2. Fight Club questions on Critical approaches
i. Explore some of the ways in which you have gained fresh insights into your chosen
film as a result of applying one or more specific critical approaches.
ii. How important have been the responses of others, such as film reviewers, in
influencing your own response to your chosen film?
iii. How far has critical debate about your chosen film shaped and altered your
response?
iv. Explore some of the ways in which placing your chosen film within a broader
critical framework has helped to develop your appreciation and understanding of
specific sequences.
v. How useful has a particular critical approach been in gaining a deeper
understanding and appreciation of your chosen film?
vi. Explain how your understanding of your chosen film has been influenced by critical
debates.
3. "It touched a nerve in the male psyche
that was debated in newspapers across
"invigoratingly nervy and
the world."
imaginative buzz",
Political and Social Message
"irresponsible and appalling".
5. It was cited as one of the most controversial and talked about movies of 1999
The movie certainly raises many issues concerning our contemporary world, the
search for true identity in a world where "everything is a copy of a copy of a copy."
Some of the main messages in this movie seem to be that "only when you lose
everything, you have the right to do anything", or "the things you own end up
owning you." A bit scary, yet they give you food for thought.
11. The reasons behind WWE
I. Marketing executives at 20th Century fox faced difficulties in marketing Fight
Club and at one point considered marketing it as an ‘Art Film’
II. They explained how it was geared to male audiences only and not even Brad
Pitt would attract the female audience
III. 20th Century wanted the marketing campaign to focus on Pitt but Fincher
refused and brought in Wieden and Kennedy
IV. They were the brains behind the pink bar of soap (feminine and clean – all
the things fight club isn’t) – This went down as a ‘bad joke’ by fox executives.
V. Norton then released two fake ‘public announcements’ by Pitt and Norton –
Fox did not like this and decided to throe $20m into the marketing campaign
instead. They focused on the fight scenes and advertised it between WWE
broadcasts – as these ‘types’ of people would be the only ones to watch
Fight club.
VI. This was to blame for the ‘lukewarm’ reception fight club got at the box
office in the US
13. The stars of Fight Club
The one thing Fincher did get right was the stars – Many critics loved Pitt and
Norton (although some obviously hated them)
Another way you could answer the ‘critics’ question is to discuss the actors
performance.
The original cast was Norton, Crowe and Witherspoon
14. Essay Question for over Half term
1. Research into Pitt, Norton and Carters performance
2. Find articles on their performance in Fight Club
Answer the following question
Explore some of the ways in which you have gained fresh insights into your
chosen film as a result of applying one or more specific critical
approaches.
You should look into the social debate which has been discussed in this
lesson and the ‘stars’ debate which you will research independently.
Your essay should be two sides long and written – try and restrict your
writing time to 45 minutes.
Editor's Notes
April 201999, in the suburban town of Littleton, Colorado, Two high-school seniors:Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris
