Fight club essay

Postmodern media

I have decided to focus on Fight Club and Pulp Fiction as postmodern texts to explain. This is because I feel these are iconic postmodern texts which I also enjoyed.

Fight Club; A Davis Fincher film created in 1999 based on the 1996 novel by Chuck Palahniuk. Fight Club stars Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter. Edward Norton’s character, unnamed plays an ‘everyman,’ a typical office job American in today’s society. He forms a ‘fight club’ with soap salesman, Tyler Durden, played by Brad Pitt who has a sexual relationship with Marla Singer, played by Carter. The film is about ‘the postmodern dilemma of manhood and postmodernism and violence.’ The way men are different from previous generations, they have become more feminine and Fight Club portrays this. The film is a ‘metaphor for the conflict between a generation of young people and the value system of advertising.’ IE that everyone has become obsessed with ‘stuff,’ material goods and forgot about other things. It’s a critique of modern life and modern masculinity for example men use to fight in wars, but now they don’t have a demand to be ‘hard’ the fight club in Fight Club is a rebellion to all of this and a way of them regaining there strength as men, by fighting.

The director used techniques to make the audience feel uncomfortable and keep them from anticipating the twist ending, this is a postmodern idea. This is with the question of identity of the character Tyler Durden but also Norton’s character. What is the identity of the characters which is a question viewers may be thinking at certain points in the film where the director sends hints to the audience about what the ending may be, but then throws us right of track again.

The music is also postmodern; the sound was composed by the Dust Brothers, who created a different style for the film compared to there usual which is also a postmodern aspect to music. Artists who change and evolve and create different sounds from different sources.

The film was not as big as excepted and was only created a cult film once it released on DVD, it was named the most controversial and talked-about films of 1999. ‘The Guardian saw it as an omen for change in American political life, and described its visual style as ground-breaking.’

Fight club, is a dimensional film, it can be watched on face value and be appreciated, but it is also extremely deep and with an amazing amount of detail which captures different audiences. For example I watched this film when I was young and didn’t understand the ending but appreciated the film and enjoyed it although I didn’t understand it. Then I watched it a few years later and understood the ending watched it time and time again, noticing different aspects of the film and appreciating it in different ways this links to Pulp Fiction. This film I believe is definitely postmodern because of all the points above and the fact that it takes an idea which is a issue for men in today’s society (I believe) and creates a fantastic film which is entertaining even if you don’t agree with the meaning. Females still enjoy the film as much as males even though the only two females in the female are used for sex or are referring to sex. This is probable because of Brad Pitt and his amazing body! But also the identity issues can be something both males and females can relate to.


Pulp fiction; is a perfect example of a post modern text because it’s non conventional, for example the way the film pulps time, mixes it around, which is unrealistic. Most of the clocks in pulp fiction are set to 4.20 which is known particularly in America for being cannabis time, this originated from the time the ‘naughty’ kids got out of detention, and they would all meet and smoke cannabis. This is one of the many cultural references in Pulp Fiction. If the audience didn’t no this information then they would not put the connection together of all the clocks being set to the time 4.20, but if you do realise and no the meaning it makes you feel more involved in text, this brings in one of Roland Barthes five codes, the cultural code.
Most of the ‘gangster’ events happen in the morning, and the other time is not covered this adds to the fact the Pulp Fiction plays with the audience because there is absolutely no linear.
The time period settings is also confusing it jumps from styles from 1990's, 1970's. 1950's to the 1940's. For example when Butch is in the taxi on his way back to his hotel room after his fight, the back drop from the car is unrealistic; it’s black and white and looks like a scene out of a 1950's film. Another example is Mia's house has an old 1960's stereo and they are wearing what looks like fashion from the 90's. The viewer can either get that Tarantio has done it for audience effect and for his own meanings or just feel confused, personal the first time I watched it I was slightly puzzled by this aspect unparticular but on other viewings you understand that it is for effect. And I feel that this is this film allover, it’s the added detail which makes the audience feel involved and when you get it you feel almost closer to the text because you understand and can relate to it. I agree with the statement, it has an ideal construction which does not bare any relation to reality this is very post modern.

The plot explains the no sense in time as Vincent gets shot in the second situation but then is in the third. This film was extremely successful as it breaks every convention and sense of time, which is a fantastic achievement for moving media, because often audiences don’t understand and feel confused. I believe that one reason for the success of the film is that it stars John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer,
Eric Stoltz, Bruce Willis and Ving Rhames, this all star cast widens audiences as people who like a certain actor may watch the film, also it will give audience a sense of ‘this must be a good film with them in it.’
The plot includes many intertextual aspects for example; Jules quoting from the Bible is reminiscent of Robert Mitchum's character quoting from the Bible in Night Of The Hunter (1955 Charles Laughton,) Mia's haircut styled after Louise Brooks in Pandora's Box (1928 G.W. Pabst.) Also the moment where Butch is waiting at a crossroads in his car has his path crossed by Marcellus Wallace is a direct reference to the moment in Psycho (1960 Alfred Hitchcock) when Marion Crane sees her boss walk in front of her car after fleeing from him, having stolen $40,000. The way that one of the reastraunt waitress, when Vincent takes Mia out for dinner is dressed as Marilyn Monroe's and she does the famous blowing white dress action, when the skirt flies up over a subway grating from the film The Seven Year Itch (1955 Billy Wilder.) There are many more but lastly when Butch chooses his weapon to save Marcellus, all the weapons are from much older films, the Hammer—The Toolbox Murders (1978,) Baseball bat—Walking Tall (1973) and The Untouchables (1987,) the Chainsaw—The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and The Evil Dead II (1987,) the Katana (samurai sword,) Seven Samurai (1954); and The Yakuza (1975) and Shogun Assassin (1980.)
These references have been included into Pulp Fiction so film lovers can pick out there own bits and understand and relate to the text personally but also for Tarantino’s own amusement and satisfaction of a deeper, meaningful text.
All the references above don’t matter to the importance of understanding of the film, so you can watch it on face value and still enjoy Pulp Fiction, this attracts mainstreamers. Although if you notice the hidden factors of film, references and time for example it makes you feel involved which attracts aspirers. Tarantio has extremely successful created a complex post modern text which can be viewed on two levels which pleases different audiences.
Media which breaks preconceived ideas of how media ‘should’ be, a piece of text which is realistic. Fincher breaks this in Fight Club and Tarantino breaks this in Pulp Fiction, which means there are both postmodern.