The Master, a film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, is a poignant tale of spiritual survival in postwar America. The film is a study of human character and is about combating loneliness and finding companionship. It takes place at the end of World War II, a time when America was depicted as prosperous and exceedingly optimistic. The Master shows the darker side of the effects of the ravages of war, and delves into the psyche of an unstable veteran returning home as he struggles to find meaning and hope after witnessing so much death and destruction. Thus, he finds answers in “The Cause”, a quasi-religious cult lead by Lancaster Dodd. Whether through religion, philosophy, science, or some other outlet, the human condition compels people to look for the ultimate guide, one that nurture’s and helps make sense of the world.
Before the film premiered, there was much speculation about its ties to the religion, Scientology. Scientology’s founder L. Ron Hubbard and the religion he developed loosely inspired Lancaster Dodd’s character and “The Cause”, but The Master is not a film about Scientology or about its founder. There are several similarities between the film’s religion, “The Cause”, and Scientology, such as a technique called processing, which involves questioning by the master in order to recall their past lives. However, the intent of the film is not meant to focus on the specific practices of a religion, but rather to focus on the idea that “The Cause” is used as an opiate to get through life. “The Cause” is just used as an example to represent the bigger picture -- about the yearning we all have to find comfort and meaning in our lives – the goal to find the key to happiness in something bigger than ourselves, whether it’s through an organization or belief system.
Joaquin Phoenix gives an intense performance as Freddie Quell, a sex-craved alcoholic and troubled World War II veteran who struggles to live in post war 1950s America. His troubles stem partly from witnessing the brutality of war and are accentuated from the war, but are also deep-rooted issues or personality flaws that were likely present before the war. Quell can’t hold down a job because of his dependence on his homemade hooch and his general social ineptitude. After he is fired from a portrait gallery at the mall and chased off a cabbage farm for ‘poisoning’ one of the old workers with his moonshine, he fatefully ends up as a stowaway on Lancaster Dodd’s party yacht.
So begins his journey with Dodd and “The Cause.” Dodd describes himself to Quell as a writer, a doctor, a nuclear physicist and a theoretical philosopher but above all… a hopelessly inquisitive man. Dodd, played brilliantly by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, is the charismatic leader and captain of the boat, who preaches to Quell about how his past life affects his present life. According to Dodd, our bodies are mere vessels, while our souls, which have been around for trillions of years, bear the imprints of long-lost traumas. Dodd is initially attracted to Quell for his hooch, but becomes fascinated with Quell’s raw emotions and crude unpredictability, and ends up on a mission to save Quell’s tortured soul. Dodd is a master seeking a pupil or a protégé to prove “the Cause” works. Quell is the lost and tortured soul who needs someone to guide him and to give him hope.
There really is no solid thesis in the film; everyone who sees it will walk away with a different interpretation. The Master doesn’t give us any answers, which is the best thing it can do because really there are no answers. We have to come up with our own answers and find our own individual meaning. Some start out believing that the story is about the roots of Scientology and expect elements of the film to eventually discredit Scientology, but there never is any finality or conclusion in that regard. And really, compared to any other well-established religion, Scientology is no more peculiar than anything else out there. One religion is just as valid as the next. Time travel is just as plausible as an omnipotent being watching over Earth from the heavens.
Since the beginning of time, stories have dealt with the question: how should we lead our lives? According to Kenneth Burke, “stories are equipment for living.” Religion is basically composed of culturally engaging moral stories about how we should live our lives. Film has become part of story telling, so we tend to look to films for answers. The Master is a film about acceptance – about the idea that the philosophies and stories of one religion in its attempt to answer Aristotle’s Ethics questions, how should we live our lives, should not be considered inferior to that of any other.
Dodd struggles to remain even-tempered and accepting of doubters and of other religions during the film. Even though Dodd, for the most part, plays the passive and calm, cool and collected person when his ideas are attacked, he secretly enjoys the raw violence that erupts from Quell. When his beloved master is questioned at a party about “The Cause”, Freddie throws some food at the guy and later goes to his apartment and beats him up. Like brawny victorious America, Quell displays the right through might embodied in the war and destruction of World War II Imperialist America. Quell’s character is the loose canon that represents fear and intolerance. Though Freddie’s relationship to “The Cause” and to Dodd is tumultuous and erratic, he develops a passionate unyielding loyalty to both, but mostly to Lancaster Dodd.
After having been separated from Dodd in a moving but failed attempt to reestablish a love affair with a girl he knew before the war, Quell follows the master to England. Quell worships Dodd, and Dodd bathes in his unquestioning adoration. When Quell appears in Dodd’s office, he informs Quell that if he leaves again, he would never be welcomed back and asks him beseechingly: “If you figure out a way to live without a master, any master, be sure to let the rest of us know, for you would be the first in the history of the world.” Although one wonders if Dodd even believes in the teachings he preaches, “The Cause” has brought meaning to both Quell’s life and his own. The relationship procured from the quasi-religion provided much needed structure to Quell’s chaotic life and satisfaction and purpose to Dodd’s.
