FIGHT CLUBBY ELLIE P, IMO T AND CHARLIE S

BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE FILM• DIRECTOR- DAVID FINCHER• PRODUCERS- ART LINSON, CEÁN CHAFFIN AND ROSS GRAYSON BELL• DISTRIBUTED BY 20TH CENTURY FOX• PRODUCTION COMPANIES- FOX 2000 PICTURES, REGENCY ENTERPRISES AND

LINSON FILMS• RELEASE DATES- SEPTEMBER 10TH, 1999 (VENICE), OCTOBER 15TH, 1999

(UNITED STATES), NOVEMBER 11TH, 1999 (GERMANY)• BUDGET- $63 MILLION• MONEY EARNED- $100.9 MILLION• ACTORS/ACTRESSES- BRAD PITT, EDWARD NORTON, HELENA BONHAM CARTER,

MEAT LOAF ADAY AND JARED LETO.

BASIC STORYLINE

A NAMELESS FIRST PERSON NARRATOR JOINS A SUPPORT GROUP IN AN ATTEMPT TO SUBDUE HIS EMOTIONAL STATE. A GIRL NAMED MARLA, A FAKE ATTENDEE OF THE SUPPORT GROUPS, WHEN MEETING HER HIS LIFE SEEMS TO BECOME A BIT MORE BEARABLE. HOWEVER, HE COMES ALONG THE PATH OF A GUY NAMED TYLER, AFTER MEETING HIM HE SOON GETS DRAGGED INTO AN UNDERGROUND NIGHTCLUB. THE TWO MEN EXPERIENCE AND ENGAGE IN COMPETITIVE RIVALRY FOR LOVE AND POWER, WHEN THE NARRATOR IS EXPOSED TO TYLER'S FIGHT CLUB HE HAS TO ACCEPT THE DAUNTING TRUTH THAT TYLER MAY NOT BE COMPLETELY WHO HE SAYS HE IS.

WHAT DID CRITICS SAY ABOUT THE FILM?• PETER BRADSHAW SAID “THE AWFUL TRUTH IS THAT FIGHT

CLUB JETTISONS ITS SENSE OF HUMOUR 60 MINUTES IN, AND, SO FAR FROM SATIRISING THE TIRESOME ‘CRISIS OF MASCULINITY’ STUFF SLOSHING AROUND THE AIRWAVES EITHER SIDE OF THE ATLANTIC. THE FILM SIMPLY ENDORSES IT, WITH TYLER PRESENTED AS A DEEPLY INTERESTING ZEITGEIST ANTI-HERO. AND, IN THE END, THIS JUST DOESN’T PACK MUCH OF A PUNCH” -THE GUARDIAN

• JANET MASLIN SAID “ FIGHT CLUB IS BY FAR THE MORE VISIONARY AND DISTURBING” – THE NEW YORK TIMES

• KIM NEWMAN SAID “THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF SICK HUMOUR AT THE EXPENSE OF MASCULINIST IDEALS AND WHITE-COLLAR SOCIETY” – THE EMPIRE

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

• NARRATOR (EDWARD NORTON)- HE IS THE PROTAGONIST WHO PRETENDS TO BE MENTALLY ILL HOWEVER HE IS HEALTHY.

• TYLER DURDEN (BRAD PITT)- A CHARISMATIC AND VICIOUS LEADER OF FIGHT CLUB. HE IS THE MAIN ANTAGONIST.

• MARLA SINGER (HELENA BONHAM CARTER)- A YOUNG WOMAN WHO IS SEARCHING FOR MEANINGFUL HUMAN INTERACTION.

• BIG BOB/ROBERT PAULSON (MEAT LOAF ADAY)- HE IS DISPLAYED AS A SENSITIVE MAN WHO CRIES AT THE SUPPORT GROUPS A LOT, HE IS A CANCER SURVIVOR. HE WAS A FORMER BODYBUILDER.

CAMERA WORK• A TYPE OF CAMERA WORK CALLED ’PAN’ IN USED WHEN THE NARRATOR GOES FROM THIS

CUPBOARD TO HIS FRIDGE TO THE JAM JARS IN THE FRIDGE. THE CAMERA DRAGS RIGHT FROM THE FRIDGE TO THE JAM TO SHOW US WHAT HE IS LOOKING AT WHICH ALSO IS KNOWN AS POINT OF VIEW SHOT.

• IN THE SUPPORT GROUP IT STARTS WITH A ‘CLOSE UP’ OF MAN TALKING ABOUT HIS WIFE THEN IT STARTS TO ZOOM OUT TO WHERE THE NARRATOR IS SITTING.

• WHEN THE NARRATOR IS LAYING IN BED A ’HIGH SHOT’ IS USED WHICH GIVES THE CHARACTER A LOOK OF BEING WEAK/DEFENSELESS.

• A ’LONG SHOT’ ROTATING IT SHOWN WHEN THE NARRATOR AND BOB ARE HUGGING IN THE SUPPORT GROUP. THIS SHOWS THE AUDIENCE THE BODY LANGUAGE OF THE TWO CHARACTERS.

