Fight Club

Both the cinematography and editing often have an important role in portraying to the viewer the underlying themes and ideas being communicated by a particular films plot. David Finchers film Fight Club is an excellent example of how various editorial and cinematic effects can greatly reinforce the themes of a film as well as create the an appropriate atmosphere in order to further enthrall the viewer into its plot.

In Fight Club the protagonist unknowingly has a severe split personality disorder and is portrayed by two characters, the narrator played by Edward Norton and Tyler Durden played by Brad Pitt. While the fact that these two are actually the same person is not made known to the viewer until the end of the film, the majority of the film is spent creating a dichotomy between the behaviors and ideals of these two characters in order to shock the unsuspecting viewer upon discovering the truth about the protagonist.

In a larger sense the differences between the protagonists conflicting personalities reflect differences inherent in the entire social structure of modern America. In making Fight Club David Fincher, as well as the films entire production team use a great deal of editing effects and cinematography in order to illustrate the dichotomy between, not just Tyler and the narrator, but also their conflicting ways of life.

One of the most important methods used in showing the differences between the narrators stereotypical yuppie lifestyle and Tylers self destructive, anti-establishment driven compulsion is the lighting and color used in various scenes throughout the film. Places such as the narrators condo and workplace are always well lit and seem to be in perfect order. The color schemes of such places, as well as the outfits worn by the narrators coworkers and neighbors usually consist of neutral, non- flashy colors such as whites and gray and seem generic and typical. Also these places appear clear and crisp as though they were shot as fine grain images.

Conversely, the dwellings associated with Tyler such as, the Paper Street house and the various bars in which fight club takes place seem to be much more grainy and dimly lit. The Paper Street house where Tyler lives is a fine example of this contrast, while like the office and condo its color scheme is consistent, instead of being consistently clean and orderly everything appears to be the same shade of dingy yellowish brown. In addition to this the Paper Street house is constantly dimly lit and seems to be in a state of perpetual disorder. The basement of Lous Tavern, the bar in which fight club first takes place, is by far the most dimly lit setting in the entire film. During the fight club scenes everything in the basement appears to be gray and deeply shrouded in shadow, interestingly the only prominent color that is focused on in the basement is the dark red blood that is spilled in large quantities by competitors.

Another important vehicle for showing the differences between Tyler and the narrator was the use of digital cinematography and special effects. One of the first occurrences of digitally added effects in the film comes when the narrator is describing the over priced, catalog bought furniture in his condo and as he speaks captions of white text, describing and pricing his property begin to appear next to their respective products. This effect illustrates to the viewer how the narrator is hopelessly engrained with both consumerism and materialism. Furthermore, when the narrator is on an airplane he imagines a midair collision in which the plane bursts open and plummets to the ground.

The fact that Fincher chose to actually show the viewer this fantasy rather than just have it recounted by the narrator helps to further illustrate just how disillusioned the narrator is becoming with his life before meeting Tyler. Another important visual effect takes place when Tyler gives the narrator a chemical burn in order to somehow enlighten him. While being burned the narrator desperately pictures a serene forest and a frozen cave, trying to avoid thinking of words like searing and burning which are flashed across the screen in the form of a close of their dictionary definition. This conflict truly shows the difference between Tyler and the narrator, while Tyler is trying to force the narrator to embrace the pain and thereby accept the worlds imperfections, the narrator reacts by trying to mentally escape from it thus characterizing him as afraid and non-confrontational.

Finally, the differences between the protagonists two personalities are also reinforced by the various camera angles used throughout the film. One of the most important camera techniques used throughout Fight Club is the close up of various people or objects. The first time the narrator sees Marla there is a close up of her French inhaling a cigarette which gives her the effect of being menacing and problematic and suggests that he has no sexual interest in her. Also, later in the film there is a close up of Raymond K Hassell, a connivance store clerk whose head Tyler is holding a gun to. While Tyler seems unaffected by his sobs and pleas for his life, the narrator is utterly shocked and appalled, showing once again that while the narrator is instilled with a moral compass and compassion, Tyler seems to lack both of those.

Another important camera angle used in the film was the point of view shot when Tyler purposefully got into the car accident, this shot allowed the viewer to experience the intensity of the given situation and perhaps sympathize with the narrator who was

hysterical at the time. Lastly, one of the most crucial instances of this is the sex scene. When Marla and the protagonist first have sex Tyler experiences it in reality but the narrator also experiences it through the guise of a dream. This not only shows the viewer that Tylers proactive personality is obviously much more confident and suitable to seduce women than the narrator who never shows interest in Marla but also gives the viewer an initial hint that perhaps Tyler and the narrator are linked in someway

While Fight Club was an excellent book before it was made into a film there are a number of items used in the film to make watching it an emotion and realistic experience for the viewer. The above discussed added editing effects and cinematography allowed Fincher to very accurately put to film the atmosphere and ideas that were apparent in Palahniuks novel.

