This document provides an analysis of the film Fight Club and the relationship between the central characters of Jack and Tyler. It discusses how Tyler represents the destruction of societal beliefs and masculinity threatened by feminization. References are made to how the fights in the film reassert masculine identity and how the relationship between Jack and Tyler can be viewed through the Oedipus complex, with Jack rejecting his "father figure" of Tyler. Students are tasked with discussing how these ideas apply to their understanding of the film and themes of gender and ideology within the text.

1. Entrance Activity
Fight Club:
“The central character is torn between t______m and t______e”
(John McC_______ – 20__)
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2. Ebbert (19__) states “The whole movie is about g__s afraid of l____g their c____es”
• Is Marla a threat to the survival of masculinity in this text?
• Is ‘Jack’ afraid of Marla?
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3. The film is iconoclastic.
In other words, its aim is to destroy
some of our most cherished beliefs –
to turn our ideas about society on its
head
• WHAT are some of those beliefs that we cherish?
• WHO represents David Fincher’s stylistic choices to destroy some our most
cherished beliefs?

4. YOU MUST give an example of something Tyler says that destroys something we
cherish in the text.

5. Title:
‘Fight Club’ –
Jack & Tyler –
Machismo Bond
Fight 3)
Friday 17th April 2015
FM4:
Varieties of Film Experience – Issues and Debates
Section C:
Single Film – Close Critical Study
(30 Marks)

6. Why?
Aims & Objectives
• YOU WILL establish HOW an
ideology and critical approach you
need to know for the exam applies
to the text.
• YOU WILL develop an
understanding Jack & Tyler
• Gender representation will be
explored in the lesson.
• Review the learning.
AO1
Demonstrate knowledge and
understanding of film as an
audio-visual form of creative
expression together and
AO2
Apply knowledge and
understanding, including
some of the common critical
approaches that characterise
the subject, when exploring
and analysing films.

7. Tyler epitomises the adolescent fantasy –
HOW?

8. “Fights will go on as long as they have to”
Fight Club “reasserts a masculine identity threatened by the feminization of
American culture” (Suzanne Clark – 2003)
• Are men fighting against more than the “feminization of American culture” (Suzanne
Clark – 2003)?
• “As long as they have to” – HOW will it end?

9. • Diana Saco – ‘Female Gaze’ – Tyler is an object of
Homoerotic desire.
• “It's macho porn -- the sex movie Hollywood has
been moving towards for years, in which
eroticism between the sexes is replaced by all-
guy locker-room fights.” (Roger Ebert – 1999)

10. Conforming to the Oedipus complex (Sigmund Freud) Jack only becomes a mature
‘man’ when he rejects/kills his father figure (Tyler) – by shooting himself in the mouth.

11. Produce a 1 Page overview of how ‘critical and review writing’ develop your
understanding of the film.

12. Homework
• Go to the Section C Blog page and complete
some Section C Revision
• Research how Misogyny is a key theme in the
text.
• Revise for an upcoming past paper
Due: Next Lesson