What Changed in Fight Club’s Ending After 23 Years?
The ending to the cult 1999 US film Fight Club has undergone significant changes, especially for viewers in China. Originally, the film depicted Edward Norton’s narrator killing his imaginary alter-ego, Tyler Durden, played by Brad Pitt, leading to a climax where bombs destroyed buildings in a subversive plot known as Project Mayhem.
However, in China, before the explosions occur, a new message explains that the police foiled the plot, arrested the criminals, and sent Durden to a ‘lunatic asylum.’ Specifically, it states: ‘Through the clue provided by Tyler, the police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding.’
Director David Fincher’s film has recently been made available on the streaming platform Tencent Video. The changes have drawn criticism, with Human Rights Watch describing them as ‘dystopian.’ Chuck Palahniuk, the author of the 1996 novel from which Fight Club was adapted, sarcastically tweeted: ‘This is SUPER wonderful! Everyone gets a happy ending in China!’
Social media erupted with outrage, particularly from viewers who had previously seen pirated copies of the original film. It’s not uncommon for Chinese censors to cut Western films, but altering the ending is a rare occurrence.
The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about changing the ending of Fight Club. In this instance of blatant censorship, the film’s iconic, destructive ending has been replaced with a version where the government emerges victorious. The twist ending—where Tyler Durden’s anarchic Project Mayhem successfully detonates—has been substituted with a message indicating that authorities saved the day just in time.
The new Chinese ending conveys: “The police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding. After trial, Tyler was sent to a lunatic asylum receiving psychological treatment. He was discharged from the hospital in 2012.”
This shocking alteration not only removes elements from the original but also injects content that completely shifts the fundamental narrative of Fight Club. According to the Guardian, such changes are becoming increasingly common under the current regime in China; authorities have sought to eliminate elements deemed unhealthy from society, spanning movies, television, and video games.
Overall, censorship in China has resulted in a stark alternate ending to Fight Club, along with edits for sexual content and violence. The alternate ending explicitly cuts the explosion scene, instead inserting a title card stating that Tyler cooperated with the police to thwart the bombs from detonating. In this version, the police are portrayed as the heroes, culminating in a black screen with the message: ‘Through the authorities won.’
How Does the Chinese Version of Fight Club Alter the Original Narrative?
Differences in the Chinese Version of Fight Club:
- In the Chinese version of Fight Club, the ending is significantly altered. The original climax, which centers on an anarchistic triumph, is removed. Instead, viewers learn that the law enforcement successfully stopped Tyler’s plan.
- A key scene, which involves the explosion, has been entirely cut from the film. The narrative now states that ‘the police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding.’
- Furthermore, it is noted that Tyler was subsequently sent to a ‘lunatic asylum’ for psychological treatment after his trial. He was discharged in 2012.
Additionally:
- This version reflects China’s strict censorship policies, which aim to prevent any disruption of public order or undermine social stability. Such regulations cause imported films to be modified to align with Communist Party ideals.
- The ending, which showcases the police as heroes, has stirred outrage among fans of the original film. Many consider the alteration ruins the film’s impactful message of anti-establishment sentiments.
- Indeed, screenshots of the new ending have gone viral, highlighting the negative response. Viewers express disappointment and claim there’s little value in watching the film without the iconic explosion scene.
- The censorship in China often leads to the preference for bootleg copies of foreign films, as audiences seek the unaltered narrative that resonates with the original intentions.
In summary, the Chinese version fundamentally alters the concluding message of Fight Club, showcasing how censorship can lead to a dramatically different narrative.
Exploring the Symbolism Behind the Changed Ending of Fight Club
In a massive twist, the narrator, played by Edward Norton, realizes that Brad Pitt’s slick-talking Tyler Durden character is his imaginary alter ego, and kills him off.
In the final scene, the narrator stands with his girlfriend, played by Helena Bonham Carter, as they watch explosives blow up a cluster of skyscrapers. This is all part of what was originally presented to the audience as Durden’s plan to destroy consumerism by erasing bank and debt records.
However, that amount of anarchy — and the government’s inability to stop it — doesn’t appear to have passed muster with China’s notoriously strict censorship rules, though.
- In the version available on Tencent Video, which CNN Business was able to view on the platform, the entire scene featuring the explosions has been cut out.
- Instead, it has been replaced with a caption explaining to audiences that the authorities arrived just in time to save the day. The caption reads: ‘Through the clue provided by Tyler, the police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding.’
- While it’s unclear how or when the edit was made, it’s not uncommon for foreign movies to undergo heavy censorship before finding a legitimate broadcast home in China.
- Moreover, the Chinese companies that hold the rights to international films in the country often self-censor to appease regulators before general releases.
In the Chinese version of ‘Fight Club,’ the ending was significantly altered to show the authorities successfully stopping the anarchist plot of Project Mayhem.
In this version, Tyler Durden is sent to a mental institution, effectively removing the subversive message of societal collapse. This change replaces it with a more controlled narrative where the authorities always win, which is seen as a clear censorship move by Chinese censors to avoid promoting rebellious ideas.
The original ending, where the protagonist seemingly embraces his destructive alter-ego Tyler Durden and watches society crumble, symbolizes a critique of consumerist society and the potential for radical change, which is completely undermined in the censored version.
