Lesso
n and
week
Lesson One
Lesson Two
Lesson Three
Lesson Four
Wk 1
Intro – What is
masculinity?
Viewing – with
viewing record
resource
Viewing Cont
Viewing Cont
Wk2
Viewing Cont.
Character – The
narrator’s Journey
View insomnia –
chart character
progression
Characterisation –
Tyler]
Characters should
be recognisable
versions of
ourselves – truth?
View the realisation
Characterisation
Tyker Vs Narrator
and links to Purpose
– also physical
manifestation of
narrator’s internal
conflict
Wk 3
Themes – the
emptiness of
consumerism –
through setting – still
of ikea catalogue vs
dilapidated mansion
– production features
emphasising
contrast and
symbolism
Theme – search for
meaning and
purpose –
Fight Club and
project mayhem –
WHY – what needs
are being met?
Links to breakdown
in community
Social Criticism:
What is Tyler’s view
of society?
What is the
narrator’?
What is The
Director’s?
What is YOURS?
Symbolism – links to
character, theme,
purpose – what
symbols are their
Soap, burn scar,
fighting a symbolic
act? Space
Monkeys? Fridge
with condiments and
no food
Wk 4
Conflict – External
and Internal –
internal represents
Distinctive Mark of
the director WHAT IS
THIS?????????
Essay planning,
writing master class
Timed assessment
(Open book at this
stage????
Achievement Standard 3.4
Respond Critically to Oral or
Visual Text
David Fincher’s
‘Fight Club’
Lets go back to
What does it mean to be a man?
If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and
sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
touch;
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
If all men count with you, but none too much;
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!
The Masculine ideal in Elizabethan
England
• Upper-class Elizabethan
men in particular were
expected to be very
accomplished. The ideal
Elizabethan gentleman was
both an athlete, good at
riding , hunting and fencing
etc, and also well-educated
and able to play music, write
poetry, speak foreign
languages etc.
Honour and the title of
"Gentleman" were more valuable
to them than life itself
•
Each man of noble or gentle birth is charged with maintaining his honor at
all cost, for as Vincentio points out. "What is to defend your reputation. but
so to hurt your enemye, as your selfe may escape free?" But why did the
Elizabethan gentleman value honor and reputation so highly? There are a
couple of important factors to consider. First we should note that gentlemen
of quality were forbidden by custom from engaging in anything that might be
considered "work". Their only socially acceptable ambition in life was to gain
noble rank by winning the favor of their Soveriegn. Only a few out of
hundreds of gentlemen in each generation would attain this ambition, so the
competition was fierce. Dueling provided each gentleman with a means to
demonstrate his skill and courage, prove his willingness to die for noble
ideals, and dissuade anyone from disparraging his other virtues (including
his good judgement or "taste").
Second. we should remember that the life being risked was already in
peril . If you are fairly likely to die soon from plague or warfare, why not
gamble your life on a chance for glory and honor? One Elizabethan
observed, "For these and such like offenses the law can make no adequate
retribution - in such a state life is a burden, which cannot be laid down or
supported, till death either terminates his own existence or that of the
despoiler of his peace and honor."
Masculinity – 1960s
•
Defying Their Fathers: Hippy Opposition to Straight Manhood
•
Digger men defined their differences from the generation of their fathers along multiple
dimensions. When it came to the cultural politics of appearance, they shared a stance with other
hippie men. For example, the Diggers defended the "freak flag"—long hair—with the same vigor
(though not always the same tactics) as did other hip men. Harassment of long-haired men quickly
became a ritual of straight male bonding. Reporter Clay Geerdes recorded one such incident in
May 1969:
I recall a Be-in in Fresno at Roeding Park one Sunday afternoon.
I was sitting
near a group of
Is this what
a real
young farm boys, all crewcut, a few wearing cowboy shirts and levis, engraved boots, and all
drinking beer. A young man with shoulder-length hair walked
by. looks
"Hey lookadat.
Man
like? Isn't she cute?
Hey, little girl, does yore mama know you're out?" Lots of laughs. The young man went on his
way, paying no attention, on his own trip. One of the cowboys called out after him: "Hey, honey,
how about gettin' in ya?" For the cowboys, longhair meant femininity and nothing else.6 8Hippie
men responded to such challenges to their manliness in a variety of ways. Mystically oriented
hippies usually responded with the same studied indifference practiced by the man in the vignette.
