Fight Club 2

1. Who wrote the novel and who directed the film?

Born on February 21, 1962, Chuck Palahniuk’s early life was full of strife. His parents separated when he was 14, sending him and his siblings to live with their grandparents. Within a few years of their divorce, both of Palahniuk’s parents died. Carol, is mother, died of cancer, while his father, Fred was murdered. After high school, Palahniuk attended the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism. Graduating in 1986, Palahniuk then held multiple odd jobs. He was a journalist and essayist, as well as, a mechanic and homeless shelter/ hospice volunteer. Palahniuk also became a member of the Cacophony Society, an organization much like his fictional Project Mayhem. Palahniuk did not start writing until he was in his mid- thirties. The first novel he wrote, Invisible Monsters, was rejected by publishers for “disturbing content.” Palahniuk’s response to the rejection was to write a book even more disturbing. However, Fight Club was published; and in 1997, was awarded both the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award and the Oregon Book Award. Three years after it publication, 20th Century Fox bought the rights to Fight Club. Palahniuk was asked to write Fight Club’s screenplay, however, he refused.

David Andrew Fincher began making movies when he was eight years old. Born on August 28, 1962, Fincher grew up in California. After graduating from Ashland high school, Fincher skipped postsecondary education. In its place, Fincher worked at Korty Films with John Korty, and Industrial Light and Magic with George Lucas. Fincher’s first directing jobs were for music videos and TV commercials. His first big screen debut was Aliens3, but Se7en was his first major success. His adaptati...

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...and Tyler is put in his place. The scene still plays out the same way Palahniuk wrote it, just with no minor characters to muddle up the screen. The last reason the film is better than the movie is the ending. David Fincher “goes Hollywood” and changes the ending of Palahniuk’s Fight Club. At the end of the movie, the narrator tries to right all of Tyler’s wrongs. He tries to protect Marla, turn himself into the police, tell them about Project Mayhem, and even disable one of Tyler’s bombs. As a Hollywood film, Fight Club needs to have a definitive and decisive conclusion. Fincher’s narrator wins, he “kills” Tyler Durden, and gets the girl. However, much like the novel, and ending is still debatable and open to individual interpretation. The film is amazing, visually and metaphorically, but Palahniuk’s novel is not given enough credit for making the film what it is.