In the beginning of the movie, the Narrator has a nice apartment and fancy furniture. After his apartment is destroyed, he moves in with Tyler and they live in an abandoned house that is practically falling apart, and make soap for their living. After losing all of his personal belongings, the Narrator, with the help of Tyler, creates Fight Club.

Through this ultra-private organization, the Narrator becomes an extremely powerful leader of Fight Club. Everywhere that the Narrator goes, he is recognized by other members and always given special treatment because of who he is. Although the Narrator has lost all of his fancy personal belongings and is living almost in a state of disparity, it does not matter to him, because he is content with who he has become.

Throughout the movie, the Narrator’s self-image changes greatly. He sees himself as a more powerful person, which is obvious when the audience realizes that Tyler Durden is no more than the Narrator’s view of himself. The Narrator plans out attacks and leads his club as if he were a heroic military leader. The Narrator makes himself into what he wants to be through his invisible friend, Tyler Durden.

He gets respect and admiration from people who would have laughed at him before his ascension into Fight Club. He became what he wanted to be even though he had none of what society views as things that people need to become anything important, such as a nice home and a nice car.

The movie Fight Club illustrates Tyler Durden’s quote, “It is only after you have lost everything that you’re free to do anything.” Tyler Durden uses this line in the movie to show the Narrator and the audience that just because he has practically nothing, he can still become anything that he desires to be, even though he has lost almost all of his personal belongings.

As directed by David Fincher, Fight Club is a movie about both the dehumanizing effects of the consumer culture that forms the backbone of America, and the excesses of the men’s movement. The narrator is a slave to the American dream, whose voiceover discloses a sarcastic, nonconforming, but frail interior life. He’s nameless, but let’s call him ‘Jack’ (as the film credits list him) because he identifies himself with parts of the physical and psychological anatomy:

“I am Jack’s medulla oblongata,” “I am Jack’s inflamed sense of rejection.”

Jack leads a vampiric life, feeding on the suffering and pain of others, while providing himself with a needed satisfaction. In the course of his travels as a recall coordinator for a major auto manufacturer (a job that, in a way, represents the corruption of corporate America), he encounters the outrageous anarchist named Tyler Durden (who is played by: Brad Pitt). It all begins when Tyler asks Jack to take a swing at him (which he does), the fist fighting then escalates into a club, where men can forget their daily lives, imperfections and consumer visions and prove their own masculinity for a brief period of time. As Tyler’s influence grows on Jack, he becomes an accomplice in his game of pranks and mischief, until fight club morphs into an almost military operation, called ‘Project Mayhem.” This new idea of Tyler’s becomes a rebellion against corporate America, and all people trying to live the ‘American Dream.’

Despite the extreme politics and extreme fighting, Fight Club is really about how to become a man. There is a Buddhist proverb which states that on the path to enlightenment you have to kill your parents, your god, and your teacher. Jack’s quest to become an authentic masculine man, makes him follow a similar path. Jack’s been told that if he gets an education, a good job, is responsible, presents himself in a certain way with his furniture, car, and clothes, then he’ll find happiness. He’s accomplished everything his father taught him to do, but he remains unfulfilled in spite of possessing the American Dream. So the movie introduces him at the point when Jack’s figuratively killed off his father and realizes that he’s wrong. But Jack he’s still caught up in the materialism and consumerism that’s part of the American Dream. And then he finds a mentor in Tyler Durden, they do everything they’re not supposed to do–inflicting pain on themselves and others, pranks, mischief etc.

“Our fathers were our models for God. And, if our fathers bailed, what does that tell us about God?… You have to consider the possibility that God doesn’t like you, He never wanted you. In all probability, He hates you. This is not the worst thing that can happen…We don’t need him…We are God’s unwanted children, with no special place and no special attention, and so be it.”

However, when the violence spirals out of control, Jack rejects the masculine model offered by his counterpart (Tyler), thus completing the process of maturing into a man (as described by the Buddhist proverb) by killing off his teacher.

The fight club, which is an ultra secret male society, becomes a substitute for the corporations and other traditional male societal clubs that have disappointed men. It’s a form of manual shock therapy, a way of jolting themselves out of their numbness and reconnecting with reality. The point is not to win, but to experience the maximum amount of pain in a desperate attempt to find a shred of authenticity as a man. In the film, the basement fight scenes are all shot dark and more importantly, damp–with rusty water, gushing blood and other bodily fluids. This style defines the contrast between Jack’s aboveground life and his underground one.

