin Hudnell	...	Portrait Customer

Storyline

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....

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Plot Keywords:

female frontal nudity | bare breasts | scientology | female pubic hair | topless female nudity | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, graphic nudity and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to the editor of the film, Leslie Jones, the hardest part of post-production for the film was the editing of the Window to the Wall sequence.

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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.

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Quotes

Lancaster Dodd: Free winds and no tyranny for you, Freddie, sailor of the seas. You pay no rent, free to go where you please. Then go, go to that landless latitude and good luck. 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 in the history of the world.

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Crazy Credits

After its title, this film has no further opening credits.

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Connections

References Baraka (1992)

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Soundtracks

Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me)
Written by Lew Brown, Charles Tobias and Sam H. Stept (as Sam Stept)
Performed by Madisen Beaty

User Reviews

Phoenix from the ashes

Calling the performances great would be an understatement and wouldn't do the movie justice. Also if you have a chance, try to watch this movie like it was intended to be seen! On a 70mm screen! If you don't know what that is, the closest comparison would be an IMAX screen. I'm pretty sure there will be some screenings of this if you have a cinema that can play those kind of movies. Anderson really went out there shooting it like this, because it has been some time since it was last used.

Joaquin Phoenix might just get an Oscar for his role and Anderson might not have targeted Scientology specifically (I do believe him, when he says it's a look on all things related to sects), but his movie does hit its targets nevertheless! A great slow moving drama, that will either have you enticed or bored, depending on your viewing habits!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Filipino

Release Date:

21 September 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Master

Filming Locations:

Oakland, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$32,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$736,311, 16 September 2012

Gross USA:

$16,377,274

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$28,258,060

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Weinstein Company, Ghoulardi Film Company, Annapurna Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1