"Auteur" or directorial style of David Fincher.

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Film Criticism

02/25/2002

Auteur Theory: David Fincher

David Fincher began by directing commercials for clients like Nike, Pepsi, and Coco-cola, and soon moved into making music videos for Madonna, Sting, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, George Michael, Iggy Pop, The Wallflowers, Billy Idol, Steve Winwood, The Motels, and most recently, A Perfect Circle. However, he is really known as an Auteur for his work in blockbuster films. His use of weather, especially rain, shadows to conceal figures and faces, fluid tracking with a camera than seems to go everywhere, single frame inserts, and a tendency to shirk traditional Hollywood endings all represent a strong and unique style evident in three of his most popular films: Se7en, Fight Club, and Panic Room.

In all three films rain is used to mark the mood, or set up a climactic event. In the case of Se7en, the general feeling of the city of is one of bleak despair, which is heightened greatly by the never-relenting rain.

English: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at the Canne...

Pitt Street, Sydney 1878

Pitt Street [Sydney] on rainy day, c.1933 / by Sam...

Rain beats down on the two protagonists, police detectives, played by Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt, as they follow the twisted work of an intelligent and deranged killer. In one of the more noteworthy scenes, Brad Pitt's character is attacked by the murderer, and nearly killed in an alleyway, as water splashes up and over his body, creating swirls of mud and blood around his injured form. This marked use of rain is specialty of Fincher, which he continued to use in Fight Club.

The downpour in Fight Club is used to mark one of the films most dramatic moments. During the scene the characters played by Edward Norton and Brad Pitt are having a heated argument, when Pitt's character steers the vehicle into oncoming traffic, eventually causing a terrible accident. The...