Tyler Durden is everything that the repressed, mild-mannered Jack isn’t, but wishes he could be– he’s a projection of Jack’s fantasies about the ultimate man. Durden (is a cocky, confident, spontaneous, irrational, infantile, aggressive, antisocial, amoral, and uncontrollable person), but for all that, Jack sees Durden as his breakthrough, the voice that will finally tell him to stop defining himself

with the American Dream: “You are not your job. You are not how much money you have in the bank. You are not your fucking khakis!”

Fight Club ends with Jack finally becoming the man he wants to be

“My eyes are open Tyler.”

Jack begins life as an adult man when he sees the error of his violent ways; he rejects Tyler, by finally figuratively killing him off. Throughout the movie, you can see the metamorphosis of Jack, from his idea of a happy American man, to his new sadistic version of the more masculine man, by spiraling through a blur of Tyler’s life and his own. Jack never really had to prove his masculinity to anyone, he just had to realize the truth, and that’s what Tyler did to him, the last task is what finished the process and made him a true man, not in the materialistic/consumerist sense, but in his own

eyes. The American dream is nothing but a shroud held over us by corporate America, when you realize you can step through it, you no longer need it to survive.

Singer asks the question, “How many more Jonestowns and Wacos will have to occur before we realize how vulnerable all humans are to influence? ” With this, Singer a clinical therapist who specialized in brainwashing and coercive persuasion, considered a giant in the field of cult behavior brings the normally taboo topic of cults in our society to the forefront of discussion.

People must be informed and understand what a cult is, and how cults use thought-reform as a means to manipulate and control the masses. If people are left uneducated, senseless acts of self and social destruction will continue to be carried out by followers of proclaimed prophets. Shoko Asahara’s cult “Aum Shinrikyo,” which translates to “teaching of the supreme truth” (Wessinger 121), an organized and violent group, has correlating similarities to Tyler Durden’s following.

Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club is a book about a man that creates a following in the form of a modern day cult, in which he uses its members to carry out acts of social terrorism, violence, and self-destruction by means of manipulation and thought reform. In order to understand cult behavior in Fight Club, one needs to understand the characteristics of a cult and how they are defined. “Cults are not a unique species of human group; they are the endpoints on a continuum” (Andres 1-7). A common misconception of cults is all cults are religious. Although many are, religious beliefs alone do not dictate the qualification of what a cult is.

Singer describes that “cultic relationships” better define the parameters of what qualifies a cult, and that a cult can usually be identified by three factors despite its belief system. Of those factors, “Origin of the group and roles of the leader,” insists that most of the time there is one person in charge and in control of the decision making process for the cult and its members (Singer 8). Although cults range from a wide variety of categories and beliefs, cult leaders usually have uniform characteristics: “Cult leaders are self-appointed, persuasive persons who claim to have a special mission in life or to have special knowledge.

Cult leaders tend to be determined and domineering and are often described as charismatic. Cult leaders center veneration on themselves” (Singer 8). Tyler was a party of one who had the charisma and ideology that appealed to the impressionable minds of people looking for something more. The followers of Fight Club looked at Tyler and saw everything they wanted but could not be themselves. “I love everything about Tyler Durden, his courage and his smarts. His nerve. Tyler is funny and charming and forceful and independent, and men look up to him and expect him to change their world.

Tyler is capable and free, and I am not” . Tyler Durden is a leader, he has the ability to shape the minds of his followers through his power of persuasion. Whether it be the Fight Club, Project Mayhem, or one of Project Mayhem’s subdivisions, Tyler’s members abided by core beliefs and rules given by himself, and were eager to progress in Tyler’s self destructive behavior. Tyler believed that in order to gain enlightenment, to know who we really are, “First you must hit bottom”. Tyler’s followers want to be him, to think, and act as he acts.

There was no questioning Tyler’s logic, his follower’s followed. “The structure or relationship between leader and followers,” states that; “Cults are authoritarian in structure. Cults appear to be innovative and exclusive. Cults tend to have a double set of ethics” (Singer 9). Even though a leader may appoint people to act in higher positions of authority to guide other members, the leader’s authority supersedes all. The cult leader offers its members something unique, something that can only be found through membership, and that in becoming one of the following makes that person “special” (Singer 9).

It is normal that there are a strict set of rules, or a code of conduct between members that is not held to non-members. Whereas deceiving an outsider is completely acceptable, doing the same to a fellow member would not (Singer 9). The defining relationship of Tyler Durden in Fight Club is, without a doubt,leader to his followers. Tyler doesn’t refer to himself as a prophet or god; however, he does interpret with accuracy how his followers perceive him. “Tonight, I go to the Armory Bar and the crowds part zipper style when I walk in.

