The first trailer for the upcoming Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Day-Lewis team-up film Phantom Thread has finally landed online.
Phantom Thread is set in the fashion world of 1950s London and tells of renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock (Lewis) and his business — the House of Woodcock. Run by himself and his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville), the two create and fabricate high-culture fashion for royalty, celebrities, dames and the like in Britain. Everything changes, however, when a young woman named Alma (Vicky Krieps) comes into Reynolds’ life — causing him both pain and inspiration.
“You can sew almost anything into the canvas of a coat,” says Lewis in the trailer. “When I was a boy, I started to hide things in the linings of the garments. Things only I knew were there. Secrets.”
Daniel Day-Lewis — famous for his roles and extreme method acting techniques in Lincoln, There Will Be Blood, Last of the Mohicans, My Left Foot and more — announced last June that he would be retiring from acting following the release of Phantom Thread. No reason was given for the retirement. Widely being considered one of the most elite actors of his generation, Lewis is the only actor to ever win three Oscars for best actor.
Phantom Thread might just be his fourth. While he seems to be going up against heavy competition — Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour currently looks to be his biggest rival — Lewis’ acting capabilities speak for themselves, and he looks phenomenal in the brief glances we get of him in the trailer.
We’ve also seen just how good he and Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Inherent Vice) are when they work together — given the quality of There Will Be Blood. Considering that this is the role Lewis wants to go out on, we’re expecting big things.
There has, however, been a cloud of mystery surrounding Phantom Thread from day one. The title of the film wasn’t even announced up until a week ago, despite the fact that the film is still being released this year for awards consideration. The trailer, while certainly intriguing and beautifully shot, doesn’t offer much in terms of plot details either.
We’re still going to be checking Phantom Thread out in theaters, once it opens on Christmas Day of 2017 (most likely in limited release, with a wider one in January). Watch the trailer for Phantom Thread below and let us know what you thought about it, as well as what your favorite Daniel Day-Lewis performance is, in the comments below.