HOLL YWOOD FILMS SIGNATURE

Hollywood Films Signature



Hollywood Films Signature

Introduction

The works of David Fincher came into the spotlight a few years into his career. Two of his productions aided with his plunge into astonishing stardom and due recognition. These two films are the ones that will be my main focus during this analytic research (Schatz, 1993, 8-37). Seven and Fight Club truly thrust Fincher into the public eye. While the genres of these movies are dissimilar, they vary only slightly in the final outlook. Both films play up the psychological aspect of fear and, mental torment thrives throughout each scene (James, 1989, 141-57). While seven has been categorized as basic horror, in fact- it also strives upon mentally afflicting both the characters and the audience. Fight Club also works with psychological obscurity- tempting its audiences to question their own throbbing psyche after just one viewing. Therefore, here we stand, with a first resemblance between the two films. While Seven will make you sick to your stomach and, and while Fight Club bares an unexpected satiric tone- they will both mold your mind and shape it at their wish. This generalizes both films as psychological thrillers.

Consequently, it will attempt to portray supplementary similarities in the two films as to reveal a specific style and cinematically technical signature of David Fincher. While analyzing basic camera work and editing, music choices, recurring symbolism, character choice and character development throughout both productions- David Fincher's artistic viewpoint will surely portray itself in the similarities found (Belton, 1993, 52-96)

Discussion

Academy Award winner Seven tells a vulgar and petrifying story. This story is backed up by a star cast of Hollywood veterans, as well as up and coming stars. The likes of Kevin Spacer and Morgan Freeman add a sophisticated tone to this film and elevate it to a higher level while expanding their target audience. Such stars as Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow provide an equilibrium of sorts to satisfy our celebrity enthralled population. Therefore this cast engages audiences of all ages, while providing impeccable performances. The story follows two detectives, one retiring, Morgan Freeman, and one his replacement, Brad Pitt, as they jointly investigate a series of ritualistic murders inspired by the seven deadly sins. Over the course of the investigation they attempt to track down the killer before he has a chance to murder his seven victims. This film will be one of my subjects of discussion as it was David Fincher's opening success (King, 2002, 1-49).

Released in 1999, Fight Club is a novel adaptation of the novel by Chuck Palahniuk. Studio executives were not receptive to the film, and Fight Club failed to live up to standards at the box office while receiving alternating reactions from film critics. The film was labelled as one of the most disputed and talked-about films of 1999. This film was perceived as a pioneering one for its unique cinematical style and for captivating an obscurity of the modern mind that has been held under ...