To everybody there, I am Tyler Durden the Great and Powerful. God and father” (199). In order to further the development of Fight Clubs and Project Mayhem, Tyler appointed chapter leaders to instill the rules and beliefs he created. The chapter leaders obediently did as they were taught to do because in Fight Club, “You don’t ask questions,” and “you have to trust Tyler” (122,125). Interfere with Tyler’s goals, and Tyler will kill or castrate the opposition. “The coordinated program of persuasion,” is the “crucial factor in the definition of cults” (Singer 10). Cults tend to be totalistic, or all-encompassing, in controlling their members’ behavior and also ideologically totalistic, exhibiting zealotry and extremism in the worldview. Cults tend to require members to undergo a major disruption or change in life-style” (Singer 10). Cults may start similar to what could be compared to a part time job, in which a member or in our example, an employee takes part in an activity or event for some sort of end result, whether it be self satisfaction or in the case of an employee, money.

At some point the goal of the cult is to have its members completely invested, or a full time employee. This includes a life that can be compared to military lifestyle, in which members are often dehumanized, told when to eat, drink, sleep, and what to wear. This often results in abandoning their non-cult life completely in order to further “become immersed in the group’s major purpose” (Singer 10). Fight Club’s members transition from part time to full time, consisted of belonging to Project Mayhem or one of its several subdivisions.

Tyler’s mission was to free the people from whom he thought were slaves to society. Tyler wanted to change the world, destroy the old and create a new world of a more basic need. “It’s Project Mayhem that’s going to save the world. A cultural ice age. A prematurely induced dark age. Project Mayhem will force humanity to go dormant or into remission long enough for the Earth to recover. ” “This was the goal of Project Mayhem,” Tyler said, “the complete and right away destruction of civilization” .

Project Mayhem’s group dubbed “space monkeys”was stripped of all possessions except that which was required by Tyler. Dehumanized and stripped of their previous life identities the space monkey’s goal was to serve Tyler and membership required giving total control to the cause. “Only in death will we have our own names since only in death are we no longer part of the effort. In death we become heroes” . Fight Club’s members were manipulated to the point of partaking in acts of violence for recognition, and finding death for the cause to be heroic. Tyler’s control of his members is absolute and unquestioned.

To begin understanding the complete and total control cults tend to have over its members, one must understand the thought-reform process. Brainwashing is the technique used by cults to strip its members of their freewill and carry out the cult leader’s ideals that define his or her cult. This includes, but are not limited to, organized acts of violence including; social terrorism, murder, and self destruction (Singer 82). The word “brainwashing,” or thought reform, was birthed in the 1950s during the Korean War when captive United States troops returned home appearing to be “converted Communists” (Taylor 3).

Even when free from captivity and having no contact with any Communist interaction, theses soldiers denounced loyalty to their own country, and praised of the Communist way of life. Edward Hunter, CIA operative who investigated the reasoning behind the apparent odd behaviors for returning troops, was the first to “publicly christened” the term brainwashing said, “The intent is to change a mind radically so that its owner becomes a living puppet a human robot without the atrocity being visible from the outside.

The aim is to create a mechanism in flesh and blood, with new beliefs and new thought processes inserted into a captive body. What that amounts to is the search for a slave race that, unlike the slaves of olden times, can be trusted never to revolt, always be amenable to orders, like an insect to its instinct” (Taylor 3). While technological advances and modernization of growing societies have changed the way thought reform is implemented, the core foundation and overall goal still has the same purpose of control.

Harmful effects on cult members thought processes tend to come from the techniques of control implemented from within the cult. Utilization of these techniques is used to socialize members into the cultural environment of the cult can produce “feelings of guilt, dependency, low self-esteem, worthlessness, anxiety and hopelessness in vulnerable individuals” (Walsh). Robert Lifton was one of the early psychologists to study brainwashing and mind control. He called the method used thought reform. He identified eight processes used to alter the minds of subjects.

While all of the processes have some direct content relating to Fight Club, there are three that fit best. Lifton describes “ milieu control,” as “ control of human communication”(Walsh). This is how the individual communicates with the outside world and how the outside world communicates to the individual, meaning like Tyler’s space monkey’s, who practices and recited Tyler’s rhetoric, these individual’s are cut off from worldly means of communication, entertainment, and normal social interaction because they are seen as corrupt. These individuals receive and transmit information through a filter of cult ideology.

