David Fincher

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David Fincher
Born David Leo Fincher
August 28, 1962 (1962-08-28) (age 45)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Other name(s) Finch
Davey
Occupation film director
Years active 1984 - present
Spouse(s) Donya Fiorentino (1990-1995)
Children Phelix Imogen Fincher

David Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director and music video director known for his dark and stylish films, particularly Fight Club and Se7en.

Contents

[edit] Early life and career

Born in Denver, Colorado, Fincher was raised in Marin County, California. He moved to Ashland, Oregon in his teens where he graduated from Ashland High School. Inspired by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Fincher began making movies at age eight with an 8 mm camera. Fincher eschewed the film school route, getting a job loading cameras and doing other hands-on work for John Korty's Korty Films. He was later hired by Industrial Light & Magic in 1980, where he worked on productions for Twice Upon a Time, Return of the Jedi and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. In 1984, he left ILM to direct a commercial for the American Cancer Society, that would show a fetus smoking a cigarette. This quickly brought Fincher to the attention of producers in Los Angeles and he was given the chance to direct the documentary The Beat of the Live Drum featuring Rick Springfield in 1985. Though he would continue to direct spots for companies like Revlon, Converse, Nike, Pepsi, Sony, and Levi's, Fincher soon discovered music videos and began directing many famous videos.

[edit] Propaganda Films

With his sights set on a directing career, Fincher joined video-production company Propaganda Films and started off directing music videos and commercials. Like Fincher, other directors such as Meiert Avis, David Kellogg, Michael Bay, Antoine Fuqua, Neil LaBute, Spike Jonze, Mark Romanek, Michel Gondry, Zack Snyder, Gore Verbinski, and Alex Proyas honed their talents at Propaganda before moving on to feature films.

[edit] Music videos

Fincher directed big budget music videos for artists such as Madonna (including "Express Yourself", "Vogue" "Oh Father" and "Bad Girl"), Billy Idol ("Cradle of Love"), Jody Watley, Rick Springfield, Steve Winwood, George Michael, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, Paula Abdul, the Rolling Stones (including "Love Is Strong"), Nine Inch Nails ("Only"), the Wallflowers, The Outfield and A Perfect Circle ("Judith").

[edit] Features

[edit] Alien³

After directing several popular music videos, Fincher's feature debut was Alien³ (1992), which was at the time the most expensive picture ever made by a first time director. While it received an Oscar nomination for special effects, the film was not well received by critics or movie goers. Fincher became involved with several disputes with 20th Century Fox over script and budget issues, which eventually led Fincher to disassociate himself with the production in later years, as evidenced by his refusal to record a commentary track for the 9-disc Alien Quadrilogy box-set released in 2003 as well as having the film removed from his filmography sections on the DVDs for Fight Club and Panic Room. In "The Director's Cut"[1], he blames the producers for not putting the necessary trust in him. He opines that they were not interested in making a good film but instead wanted to exploit the franchise in the most profitable manner. Even after the film had already opened in the USA, a Japanese trailer still advertized a storyline that was not in the movie but which the producers would have preferred because of greater expected popularity at the international box office. After this alienating experience at 27, Fincher retreated back into the world of commercial and music video directing, earning a Grammy for the Rolling Stones' video "Love Is Strong" (1994).

[edit] Se7en

In 1995 Fincher was granted the opportunity to direct Se7en. The film, based on a screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker, told the story of two detectives (played in the movie by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman) tracking down a serial killer who bases his killings on the seven deadly sins. The movie grossed more than $100 million domestically (over $300 million internationally).[2] The chairman of New Line Cinema, Arnold Kopelson, originally refused to allow filming of the shocking climactic scene. With the aid of Brad Pitt, who stated that he would not be involved with the picture if its ending was changed, Fincher was allowed to film the original scene and use it in the final cut.

[edit] The Game

After the success of Se7en, Fincher went on to film The Game (1997), a Twilight Zone-style thriller which shared many similarities in style with Se7en. Yet the film failed to get the warm reception enjoyed by its predecessor. The story focused on a closed off San Francisco businessman (played by Michael Douglas) who receives an unusual gift from his younger brother (Sean Penn), in which he becomes the main player of a role-playing game that takes over his life. It was well received by critics despite middling box-office returns.

[edit] Fight Club

Fight Club was a screen adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel of the same name about an insomniac office worker who opens up a club devoted exclusively to bare knuckle fighting for males. Featuring Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, and Se7en collaborator Brad Pitt, the 1999 film was easily one of the most publicized of the year but was an early disappointment at the box-office and received mixed reviews. Fight Club was panned by several critics and alienated audiences leading to its box office failure in the United States.

However many critics and audiences later changed their perceptions and the film appeared on many 'best of the year' lists and soon developed a following. Entertainment Weekly, which had originally given the film a negative grade of D, later ranked the DVD #1 on its list of "The Top 50 DVDs You Need To Own."