In their writings, they took an almost purely Rousseauvian approach, defending their "natural"
appearance as truly superior in terms evocative of the Noble Savage, whose return would mark
the collapse of an unnatural way of life. "Clearly," wrote Geerdes, "the Tac[tical Squad] cop with
his baton is the modern counterpart of the bone-wielding killer ape, while the longhaired hippy
represents . . . a regression to an earlier, primitive level of development"—but one that promised
"intellectually a progression into the future."
•
The McGlashan Man
• Strength
• McGlashan Men are Strong Independent individuals
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
They …
Know right from wrong
Stand up for what they believe
Work for the good of others
Practise courtesy and cooperation
Learn to enjoy solitude
Use their time wisely
Is this what a real man looks like?
Is this what a real man looks like?
Is this what a real man looks like?
Or This?
Or this???
A bit of writing - If McMurphy exemplifies manliness in One Flew
over the Cuckoo’s Nest, how would Kesey Define masculinity?
To what extent does that definition still fit the men of today?
Fight Club: Viewing
• Goal: View the text thoughtfully,
responsively and critically, engaging with
the themes, purpose, characters and
motifs.
• 3 Lessons. Complete the viewing record
as you watch.
• Think!!!
Fight Club: Where to from here?
• Goal: To have an overview of the narrator’s
character, and begin to explore how narrative
and production features help shape the viewers’
response to him.
• Starter: What do you think is Fincher’s main
purpose in directing ‘Fight Club?’ Aside from
telling an entertaining story, what did he want to
do?
• The Big Question
Through
Characterisation:
Of the narrator
The Big Question:
How do the narrative and features
Of ‘Fight Club’ help to
provide social criticism
The Ford Pinto
•
•
So the Ford Pinto went on sale with dangerous design faults in the position
of the fuel tank and nearby bolts, and the tendency for the fuel valve to leak
in rollover accidents. Design and production was rushed and cost of the
vehicle kept down to sell it at $2000. It sold well, until 1972 when four
people died and one young boy was horrendously burned and disfigured;
these are only a few of the incidents that resulted from the Pinto’s flaws,
many more followed, costing Ford millions in compensation. The costbenefit analysis demonstrated an abuse of utilitarian principles, and the
engineers were fully aware of the flaws, yet the company continued to sell
the car as it was, without safety modifications. They “weighed the risk of
harm and the overall cost of avoiding it.” Leggett, (1999).
The government figure, mentioned earlier, was made up of 12 ‘societal
components’ that included $10,000 for ‘victim’s pain and suffering’ and was
meant to determine the cost to society for each estimated death. Ford
decided to predict or estimate 180 deaths, 180 serious burn injuries, 2100
vehicles lost, and calculated $49.5 million overall, a figure that would be a
benefit to the company, if they put things right with the car. The estimated
cost of doing so came to $137 million, for 11 million vehicles at $11 dollars
per tank and $11 per unit for other modifications. So costs outweighed
benefits and the value of human life was quantified as an economic
commodity.
Character: The Narrator’s
Journey
•
•
Viewing – stages in the
journey:
•
Insomniac, emotional leech, fighter
•
1.
Questions:
The narrator’s life is full of material wealth and possessions.
What is missing from this?
What does the narrator do for a living? What does this
suggest about his attitude towards others?
Why does he go to support groups? Why does he ‘become
addicted? What need is he trying to meet?
Why does he hate Marla so much – what does he recognise
about himself when looking at her?
What does fighting offer him? How does it change him? Is
this a change for the better?
2.
3.
4.
5.
Production Techniques, Characterisation and Purpose
Viewing – The Insomniac
Producti
on S
Feature
Observations
X
Contribution to
character
Contribution to
Y purpose
Lighting
SXY Paragraph Time:
Voice
Over
Either: Discuss how production
features help in the characterisation or the narrator
OR: Challenging Question: Evaluate the
Effectiveness of the production features
contribution to characterisation
Camera
Work
Production Techniques, Characterisation and Purpose
Viewing – The Insomniac
Producti
on
Feature
Lighting
Voice
Over
Camera
Work
Observations
Contribution to
character
Contribution to
purpose
Points to consider
•
•
•
•
•
….
The lighting – use of green filter, and predominance of artificial, florescent lighting create mood of
sterility and blandness. This is further reinforced by the mis en scene – the colour scheme in
particular which draws on a bland, neutral palette.
