Watch: First Teaser Clip Of Joaquin Phoenix In Paul Thomas Anderson's 'The Master'

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by Oliver Lyttelton
May 21, 2012 11:44 AM
40 Comments

Woah. We knew that the Weinstein Company was about to unveil some footage from Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" in Cannes tonight (and we'll have our reactions from that for you later), but we just got a nice surprise, courtesy of the Twitter account of Megan Ellison, with the first bit of footage from the film, the director's first in five years.

Focusing on Joaquin Phoenix's Freddie, a drunken navy man, this clip sees him being questioned by a superior officer after some kind of incident, as it cuts between Phoenix at the beach, and in what seems to be a submarine, all set to a nifty percussive score that we assume is by the film's composer, Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood. This is all before Freddie meets the title character (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who runs a religion rumored to be modelled on Scientology. The clip feels both very Paul Thomas Anderson, and something slightly different (check out that fish-eye lens!), and it's a nice little taste of one of our most anticipated films of the year.

"The Master" (and yes, naysayers, that is the official name) also stars Amy Adams, Laura Dern, Jesse Plemons, Kevin J. O'Connor, W. Earl Brown, Lena Endre, Ambyr Childers and more, and The Weinstein Company will open the film on October 12th 2012. Check the clip out below. [The Master]

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More: The Master, Joaquin Phoenix, Paul Thomas Anderson

40 Comments

| Reply
MikeD | May 23, 2012 3:03 PMReply

Any info on Inherent Vice ? is it still the next film he is gonna make?
anon | May 22, 2012 2:16 AMReply

beautiful!
Nick Anno | May 21, 2012 10:36 PMReply

You misspelled Jonny Greenwood's name. Please fix it (and thereafter delete my comment, so as to save your face).
cirkusfolk | May 21, 2012 7:53 PMReply

I've seen a lot of comparisons to Kubrick for some reason but I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Malick as an influence. Now it may just be the beach/naval setting but this whole scene looks like it could've been lifted straight from The Thin Red Line.
hank | May 21, 2012 5:12 PMReply

can anyone confirm that he is sculpting tits of sand on the beach?
cirkusfolk | May 21, 2012 7:48 PM

You might have been joking with your question, but I think you're right. People who saw the extended footage at Cannes said it showed Pheonix masturbating on the beach so why not make a set of sand tits to inspire yourself.
JimHertz | May 21, 2012 4:14 PMReply

We box it out.
Naj | May 21, 2012 3:51 PMReply

Yes please!
oogle monster | May 21, 2012 2:55 PMReply

This looks fantastic but I'm still hoping Baz Lurhmann's The Great Gatsby turns out to be something spectacular and actually ends up as frontrunner and blockbuster.
frank | July 19, 2012 8:20 PM

Seriously? Baz Lurhmann. Don't expect too much, man.
hank | May 21, 2012 2:48 PMReply

Joaquin is wearing the dirtbag well.
ted | May 21, 2012 2:31 PMReply

harvey's got pta,hillcoat,dominik,tarantino,o'russel,and possibly refn but spielberg's got DDL and i think lincloln will be the best film of the year.
However Paul is my favourite director,the trailer looks fantastic and i am more entuziast because the cinematographer mihai mlaimare jr. is from my country,Romania
callumq | May 21, 2012 2:10 PMReply

Gave me chills. nice to see a trailer all about the performances.
cinematic_high | May 22, 2012 1:05 AM

I second that......
catt | May 21, 2012 1:56 PMReply

The music is fantastic. Magnolia and Boogie Nights had good soundtracks, but TWBB and this are something completely different. No-one else uses music like this, PTA's films have such a unique atmosphere.

