We are a month away from Paul Thomas Anderson's "Phantom Thread" being released and, yet, we still find ourselves in need of many answers to some of the film's hidden mysteries, mostly revolving around the plot.
PTA has mentioned that it's not your standard love story and that Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca" was his inspiration for the film:
"It’s not your standard love story. It’s more peculiar for sure. A lot of directors have tried and failed to make Rebecca. I’m probably next in line, but it’s a different story. I’m a large aficionado of those large Gothic romance movies as the old masters might do them. What I like about those kinds of love stories is that they’re very suspenseful. A good dollop of suspense with a love story is a nice combination."
"Rebecca" was Alfred Hitchcock early-career gothic-romance. It dealt with the director's masterful use of suspense but also had an invigorating "love story" at its central core. Joan Fontaine's character, filled with youthful innocence and abundant clumsiness in fitting into the bourgeois world, was a simple working-class woman that felt like the outsider. She shacked up with millionaire Maxim De Winter (Laurence Olivier,) but he was still haunted by his deceased wife Rebecca and struggling to move on. That wasn't the only problem for Fontaine's character, she also has to contend with Olvier's housekeepr Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson) who seemed to be in denial mode in regards to Rebecca's death and saw De Winter's new wife as a threat. This only scratches the surface and the film was basically a fight between these two women for the attention and love of their millionaire husband, who had his own demons to contend with. Great film.
“Phantom Thread” will be released on December 25th.