The CGI sequence which zooms out of the trash can, making the rubbish within appear like space
debris, combines with the voice over –‘When deep space exploration ramps up, it will be the
corporations that name everything: The Microsoft galaxy… planet Starbucks.’ This shows the
wandering mind of the narrator – again reinforcing the emptiness and boredom inherent in his life.
This is a product of his sickness – he is an insomniac because he has no meaning, purpose,
sense of community or intimacy in his life. Moreover, the power of multinational corporations is
established here – they wield so much influence in our vacuous society that they will be the
names of new planets, as opposed to the Roman Gods, who our own solar systems planets are
named after.
The shot/reverse shot editing, dialogue and camera angles are significant in the interaction
between the narrator and his boss. Firstly power levels are established through the use of low
and high angles, establishing the superiority of the boss. More significantly however, the business
jargon and cliché that forms the dialogue, as the narrator asks, ‘You want me to deprioritise my
current status updates and make these my primary action items?’ again help to present the theme
of the emptiness of modern life – words are spoken but mean little, and those that have power do
not have our respect.
As the narrator moves into his apartment, a striking visual sequence poignantly depicts how
shallow his life is. CGI is used by Fincher to have his empty apartment fill with fashionable, chic
furniture, and the text from the catalogue from which these were ordered appears on the screen.
As this shot nears an end, the narrator walks through what appears to be an IKEA catalogue
• One feature of the production of Fight Club which is telling in
the characterization of the narrator is lighting. In the scenes
Insomnia and Ikea Nesting Instinct, a green filter is use
extensively. This is complemented by artificial, fluorescent
lighting and a very sterile palette of colours to create an
atmosphere that is bland, sterile and somewhat sickly – much
like the narrator himself. ‘Jack’ evidently has no joy in his life
– he is disconnected and ambivalent – in a sense he is a
reflection of his environment, in that the atmosphere parallels
his personality. Through his protagonist, Fincher is clearly
criticizing society. He satirizes the empty values and begins
to develop his thesis: we are living in an unnatural state – and
it is making us physically and emotionally sick.
Fight Club Characterisation: Tyler
Goal: To have an overview of Tyler’s character,
and begin to explore how narrative and
production features help shape the viewers’
response to him.
Starter – who do you like best – Tyler or the
narrator? Why?
Viewing – let me tell you a bit about Tyler Durden.
Keep a viewing record
Production Techniques, Characterisation and Purpose
Viewing – Tyler Durden
Producti
on S
Feature
Observations
X
Contribution to
character
Contribution to
Y purpose
Editing
SXY Paragraph Time:
Voice
Over
Either: Discuss how production
features help in the characterisation of Tyler
OR: Challenging Question: Evaluate the
Effectiveness of the production features
contribution to characterisation
Camera
Work
Tyler Durden – words of wisdom?
• Viewing – The convienience store
robbery – Tyler’s Plan, Tyler’s World
View –Tyler says goodbye
You had to give it to him – he had a plan. What
does Tyler Want? WHY? What does he
value? Why?
• “No fear! No distractions! The ability to
let that which does not matter truly
slide!”
• “I say never be complete, I say stop
being perfect, I say let’s evolve, let the
chips fall where they may.”
• “It’s only after we’ve lost everything that
we’re free to do anything.”
• “You’re not your job. You’re not how
much money you have in the bank.
You’re not the car you drive. You’re not
the contents of your wallet. “This is your
Thinking Character and Contrast
• The Narrator ABCD
• Tyler Durden ABCD
• C – Initially accepts
the values of
consumerism –
defines himself as a
consumer, tries to live
an Ikea catalogue
lifestyle
• C – Rejects the
values of
consumerism and the
quest to be complete
Question
How does Fincher use contrast in
characterisation to help provide social
criticism?
•
• Thinking – Response to ‘Jack’ at the start
• Response to Tyler at the start
• Upwards progression and healing of ‘Jack’
• Downwards progression of ‘Jack’
• Change in response to Tyler
Fight Club: Theme – the emptiness
of modern consumerism
• Goal: To explore how Fincher
presents this theme through dialogue,
action and cinematography.
• Starter: Copy and complete:
• The stuff you own ends up owning
……
• That was not just a bunch of stuff that
was destroyed, that was my ….. (I’d
like to thank the academy)
• Working jobs we hate so we can buy
s**t we don’t ….
