The Bowling Alley: Plainview's Tear !

 A tear falls from Daniels Eye as he is leaving  HW on the train bound for San Fransisco !   I have slowed the dvd down and you can see it fall from his eye. I find this intersesting because I think it is added by computer or something. In a movie that has no computerization or special effects, Anderson must have thought this one tear is important! Tell me im not crazy!

I just watched this scene three times in a row before I finally saw the tear. It goes something like this:

DP stares, looks over his shoulder guiltily, and pats HW's head. HW knows something's on Daniels' mind. "Ahhh..." -- still on the lookout for witnesses -- "I just have to go and have a word with the conductor." Drops his hand awkwardly on HW's shoulder. "I'll be right back. You stay, you stay here, you understand?" Now he's facing HW eye to eye, and this is where the tear drops. "You stay here and I'll be right back." A nod, another pat, and he's gone.

I salute your powers of observation, I abandoned my boy! -- but I don't think it's CGI. DDL is, like, a human special effect.

On the big screen you can see it very clearly falls from his tear duct. The reason I say it is added by a computer or special effects is it does not look natural. It almost looks like it is drawn on the screen. Anyway just thought it was interesting.

At least I know I am not crazy! Because I am still talking about a movie that came out 5 months ago and ... I have seen TWBB over 12 times and ... I went to the store at 6am to get the DVD on April 8th and...  I sit around and disect a teardrop... and check this website daily !! That is normal , Right?

Maybe I do have a problem...  I am thankful to have a my IDYM.com support group 

I just watched it again, and i caught that! shit that's so weird i was about to say something about that!

Wow.  I will check that out the next chance I get.  That scene is played so well, a great example of how DP's complex and deep relationship with H.W. (contra crazy old Plainview, who asserts that it was always shallow and superficial).  I also love how it evokes the earlier 1902 train ride scene  -- in 1902 Daniel is experiencing what is among his first moments of father-son bonding with H.W., and in 1911 Daniel is breaking and betraying that bond for what is presumably the first time.

I can't believe all the little things in this movie that only get picked up after lots of viewings.  (A few other examples that pop into mind:  someone shouting "Daniel!" when DP starts slapping Eli near the oil reservoir, which I didn't hear until a third or fourth viewing; and DP saying something like "Oh no!" or "Oh dear!" in the final scene when Eli starts to talk about his financial problems, which I only heard the last time I watched it; or even Daniel's "where's the lord, Eli!" dialogue, which is probably not audible to most people upon their initial viewing.)

Another line of hard-to-hear dialogue that I just noticed was when--as Mary Sunday hugs Daniel after the baptism--he says to her something like "My sweet Mary."

No reason to spend that kind of money on CGI.  TWWB was a business venture, remember.  No, that is what you get when you cast DDL.  Lots of value for the money.  Absolutely.