Joaquin Phoenix seems to be on fire aswell. Can't wait to see Hoffman's role.
Francisco | May 21, 2012 1:20 PMReply

First time I see PTA using the 1.85 aspect ratio in a movie.
Joe | May 22, 2012 1:00 AM

imdb makes shit up. they reported elswit as cinematographer until it was stated otherwise. the trailer was 1.85:1, and since it was cut and released by paul, the movie is almost definitely 1.85 as well. i'm still having difficulty swallowing this, considering how open paul is about his preference for 2.35:1, and the fact that he shot on a format that's native aspect ratio is so close to 2.35 and is associated with widescreen images, but right now, it's looking like this is his first film not in that aspect ratio. Someone who saw the four minutes at cannes would know, they definitely had the right ratio there.
Jerome | May 21, 2012 2:48 PM

Isn't this shot on 65mm?
gonad | May 21, 2012 1:26 PM

Ya I was wondering about the aspect ratio too. I wonder if this clip is in the correct ratio.
Francisco | May 21, 2012 1:23 PM

My bad, the trailer looked like 1.85 but it says 2.20:1 on imdb.
Warsaw | May 21, 2012 1:10 PMReply

Glad to see Phoenix back, he is one of the better actors out there.
Steve | May 21, 2012 1:10 PMReply

get in front of my goddamned eyes, right now!
Ken | May 21, 2012 12:42 PMReply

With the way things are coming together this year, this will easily be the best year Weinstein Company has ever had. I mean, there film lineup this year is killer: Hillcoat, Dominik, O. Russell, PTA, Quentin Tarantino, and possibly Refn in one year and in the same studio? Damn.
BEF | May 22, 2012 2:42 PM

@Huffy yeah, best directors tom hooper and michael h... c'mon harvey get it for PTA!
Huffy | May 21, 2012 12:51 PM

And yet they'll probably have worse luck at the Oscars with that crop of incredible directors than they would with a handful of cookie-cutter, sub-Miramax schlock.
gonad | May 21, 2012 12:40 PMReply

It has the look of Kubrick about it. I know they used the same 65mm camera from 2001, but I mean filmstock and lighting wise it has that The Shining/Full Metal Jacket look. Looks wonderful.
Huffy | May 21, 2012 12:57 PM

I do think it's fascinating what a shift PTA's style and subject-matter have undergone since the start of his career. Personally I think it's a good thing: while I love Boogie Nights and like Magnolia his style back that was rather derivative of Scorsese and Altman. Not a bad pair of directors to emulate but as slick as some of his shots were they never felt natural. While you can definitely see the influence of Kubrick here and in TWBB he's taken that influence and turned it into something completely his own.
Erik | May 21, 2012 12:37 PMReply

Looks and sounds amazing. If this movie can live up to its promise...holy shit.
ML | May 21, 2012 12:19 PMReply

Are sure that's not PSH at the end there?
Dan | May 21, 2012 12:30 PM

Yes that looks nothing like him
Wow! | May 21, 2012 12:15 PMReply

100 seconds & PTA pulls off a more rewarding & unique experience than most directors can do with 100 minutes.
Mike | May 21, 2012 1:33 PM

this 100 sec clip was rewarding? honestly?
cirkusfolk | May 21, 2012 12:13 PMReply

Wow. I'm gonna call it right now..Pheonix for Best Actor!
Maxwell | May 21, 2012 12:11 PMReply

There is nothing in 2012 I am more looking forward to.
mike | May 21, 2012 1:35 PM

sad, so very sad. im definitely gonna see it when it comes out, but i can wait. DKR i cant. nothing about the clip makes me wanna run out and see it now.
TimParker | May 21, 2012 12:06 PMReply

I'm sold. Not that I needed to see this to be sold, but holy cow...can't wait
Huffy | May 21, 2012 12:02 PMReply

Well I need some new pants now. What a match PTA and Greenwood are. And I'm loving the cinematography; I love how it resembles an old color photograph from that era. Dammit, and I probably won't get to see it till next year.
Joe | May 22, 2012 1:03 AM

hit the nail on the head with the old color photograph bit
Redcup | May 21, 2012 11:56 AMReply

Dang
StephenM | May 21, 2012 11:51 AMReply

Whoah.