• It’s only after we’ve lost everything
that we’re free to do …..
Explosive Viewing
• The Ikea catalogue still, No More condo, lament for a
sofa
• How does these scenes present the theme of the
emptiness of modern consumerism?
• Viewing – The Paper Street Soap Company
Headquarters
• Question: How do production features present
contrasting settings? How does this in turn help present
the theme of the emptiness of modern consumerism?
(Hint – the respective settings symbolise the characters’
values
Fight Club: The search for meaning
and purpose
Goal: To analyse how Fincher explores this theme through ‘Fight Club’ and
‘Project Mayhem.’
Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this
potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas,
waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes,
working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of
history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression.
Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been
raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods,
and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very
pissed off.
Theme – search for meaning and purpose –
Fight Club and project mayhem – WHY – what needs are being met?
Links to breakdown in community
Finding Meaning Through
Rejection
The great irony of fight club and project mayhem
Viewing – Tyler’s Army
What do those who are a part of these two REJECT?
Listen up, maggots. You are not special. You are not a beautiful
or unique snowflake. You're the same decaying organic matter
as everything else.
What do they give up?
What do they get in return?
What is Fincher’s attitude towards this – His name was Robert Paulson
How does this contribute to the director’s purpose?
Shared SXY Paragraphs Time
Explore how the theme of ‘The Search for
Meaning and Purpose’ is presented in
Fight Club, and how this helps the director
to achieve his purpose.
Remember – specific examples of
production features.
Can we use the word irony?
Shared SXY Paragraphs Time
Explore how the theme of ‘The Search for Meaning and Purpose’ is
presented in Fight Club, and how this helps the director to achieve
his purpose.
The search for meaning and purpose is, in part, presented through the
use of dialogue and costume. While the men of Project Mayhem are
searching for meaning and purpose one of the men, Bob is shot in
the head. At this point a monotonous chant breaks out – ‘His name
was Robert Poulson’ - by the shaven headed men, costumed in
black uniforms. The vacuous manner in which this dialogue is
delivered, and the fact that they willingly adopt a uniform which
strips them of their individuality, suggests that the men have lost
their sense of self, so desperate were they to become a part of
something with some meaning. Through this, the director is
providing sophisticated social criticism: Fincher is critical of the
society into which these men opt; yet their need to become part of
some sort of community arises from the profound flaws that are
inherent within individualistic contemporary society
Fight Club - Symbolism
• Goal: To explore how symbols are
presented, and how they contribute to the
director’s purpose.
• Starter – what symbols can you remember
from Cuckoo’s Nest???
• Can you think of any objects or acts that
have a symbolic currency in Fight Club?
Symbols …
• Viewing – ‘The fatta the lan’
• Objects – draw a quick sketch of the
following:
• Paper St Soap
• The Fridge full of condiments and no food,
• The burn scar on the narrator’s wrist.
Symbolic Actions
• Viewing – Ricky was a God when …
Symbolic Acts – draw a quick sketch of the
following:
• fight club in action ‘You weren’t alive
anywhere like you were in fight club’
• project mayhem ‘pranks’
• And … brace yourself … castration
Symbolism’s significance
Your group will be allocated one symbol
You MUST answer at least two of the following:
1.
2.
3.
How does it help present one of the key ideas in the
film?
How does it add to the development of a character?
How does it help Fincher achieve his purpose?
Essay Question: Symbolism is a significant element within
film. Discuss the extent to which you agree with this.
Fight Club and the Corporate Devil
• Goal: To broaden your understanding of
Fincher’s social criticism, looking at the
who’s at fault.
• Starter: Planet Starbucks.
What purpose does this short sequence
have?
Anti-Corporation
Consider how each of the following is critical
of multi-national corporations:
1. ‘Planet Starbucks’
2. The IKEA nesting instinct.
3. The narrator’s job and his ‘single-serving
friend’s’ reaction.
4. Killing two birds with one stone.
The Ending
• Close Viewing – Where is my mind …
• Project Mayhem Triumphs, the evil credit card
companies are destroyed – is this an uplifting
ending??
• Question – How do production features at the
ending emphasise Fincher’s criticism of the
power of multi-nationals. You’ll have to think
carefully about the intended audience response
to this scene.