In 2006 the British magazine Total Film voted Fight Club number four in the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time, beaten only by Jaws, Vertigo and Goodfellas at 3, 2 and 1 respectively.[3]

[edit] Panic Room

In 2002, Fincher followed up with the thriller Panic Room Though the film impressively pulled in over $92 million at the U.S. box office, it was not as well received by critics as Se7en, Fight Club or The Game. The story follows a single mother (Jodie Foster) and her daughter as they hide in a safe room of their new house, away from criminals (Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam and Fight Club collaborator Jared Leto) bent on finding a missing fortune. Fincher acknowledged Panic Room as a more mainstream thriller, describing the film as a "really good B movie" about "two people trapped in a closet" on the DVD's audio commentary.

[edit] Zodiac

Five years after Panic Room, Fincher returned on March 2, 2007 with Zodiac, an adaptation of Robert Graysmith's books about the hunt for the Zodiac Killer that starred major actors such as Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, and Brian Cox. The vast majority of the film was shot digitally on a Thompson Viper FilmStream Camera. It was the first of Fincher's films to be shot digitally, although contrary to popular belief, it was not entirely digital; high-speed film cameras were used for the Blue Rock Springs and Presidio Heights murder scenes for the slow-motion shots.[4] It was originally to be released in the fall of 2006 but was pushed back after Fincher refused to cut 20 minutes off the film.

Zodiac was one of the best-reviewed films of that year, with only two other 2007 films appearing on more top-10 lists than Zodiac ("No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood")[5]. Despite the high-praise, however, the film struggled at the box office, earning only $33 Million in the U.S.[6] Despite an aggressive campaign by the studio, expectations surrounding Robert Downey Jr.'s supporting performance, Fincher's direction and Vanderbilt's adapted script, the film did not earn a single Academy Award nomination.[7]

[edit] Future projects

[edit] The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Described as a sci-fi love story, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is Fincher's next film, completed and set for its debut in theaters on December 19, 2008. It is an adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald's short story of the same name. The film will unite Fincher with Brad Pitt for the third time. The film started shooting in November 2006 in New Orleans, before moving on to the Virgin Islands, Montreal, and L.A.. Both Zodiac and this film are co-productions of Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures. The budget for the film was estimated at 150 million dollars, partly due to the CGI effects used to reverse the aging in Brad Pitt's character.

[edit] Torso

David Fincher is also attached to direct an adaptation of Brian Michael Bendis' graphic novel Torso, with Jake Gyllenhaal attached to the lead role, reuniting him with Fincher after Zodiac. Paramount Pictures have placed the film on the fast-track, with production to be completed before the impending 2008 Writers Guild, Directors Guild and Screen Actors Guild strike.[8]

[edit] Rendezvous with Rama

David Fincher has been long attached to do an adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's 1972 sci-fi book, Rendezvous with Rama. It was brought to his attention by Se7en star Morgan Freeman, whose company, Revelations Entertainment had optioned it. The film was originally to have been made by PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, but after being bought out by Universal Pictures, the film has since moved over to Paramount Pictures (which currently has a joint venture with Universal for international distribution of the 2 studios' films, United International Pictures). It has since been in development.

[edit] The Killer

On November 1st, 2007, Variety reported that Fincher was attached to do an adaptation of a French graphic novel called The Killer by Alexis Nolent, which was optioned by Paramount Pictures and Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment, with Pitt attached to star in the film. Scripted by Allesandro Camon, the film is about a top assassin, with his conscience getting the better of him, and a cop on his tail. [9]

[edit] Black Hole

On February 20th, 2008, Variety reported that Fincher was set to direct an adaptation of the Charles Burns novel Black Hole. The film, set up at Paramount Pictures, is set to follow sexually active teens who begin to transmit a 'bug' sexually, which causes strange mutations. As of now, no production timetable has been set.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Theatrical films

[edit] Music videos

[edit] Commercials

[edit] Interviews

[edit] See also

[edit] Books

[edit] References

  1. ^ Conversations with 21 Hollywood directors: http://www.amazon.com/directors-Cut-Picturing-Hollywood-Century/dp/082641902X/ref=sr_1_3/102-0096738-9292925?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1188996033&sr=1-3
  2. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=seven.htm
  3. ^ http://www.totalfilm.com/movie_news/who_is_the_greatest
  4. ^ Zodiac Director's Cut DVD, 2nd Disc, Visual Effects featurette
  5. ^ http://criticstop10.com/
  6. ^ http://www.boxofficereport.com/ybon/2007gross.shtml
  7. ^ http://www.oscars.org/80academyawards/nominees/index.html
  8. ^ http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=37338
  9. ^ http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117975225.html?categoryid=13&cs

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Films directed by David Fincher

Alien³ (1992) • Se7en (1995) • The Game (1997) • Fight Club (1999) • Panic Room (2002) • Zodiac (2007) • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
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