Question: Regarding Paul and Eli. Are they actually twin brothers or is Paul an figment of Eli's imagination and Eli schizophrenic? As far as I remember Paul is only mentioned three times. At the beginning when he meets Daniel, when Eli attacks his father (and says 'you are as stupid as Paul!' and at the end, when Daniel mentions him. Are there any other bits I've missed? Or is it left open to interpretation?
Question: What kind of accent does Daniel Day-Lewis speak with?
Chosen answer: Daniel Day-Lewis based his voice for and characterization of Daniel Plainview in part on old recordings of the director, writer, and actor John Huston. An article by Christopher Goodwin in the Sunday Times (of London) revealed Paul Thomas Anderson sent Day-Lewis documentaries about Huston while Day-Lewis was preparing to play the role.
Just watched it. Sounds exactly like Huston in Chinatown.
Answer: There is nothing in the film to suggest anything other than that they are brothers. Paul sells out his family, takes the money and goes away. It is only natural that they would not want to speak of him later on. Daniel on the other hand, keeps a certain track on Paul, especially since he also got into the oil business and became a minor competitor to Daniel.
Twotall