EDITING• THE BEGINNING OF THE FILM STARTED OFF WITH FAST PACED EDITING

WHEN DISPLAYING THE DIRECTOR ECT• WHEN NARRATOR AND BIG BOB ARE TALKING IN THE SUPPORT GROUP

AFTER THEY FINISH HUGGING IT JUMPS TO ANOTHER SHOT WHICH IS KNOWN AS TRANSITION.

• AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FILM IT STARTS WITH A FLASHBACK OF THE END OF THE FILM I THINK BECAUSE THE NARRATOR SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT TYLER PUTTING THE GUN IN HIS MOUTH BUT WE HAVEN'T MET TYLER YET. I THINK A FLASHBACK IS A GOOD IDEA IN TO PUT IN THE FILM AS IT GIVES US SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON A CHARACTER OR SHOWS US SOMETHING THAT MAY HAPPEN LATER ON IN THE FILM. A FLASHBACK IN THIS FILM WOULD MAKE THE AUDIENCE WANT KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING, HOW IT HAPPENED AND WHY IT WAS HAPPENING. IT MAKES ME AS A AUDIENCE WANT TO FIND OUT MORE SO CARRY ON WATCHING IT.

SOUND/MUSIC• IN THE OPENING OF THE FILM WE HEAR BASS MUSIC, MUSIC YOU WOULD

HEAR IN A PARTY WHICH GIVES THE EFFECT OF ADRENALINE PUMPING.• WE SEE DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE NARRATOR AND HIS BOSS. BY HAVING

A CONVERSATION BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE IT HELPS THE AUDIENCE DISCOVER MORE INFORMATION.

• I COULD HEAR POLICE CARS WHICH GAVE ME THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE SUPPORT GROUP WAS IN A ROUGH AREA.

• WHEN THE NARRATOR WAS TALKING WE COULD HEAR HIM AS IF WE WERE IN HIS HEAD LISTENING TO HIS THOUGHTS. WHEN HE WAS SAT IN THE CHAIR AFTER HAVING THE GUN IN HIS MOUTH, THE WAY SPEECH WAS PUT ACROSS WAS THROUGH HIS THOUGHTS. THIS EFFECT WAS POSITIVE BECAUSE IT MADE US AS AN AUDIENCE REALLY DEEPLY THINK ABOUT EVERY THOUGHT HE MADE AND HOW HE GOT IN THE SITIUATION HE WAS IN.

MISE EN SCENE• LOCATION- ALL OF IT WAS FILMED IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA • COSTUMES-THE NARRATOR WORE SMART CLOTHES TO GO TO THE

SUPPORT GROUP, THAT SHOWS THE AUDIENCE THAT HE IS SMART/SERIOUS/MAKING AN EFFORT TO LOOK APPROPRIATE FOR THE RIGHT OCCASION. BIG BOB WORE COMFY CLOTHES TO THE SUPPORT GROUP WHICH SUGGESTS THAT HE ISN'T AS SMART AND IS MORE LAID BACK.

• LIGHTING- FILM STARTS WITH DARK LIGHTING WHICH CONTRADICTS SOMETHING BAD. IT BECOMES A BIT BRIGHTER IN THE SUPPORT GROUP WHEN BOB IS HUGGING THE NARRATOR,

HOW IS DOESN’T FOLLOW THE THRILLER CONVENTIONS

• ONE PART I SAW THAT DOES NOT FOLLOW THE TYPICAL THRILLER CONVENTIONS IS BIG BOB. BIG BOB IS DISPLAYED AS A FRAGILE, DELICT MAN. IN MOST THRILLERS THE MEN ARE DISPLAYED AS STRONG AND INDEPENDENT, HOWEVER BIG BOB IS THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE OF THAT.

• ANOTHER PART I SAW WAS THAT THE LIGHTING WAS QUITE BRIGHT IN THE SCENE WERE BIG BOB AND THE NARRATOR WERE HUGGING. IN THRILLERS WE USUALLY WOULD SEE LOW/DARK LIGHTING THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE FILM BUT IN THIS IT SHOWED BRIGHT LIGHTING WHICH DOES NOT FOLLOW THE CONVENTIONS OF A THRILLER.

OVERALL GROUP OPINON

• OVERALL OPINION FOR WAS THE INTRODUCTION WAS GOOD IN THE WAY THAT IT HAD AMAZING EDITS AND MUSIC BUT I FELT LIKE IT WENT A LITTLE TOO FAST WHILST INTRODUCING WHO THE ACTORS, DIRECTOR, PRODUCERS ECT. HOWEVER, AS THE INTRODUCTION PROCEEDED ON I START TO LIKE HOW WE ARE INTRODUCED TO THE MAIN CHARACTER (NARRATOR) I FELT LIKE I KNEW A LOT ABOUT HIS IN THE FIRST FEW MINUTES. I THINK THAT I WOULD WATCH THIS FILM AS IT WASN’T AWFUL BUT IT DID DRAW ME INTO IT. I WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS TO BIG BOB AT THE END AND WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS IN ‘TYLER'S FIGHT CLUB’. I’D GIVE IT A 7/10.