Fight Club - Conflict
• Goal: To explore the external and internal
conflict, and how these contribute to the
director’s purpose
• Starter: Definition – define external and
internal conflict.
• Mind Map set up – Internal and external
conflicts
The irony of conflict within Fight
Club
One of the major conflicts that grows within the film
is the apparent external conflict between the
narrator and Tyler. After initially being ………..
by Tyler’s values and actions, the narrator
becomes increasingly ……………… with what is
happening as ……………. ………….. gains
momentum. The great irony of the growing
conflict is that the n………..e leads us to believe
it is an …………. conflict, whereas it is in fact
…………… as Tyler is a psychological p……..
of the narrator’s conflict with s……….. That comes
to dominate and almost c…………. him.
The irony of conflict within Fight
Club
One of the major conflicts that grows within the film is the
apparent external conflict between the narrator and
Tyler. After initially being enamoured by Tyler’s values
and actions, the narrator becomes increasingly
uncomfortable with what is happening as Project
Mayhem gains momentum. The great irony of the
growing conflict is that the narrative leads us to believe it
is an external conflict, whereas it is in fact internal as
Tyler is a psychological projection of the narrator’s
conflict with society that comes to dominate and almost
consume him.
Viewing and note taking
Two colours – one for the WHAT, one for
the HOW (production features)
• External Conflict – self vs society - Jacks
smirking revenge
The Narrator’s internal conflict
• Dragged Kicking and Screaming
Key idea – the distinctive way that internal
conflict presents in this film, is through the
two distinct personalities – which come
into conflict as their values diverge.
SXY Paragraph time
• “Dramatic conflict lies at the heart of a film.”
• To what extent do you agree with this view?
• Respond to this question with close reference to
one or more films you have studied.
• DRAMATIC CONFLICT
• Dramatic conflict is created when a character is
prevented from getting something he or she
wants. Action is the result of conflict: I want, I
cannot have, therefore I act.
Essay Writing Master Class
• Goal: To make substantial progress in your
ability to express sophisticated ideas in essay
form.
• The question in question …
• Symbolism is a significant element within film.
Discuss the extent to which you agree with this.
• Did you lie?
Self evaluation –
• re-read your essay.
• Below are a selection of comments made on your
essays. Which apply to you?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
A clearer sense of the genre is needed - achievable through more specific analysis of
how the production features are used to emphasise the symbols.
Be clear about justifying what is a symbol - especially if it is an act, rather than an
object.
Revise the rules of the academic voice - quite a few informal lapses here.
Social criticism is purpose - not theme - take care with the distinction.
You MUST refer to production techniques - specific camera shots, lighting techniques,
the voice over, special effects etc - TWO distinct references are needed to achieve
this standard
More of a sense of the director shaping the response of the viewer is needed mention his name, use phrases such as 'Fincher employs …
More focus on some of the visual production features would be of benefit - the
cinematography, lighting and mis en scene for example.
‘No Achievement’ may be characterised by some
of the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
weaknesses in organisation and / or stylistic /
mechanical control
random and uncritical response – may be short and / or
simplistic
insufficient knowledge of the text(s)
insufficient link with / to the question
reliance upon plot lack of references to, or detail from,
the text(s)
some relevant points, but without much support for them
little personal response or appreciation
gratuitous off-loading of notes that fails to respond to the
question
likely to be shorter than 400 words.
Achievement
•
•
•
•
•
•
Develops a critical response to relevant text(s),
demonstrated by:a
recognisable essay structure
attention to, but possibly narrow interpretation of the question, possibly
unbalanced and / or undeveloped (it will address the question)
satisfactory organisation but with stylistic inconsistencies
a conventional response
straightforward, predictable conclusions and / or judgments
the ability to use writing conventions with control and accuracy
using supporting evidence, demonstrated by:
•
•
•
•
some specific references to text(s) linked to discussion of the question
familiarity with the text(s)
engagement with the text(s)
attempts to support points with appropriate evidence.
Achievement with Merit
Develops a critical response to relevant text(s),
demonstrated by:
• A carefully structured essay
• maturity of expression and thinking
• answering the question; being clear in argument through
developing a reasoned reader-response to the text in relation to the
question
• keeping to the question
• accurate use of academic writing conventions and style
features, but may include some occasional irrelevancies and / or
clumsiness.
integrating supporting evidence, demonstrated by:
• use of quotation and reference / detail to reinforce points made in
response to the question‘
• quote weaving’ that may be inelegant
• use of appropriate terminology with ease and accuracy
• knowledge of and familiarity with, the text.