Lifton suggests, “Mystical manipulation is the use of an extensive personal manipulation to provoke specific patterns of behavior in a seemingly spontaneous way,” and that, “they suggest that there is an induction of dependency by manipulative and exploitive techniques of persuasion and control” (Walsh). This is best depicted in Fight Club by the way Tyler uses his charismatic personalities to influence his members that Fight Club is what they need in order be awakened from their boring lives of slavery in the corrupt consumerist world.

Lifton’s Doctrine over person states, “A situation in which the doctrine of the group shapes the reality of which the member must exist” (Walsh). This makes their pre-cult lifestyle unappealing, and progresses their “new identity based on the new ideology” (Walsh). Tyler uses this idea in Fight Club to convince members that life outside of Fight Club is nothing more than a role being played to mask their true identity, eventually resulting in full recruitment in to one of Fight Clubs subdivision’s, and abandonment of their previous lifestyle completely.

These methods of thought reform are commonly found in cult’s who practice radical religious beliefs and/or acts of violence in the name of its cause. Aum Shinrikyo, or “The Aum” was a cult which began operations in Japan, tried to bring world change through “techniques of guerrilla warfare” (Walsh 119-128). The Aum became a “legally registered religion in 1989” starting with approximately 4,000 members (Wessinger 130). By the mid-90s its membership had more than doubled at an estimated 10,000 members in Japan, and having expanded its reach including about 30,000 members in Russia (Wessinger 131).

Aum Shinrikyo is an aggressive, highly organized, educated, extremely violent, and has the wealth to make serious impacts on society. Like Tyler’s Fight Club, “Aum Shinrikyo offered an alternative to lifetime employment in unfulfilling work” (Wessinger 131). Many of Aum Shinrikyo’s members hold positions of power, are highly educated, and have specialized skills. They include; scientists, military personnel, police officers, and political officials that contribute to the organization (Wessinger 135).

Tyler’s Fight Club is similar in construction to Aum Shinrikyo, in that its members are well distributed throughout the societies in which it is established, giving the organization the power to infiltrate and execute acts of social terrorism. Shoko Asahara said, “Aum is a mighty obstacle to the evil that rules this world” (Wessinger 120). Similar to Tyler Durden, Shoko Asahara conducted the business of his following with violent measured attacks on society and anyone who was a threat to his organization or its ideals.

Aum Shinrikyo’s violence began internally, beatings of members in order to become closer to “clairvoyance” expanded to attacks on enemies and society (Wessinger 123). Although different in beliefs, Aum’s pattern of progression follows a very similar structure to that of Fight Club. Similar to Fight Club’s subdivisions such as Project Mayhem, Aum Shinrikyo uses specialized member’s devoted to carrying out acts of violence towards enemies.

Threats to hinder or expose any criminal aspects, or cult activities of both organizations were counteracted with acts of violence and brutality. Aum Shinrikyo assassinated defecting members, journalist, prosecutors, judges, and anyone else who opposed their endeavors (Wessinger 133). Extreme acts of violence in able to progress forward in cult behavior and goals is what directly link Aum Shirikyo and Fight Club together. In understanding the inner workings of cult behavior, it is evident to what Tyler’s following is, what it does, and how it gains control of members.

One can see how Fight Club’s cult behavior show uniform similarities to the characteristics that define a cult. In addition, understanding how a cult controls its members by means of manipulation and thought reform, in order to implement core beliefs, participate in acts of violence, and recruit members; one can grasp how powerful the control cults can have over their members. In looking at Aum Shinrikyo, a violent and socially destructive organization, we are able to see the consistency between Shoko Asahara’s and Tyler Durden’s following.

Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club depicts the story of a man who build’s himself a clearly definable cult, in which he uses its members to carry out acts of social terrorism, violence, and self-destruction by means of manipulation and thought-reform.

Works Cited

1. Andres, Rachel, and James R. Lane. Cults & Consequences: The Definitive Handbook. Los Angeles: Jewish Federation Council, 1988. Print Palahniuk, Chuck. Fight Club. New York: Norton, 1996. Print.
2. Singer, Margaret Thaler. Cults in Our Midst: The Hidden Menace in Our Everyday Lives. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1996. Print
3. Taylor, Kathleen. Brainwashing: The Science of Thought Control. Oxford: Oxford University, Print. Walsh, Yvonne. “Deconstructing ‘Brainwashing’ Within Cults as an Aid to Counselling Psychologists” Counselling Psychology QuarterlyJune 2001: 119-128. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 March 2010 Wessinger, Catherine. How the Millennium Comes Violently: From Jonestown to Heaven’s Gate. New York: Steven Bridges, 2000. Print.