Phantom Thread Literary Elements

Phantom Thread Literary Elements

Director

Paul Thomas Anderson

Leading Actors/Actresses

Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps

Supporting Actors/Actresses

Lesley Manville

Genre

Drama

Language

English

Awards

Won 1 Oscar: Best Costume Design

Date of Release

2017

Producer

Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison, JoAnne Sellar, Daniel Lupi

Setting and Context

London's couture world in 1954

Narrator and Point of View

POV is that of Reynolds and Alma.

Tone and Mood

Dramatic, Serious, Romance

Protagonist and Antagonist

Protagonists and Antagonists are Reynolds and Alma, depending on perspective

Major Conflict

Alma has become Reynolds’ muse, but she finds it difficult to connect with him beyond his work.

Climax

Alma begins to poison Reynolds in order to weaken him, making him need her and her alone, then nurses him back to strength where he can carry out his artistic genius uncluttered. They marry.

Foreshadowing

Alma asking a cook if the mushrooms are poisonous early in the film foreshadows her poisoning of Reynolds.

Understatement

It is understated that Reynolds knows that he is being poisoned.

Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques

N/A

Allusions

The film is an allusion to the madness and coldness of genius, and to what people do in order to hold onto love.

Paradox

Reynolds proposes to Alma the morning after recovering from being gravely ill. Paradoxically, Alma is the one who’s poisoned him.

Parallelism

The opening shot of Alma speaking to the doctor is paralleled throughout the film, as she discusses Reynolds's condition with him.

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