Achievement with Excellence
Develops a critical response to relevant text(s),
demonstrated by:
•
•
•
•
•
A lucid essay with an introduction giving scope and focus; a range of accurate
and relevant points (with accurate referencing); and a reasoned conclusion
taking a clear stance on the question and convincingly arguing this stance
throughout
accurate use of academic writing conventions
coherent and balanced argument and judgement
sophisticated understanding and wide-ranging discussion of the topic
integrating supporting evidence, demonstrated by:
•
•
•
•
sustained, accurate referencing sustained ‘quote weaving’
accurate use of terminology
accurate and comprehensive knowledge of the text(s)
generous and apt detail in support of relevant points.
and demonstrating perceptive critical response, shown by:
•
•
•
•
maturity and insight in evaluating the text(s) in terms of the question
demonstration of judicious personal response to the text(s)
moving beyond and / or across text(s) in evaluation
presentation of the candidate’s own position as reader.
WWW?
• First off there is ‘The Paper St Soap’ this
symbolises Tyler’s fun and the mocking of
the American Dream, which is shown in
the quote, ‘fatta the lan’. Additionally this
is a very ironic act as Tyler is selling
women their own fat back to them in the
form of soap, this also mocks the values ot
these women. Furthermore, the idea of
selling women’s fat as soap shows how
brilliant and clever he is.
WWW?
• Firstly, the symbol of fighting is used throughout the film.
It symbolises how the people who are involved in ‘Fight
Club’ are rejecting the values of society that are
expected of everyone. This gives a sense of rebbellion
and provides social criticism. The reason Fincher
criticises society in this way is because it shows you can
give up the values of society and material possessions
that go with it and still be fulfilled. This symbol helps tell
us about the narrator as well. Fighting him to feel
emotions that he could not in his previous insomniac life.
It also helps him realise that he can give up all his
possessions and live a purposeful, meningful life through
fighting and ‘Project Mayhem’.
•
Firstly, the symbol of fighting is used
throughout the film. It symbolises how
the people who are involved in ‘Fight
Club’ are rejecting the values of
society that are expected of everyone.
This gives a sense of rebellion and
provides social criticism. The reason
Fincher criticises society in this way is
because it shows you can give up the
values of society and material
possessions that go with it and still be
fulfilled. This symbol helps tell us
about the narrator as well. Fighting
him to feel emotions that he could not
in his previous insomniac life. It also
helps him realise that he can give up
all his possessions and live a
purposeful, meaningful life through
fighting and ‘Project Mayhem’.
The ‘Fight Club’ of the film’s title is one key
symbol employed by Fincher. It
symbolises how the people who are
involved in ‘Fight Club’ are rejecting
the values of society by embracing
brutal violence and inflicting or
receiving pain, as is emphasied
through the shocking sound effects,
and close-ups of blood splattered
faces. This rebellion is used by Fincher
to provide social criticism because it
shows characters rejecting the values
of society and material possessions
that go with it and yet being more
fulfilled. The significance of this
symbol can also be seen in its
contribution to characterisation.
Through fighting, the narrator is able to
truly feel emotions, something he was
incapable of in his previous existence
as an insomniac. The voice over
reinforces this as he states, ‘You
weren’t alive anywhere like you were
in Fight Club.’ stressing the
enlightenment the narrator achieves
through finding meaning and purpose
in Fight Club.
Weaving in reference to a text, analysis of production
features and addressing the effects of symbolism.
• First off there is ‘The Paper St
Soap’ this symbolises Tyler’s
fun and the mocking of the
American Dream, which is
shown in the quote, ‘fatta the
lan’. Additionally this is a very
ironic act as Tyler is selling
women their own fat back to
them in the form of soap, this
also mocks the values ot these
women. Furthermore, the idea
of selling women’s fat as soap
shows how brilliant and clever
he is.
Distinctive Mark of the Director
• Shots masking eyes
• Voiceover
• Ironic use of subliminal advertising techniques to
introduce characters
• Tyler in the background – blurred – He fell down
the stairs …
• Black humour – very borderline
• Lighting filters during insomnia
• Ironic self–reference ‘Flash Back Humour’