Watch Paul Thomas Anderson Break Down a Scene From ‘Inherent Vice’

‘Inherent Vice’ doesn’t open in wide release until next Friday, so if Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest opus hasn’t appeared at a theater near you yet, you can pass a little of the time waiting for it with this scene breakdown by PTA himself, originally from The New York Times.

In it, Anderson narrates one particular sequence in the film, explaining where they shot it and comparing the version in his movie to the one in the original ‘Inherent Vice’ novel by Thomas Pynchon. He also describes one of the tricks he used to keep his “straight-forward” film visually active, and reveals exactly what movie is playing in the theater at the end of the sequence.

I’ve always loved Anderson’s director’s commentary tracks (Both of the ones on the ‘Boogie Nights’ DVD I have are great), and this is like a tiny hors d’oeuvre for the ‘Inherent Vice’ one that is inevitably coming. Which is good, because as much as I dug this movie, it confused and bewildered the hell out of me, and I could use a little guidance about all of it. ‘Inherent Vice’ opens everywhere on January 9.