Paul Thomas Anderson and the Postmodern Cinema of American Civil Society.

This paper traces the development of P.T. Anderson's vision of postmodern America through each of his three major films--Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Punch-Drunk Love, with particular attention paid to the middle film, and its contribution to American political cinema. Placed in relation to his predecessor, Robert Altman, Anderson's films seek the tie that binds in a country that is increasingly characterized by the protection of individual liberties from those of the family and community. We argue that underlying Anderson's most mature work, at least, is an attempt to breathe new life into the old forms of American civil religion, to dramatize the often-overlooked consequences of American reliance on technology for pursuing the good life, and, in the tradition of the greatest poets, to suggest the outlines of a new synthesis, a new American dream. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of Anderson's latest film, There Will Be Blood, and the relevance of Upton Sinclair (upon whose novel 'Oil!' the film is based) to America in the twenty-first century. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]