Furthermore, the new ending represents the power of the state to maintain order and suppress dissent, directly contradicting the film’s original themes. By removing the societal chaos, the censored ending shifts the focus to the individual’s mental illness, implying that Tyler’s actions are solely a result of his psychological problems rather than a reflection of broader societal issues.
It wasn’t clear when this version of the film appeared on Tencent Video, but screenshots of the edited film gained traction in China over the weekend. Commenters complained about the drastic alteration. For instance, one person wrote, ‘This is too ridiculous.’ Another called the change ‘a pillar of shame in cinematic history.’
Does Marla Really Exist in Fight Club?
The disturbing Marla Singer theory in ‘Fight Club’ suggests that Marla may also be a figment of the narrator’s imagination. This echoes the idea that she is another make-believe character borne out of his anxieties. If Tyler is a construct of the narrator’s mind and slept with Marla, then so must Marla be.
Moreover, some theorists posit that Marla and Tyler actually represent an internal battle for the narrator’s mind. In this view, Marla serves as the depressive, mournful, scornful part of the narrator, while Tyler embodies the life-seizing, unapologetic, nihilist part. There’s also a belief that the narrator himself is experiencing a gender battle within.
One compelling piece of evidence is drawn from their first encounter at a lung cancer support group. Marla is smoking a cigarette, and no one tells her to put it out. There’s also a conversation where the narrator says to her, ‘You can’t have the whole brain,’ which could subtly hint that she and Tyler are fighting for control of his psyche.
However, the theory that Marla is simply a figment of the Narrator’s imagination doesn’t quite add up. For starters, Marla has her own apartment filled with various personal belongings. In contrast, Tyler lived in the abandoned house on Paper Street and didn’t own anything, which aligns with the film’s themes and suggests that he wasn’t real. Why would the Narrator pay for an apartment he didn’t use?
Additionally, when the Narrator shot himself to get rid of Tyler, that action would have theoretically eliminated Marla, as well. Yet the most obvious evidence that Marla is real is her existence in ‘Fight Club 2,’ set 10 years after the events of ‘Fight Club,’ where the Narrator continues to have a dysfunctional relationship with her.
Furthermore, Marla represents a realistic life the Narrator could pursue, one that isn’t fully masculine nor feminine. A life with her would likely be frustrating and anxiety-inducing at times, but that’s inherent to life itself. The Narrator sought out the fight club in an attempt to escape the monotony of existence; however, that ideal is unattainable. The best he can hope for is to find someone who complements him enough to discover a smidge of peace amidst the chaos of life. Consequently, for this idea to hold, Marla needs to be real.
In fact, Marla Singer might just be the biggest mystery of Fight Club. In a narrative dominated by macho testosterone, it’s no surprise that the sole female character is shrouded in enigma. Marla serves as a vague ‘love interest’ for both Tyler and the Narrator. Like the Narrator at the beginning of the story, Marla is fascinated with death and the ‘real.’ Initially, she seeks out death-like experiences by attending cancer support groups, eventually attempting to overdose on Xanax.
Lastly, Marla Singer’s relationships with the narrator and Tyler Durden unveil layers of emotional complexity and psychological entanglement. Her presence serves as a catalyst for introspection and conflict, ultimately shaping the narrative’s exploration of personal identity and human connection. Despite her obsession with death, Marla also seems to possess a belief in right and wrong. In the end, she and the Narrator share a similar worldview and eventually admit that they ‘like’ each other.
In summary, while a ‘Fight Club’ fan theory suggesting that Marla Singer isn’t real has gained popularity, several reasons counter this claim.
Why Did Fight Club’s Ending Spark Controversy in China?
The ending of David Fincher’s 1999 film Fight Club has sparked controversy in China due to significant censorship concerns. Initially, the Chinese streaming service Tencent Video made drastic cuts to the film to adhere to strict censorship rules. These regulations mandate that criminals must always be punished for their crimes onscreen and that ‘societal harmony must be restored.’
Consequently, Tencent Video altered the original ending, which features Edward Norton’s narrator killing his alter-ego Tyler Durden, played by Brad Pitt, and watching the bombs explode across the skyline. Instead, their version ended with a blank screen displaying the following message:
- ‘The police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding. After the trial, Tyler was sent to a lunatic asylum receiving psychological treatment. He was discharged from the hospital in 2012.’
This change rendered the plot nonsensical since Tyler is a figment of the narrator’s imagination. Following online backlash and cries of censorship, Tencent Video eventually restored most of the cuts, including the original ending. As a result, David Fincher’s Fight Club is now almost fully viewable in its original state in China.
Nevertheless, the censorship debate continued, with Chinese fans expressing their outrage online over the censorship practices. The alternate ending that cut the explosion scene prompted significant discussion about the implications of such changes. These online conversations criticized the actions taken by Tencent Video and highlighted that the alterations to the film did not align with the original narrative’s intent.
In summary, the controversy surrounding Fight Club’s ending in China stemmed from aggressive censorship practices that attempted to modify the film to fit governmental standards. The eventual reinstatement of the original ending came after public pressure, showcasing the power of online outcry against censorship.
