‘The Master’ Theatrical Trailer
The first teasers forPaul Thomas Anderson’sThe Masterwere just that — teasers. They offered tantalizing glimpses of the two main leads, religious leaderLancaster Dodd(Philip Seymour Hoffman) and his acolyteFreddie Sutton(Joaquin Phoenix), but little more than that. And as fantastic as they were, it was only a matter of time before the studio released a more conventional trailer for theatrical release.
Fortunately for us, the first full-length trailer offers a better idea of the plot and general set-up without sacrificingtoomuch of the unsettling moodiness that made the first teasers so striking. Plus, it offers much better looks at some of the other talents that fill out the cast, includingAmy Adamsas Dodd’s wife andJesse Plemonsas his son. Check it out after the jump.
The Masteris Anderson’s first film since 2007’sThere Will Be Blood, and what a return it looks like. Even with less of that percussiveJonny Greenwoodscore, there’s a pervading sense of something horrible just waiting to happen. It also marks something of a comeback for Phoenix, who hasn’t appeared in a feature since his weirdI’m Still Herestunt in 2010.
Though the title refers to Hoffman’s Dodd, a L. Ron Hubbard-like figure, the marketing so far suggests that it’s really Phoenix’s Freddie that’s at the center of things. After the horrors of World War II, charismatic drifter Freddie finds himself drawn to Dodd and becomes his right-hand man as Dodd spreads the gospel of his new (and suspiciously Scientology-esque) religion. But as the new belief system catches on and Dodd grows in religion, Freddie begins to question what he’s helped build.
The MasteropensOctober 12, which puts it just before the thick of awards season — but I expect it’ll prove a serious contender anyway.
