Film critics and the public alike remain torn by director Paul Thomas Andersons third feature film, Magnolia. Released in 1999 -- a time of both deep cultural reflection and apocalyptic-inspired frenzy -- Anderson's ambitious and complex work was equally hailed as a cinematic masterpiece and criticized for its overblown audacity and pretentiousness. Yet few would dispute that Magnolia exhibited a level of honesty and narrative sophistication rarely seen in American cinema. Steeped in melodrama, yet playful and self-conscious in tone, it is also a "film-lover's film," one that pays careful attention to formal cinematic techniques including mise en scene, cinematography, editing, and sound. So does Magnolia take itself too seriously -- or not seriously enough? Film scholar Christina Lane re-evaluates Anderson's polarizing film in light of numerous approaches, perspectives, and interpretations, while drawing out its thematically rich elements of redemption and regeneration, family, fate, and faith. Balancing close textual analysis with consideration of authorship, genre, performance, style, culture, and historical context, Lane presents an entirely new perspective on Magnolia, revealing how this controversial work represents one of the most original specimens of contemporary American cinema.