Before the film premiered, there was much speculation about its ties to the religion, Scientology. Scientology’s founder L. Ron Hubbard and the religion he developed loosely inspired Lancaster Dodd’s character and “The Cause”, but The Master is not a film about Scientology or about its founder. There are several similarities between the film’s religion, “The Cause”, and Scientology, such as a technique called processing, which involves questioning by the master in order to recall their past lives. However, the intent of the film is not meant to focus on the specific practices of a religion, but rather to focus on the idea that “The Cause” is used as an opiate to get through life. “The Cause” is just used as an example to represent the bigger picture -- about the yearning we all have to find comfort and meaning in our lives – the goal to find the key to happiness in something bigger than ourselves, whether it’s through an organization or belief system.
Joaquin Phoenix gives an intense performance as Freddie Quell, a sex-craved alcoholic and troubled World War II veteran who struggles to live in post war 1950s America. His troubles stem partly from witnessing the brutality of war and are accentuated from the war, but are also deep-rooted issues or personality flaws that were likely present before the war. Quell can’t hold down a job because of his dependence on his homemade hooch and his general social ineptitude. After he is fired from a portrait gallery at the mall and chased off a cabbage farm for ‘poisoning’ one of the old workers with his moonshine, he fatefully ends up as a stowaway on Lancaster Dodd’s party yacht.
So begins his journey with Dodd and “The Cause.” Dodd describes himself to Quell as a writer, a doctor, a nuclear physicist and a theoretical philosopher but above all… a hopelessly inquisitive man. Dodd, played brilliantly by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, is the charismatic leader and captain of the boat, who preaches to Quell about how his past life affects his present life. According to Dodd, our bodies are mere vessels, while our souls, which have been around for trillions of years, bear the imprints of long-lost traumas. Dodd is initially attracted to Quell for his hooch, but becomes fascinated with Quell’s raw emotions and crude unpredictability, and ends up on a mission to save Quell’s tortured soul. Dodd is a master seeking a pupil or a protégé to prove “the Cause” works. Quell is the lost and tortured soul who needs someone to guide him and to give him hope.
There really is no solid thesis in the film; everyone who sees it will walk away with a different interpretation. The Master doesn’t give us any answers, which is the best thing it can do because really there are no answers. We have to come up with our own answers and find our own individual meaning. Some start out believing that the story is about the roots of Scientology and expect elements of the film to eventually discredit Scientology, but there never is any finality or conclusion in that regard. And really, compared to any other well-established religion, Scientology is no more peculiar than anything else out there. One religion is just as valid as the next. Time travel is just as plausible as an omnipotent being watching over Earth from the heavens.
Since the beginning of time, stories have dealt with the question: how should we lead our lives? According to Kenneth Burke, “stories are equipment for living.” Religion is basically composed of culturally engaging moral stories about how we should live our lives. Film has become part of story telling, so we tend to look to films for answers. The Master is a film about acceptance – about the idea that the philosophies and stories of one religion in its attempt to answer Aristotle’s Ethics questions, how should we live our lives, should not be considered inferior to that of any other.
Dodd struggles to remain even-tempered and accepting of doubters and of other religions during the film. Even though Dodd, for the most part, plays the passive and calm, cool and collected person when his ideas are attacked, he secretly enjoys the raw violence that erupts from Quell. When his beloved master is questioned at a party about “The Cause”, Freddie throws some food at the guy and later goes to his apartment and beats him up. Like brawny victorious America, Quell displays the right through might embodied in the war and destruction of World War II Imperialist America. Quell’s character is the loose canon that represents fear and intolerance. Though Freddie’s relationship to “The Cause” and to Dodd is tumultuous and erratic, he develops a passionate unyielding loyalty to both, but mostly to Lancaster Dodd.
After having been separated from Dodd in a moving but failed attempt to reestablish a love affair with a girl he knew before the war, Quell follows the master to England. Quell worships Dodd, and Dodd bathes in his unquestioning adoration. When Quell appears in Dodd’s office, he informs Quell that if he leaves again, he would never be welcomed back and asks him beseechingly: “If you figure out a way to live without a master, any master, be sure to let the rest of us know, for you would be the first in the history of the world.” Although one wonders if Dodd even believes in the teachings he preaches, “The Cause” has brought meaning to both Quell’s life and his own. The relationship procured from the quasi-religion provided much needed structure to Quell’s chaotic life and satisfaction and purpose to Dodd’s.
