David Fincher
| David Fincher | |
|---|---|
_3.jpg) Fincher at the Paris premiere of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | |
| Born |
David Andrew Leo Fincher[1][2] August 28, 1962 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Other names | Finch, Dave Fincher |
| Occupation | Film director, film producer, music video director |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Notable work(s) | Seven, Fight Club, Zodiac, The Social Network, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo |
| Spouse(s) | Donya Fiorentino (1990–1995) |
| Children | Phelix Imogen (b. April 25, 1994) |
David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director and music video director. Fincher was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and his 2010 film The Social Network. For The Social Network, Fincher won the Golden Globe Award for Best Director and the BAFTA Award for Best Direction. His most recent film is 2011's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, an English-language adaptation of Stieg Larsson's novel of the same name.
Early life and career
Fincher was born on August 28, 1962 in Denver, Colorado, the son of Claire Mae (née Boettcher), a mental health nurse who worked in drug addiction programs, and Howard Kelly Fincher, who worked as a bureau chief for Life under the name Jack Fincher; he died of cancer in April 2003.[1][3] When Fincher was two years old, the family moved to San Anselmo in Marin County, California. Fincher 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 1983, where he worked on productions for Twice Upon a Time, Star Wars: Episode VI – 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 went on to direct many promos.
Propaganda Films
Set on a directing career, Fincher joined video-production company Propaganda Films and started off directing music videos and commercials. Like Fincher, directors such as Michael Bay, Spike Jonze, Mark Romanek, Michel Gondry, Paul Rachman, Zack Snyder, Gore Verbinski, Alex Proyas and others honed their talents at Propaganda Films before moving on to feature films.
Music videos
His video for Don Henley's "The End of the Innocence" won Henley the MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video in 1990. He also earned back-to-back MTV Video Music Awards for Best Direction in 1989 for "Express Yourself" and in 1990 for "Vogue". In 1990, he earned three of the four available nominations in the Best Direction category.
Features
Alien3 (1992)
After directing several music videos, Fincher's feature debut was Alien 3. While it received an Oscar nomination for special effects, the film was not well received by critics or moviegoers. Fincher became involved with several disputes with 20th Century Fox over script and budget issues. In "The Director’s Cut",[10] he blames the producers for not putting the necessary trust in him. Fincher stated in an interview with The Guardian in 2009:
"No one hated it more than me; to this day, no one hates it more than me."
After this, Fincher retreated back into the world of commercial and music video directing, including the video for the Grammy Award winning track "Love Is Strong" (1994) by The Rolling Stones.
Se7en (1995)
In 1995, Fincher directed Seven. The film, based on a screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker, told the story of two detectives (played by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman) tracking down a serial killer who bases his killings on the seven deadly sins. The film grossed more than $100 million domestically (over $300 million internationally).[11] The chairman of New Line Cinema, Arnold Kopelson, originally refused to allow filming of the shocking climatic scene. With the aid of Brad Pitt, who stated that he would not be involved with the picture if its ending were changed, Fincher was allowed to film the original scene and use it in the final cut.
The Game (1997)
After the success of Seven, Fincher went on to film The Game (1997). 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. The film had middling box-office returns despite being well received by critics.
Fight Club (1999)
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 men. Featuring Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, and Seven collaborator Brad Pitt, the 1999 film 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 opinions and the film appeared on many 'best of the year' lists and soon developed a cult following. Entertainment Weekly, which had originally given the film a D-,[12] later ranked the DVD #1 on its list of 50 Essential DVDs.[13] Exceptional sales[citation needed] have since established it as a cult film.
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.[14]
Panic Room (2002)
In 2002, Fincher followed up with the thriller Panic Room. The film earned over $92 million at the U.S. box office. The story follows a single mother (Jodie Foster) and her daughter (Kristen Stewart) 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, on the DVD's audio commentary, as "[basically] a date movie" and a "really good B movie" about "two people trapped in a closet".
Zodiac (2007)
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 Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey, Jr., Anthony Edwards, and Brian Cox. The first of Fincher’s films to be shot digitally, the majority of the film was recorded on a Thompson Viper Film Stream Camera. However, high-speed film cameras were used for the Blue Rock Springs and Presidio Heights murder scenes for the slow-motion shots.[15] 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 (No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood).[16] However, the film struggled at the box office in the U.S., earning only $33 million, but did well overseas with a foreign gross of $51.7 million. Worldwide, Zodiac was a decent success.[17] 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.[18]
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
A story about life and death, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story of the same name. The film was Fincher’s third with Brad Pitt. 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. The budget for the film was estimated at $150 million, partly due to the CGI effects used to reverse the aging in Brad Pitt’s character. The film is the first PG-13 film directed by Fincher. It received 13 nominations at the 81st Academy Awards, including Fincher's first nomination for Best Director. It won three Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Makeup, and Best Visual Effects.
The Social Network (2010)
Fincher directed the 2010 film The Social Network, about the legal battles of Mark Zuckerberg and the founding of Facebook. The film features an Oscar-winning screenplay by Aaron Sorkin, adapted from the book The Accidental Billionaires. Featuring a young cast ensemble, the film was produced by Scott Rudin, Kevin Spacey and Michael DeLuca. Filming started in October 2009[19] and was released a year later, to critical acclaim. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross created the Oscar-winning soundtrack for the film, Fincher had long been a fan of Reznor's work in Nine Inch Nails, even putting a remix of "Closer" in the beginning of Seven and directing the music video for "Only". The film went on to win many awards, including four Golden Globes (including Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Original Score), three BAFTAs (including Best Direction), and three Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Film Editing.[20]
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2012)
Fincher directed the American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which was based on the book by Stieg Larsson, with a script written by Steven Zaillian. The film was shot in Sweden, with Rooney Mara (who played Erica Albright in The Social Network) as Lisbeth Salander, Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist, Robin Wright as Erika Berger, Stellan Skarsgård as Martin Vanger and Christopher Plummer as Henrik Vanger. The film was released on December 21, 2011. Along with Dragon Tattoo writer Steve Zaillian is in the early stage of scripting The Girl Who Played with Fire, which Fincher has the option to direct. While he has not yet committed to the project, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker has admitted that (should he sign on) he would prefer to shoot both the second and third Millennium book adaptations back-to-back, for both practical and artistic purposes.[21][22] Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the soundtrack for the film (their second collaboration with Fincher).[23] It received five Academy Award nominations at the 84th Academy Awards including: Best Actress for Rooney Mara, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Sound Mixing and won one award for Best Film Editing.
House of Cards (TV Series) (2013)
Fincher is executive producer of the Netflix television series House of Cards; he also directed the first two episodes.[24] The series has received critical acclaim, receiving 9 Primetime Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series and Fincher for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for the first episode.[25]
Gone Girl
On January 22, 2013, Fincher was reported to be in talks to direct the adaptation of the Gillian Flynn novel, Gone Girl,[26] a report that was later confirmed on July 11 of the same year with the casting of Ben Affleck in the lead role.[27] Production began in September 2013.[28] It was later given a release date of October 3, 2014.[29]
Filmography
Released films/television series
Video games
Music videos
- "Dance This World Away", Rick Springfield (1984)
- "Celebrate Youth", Rick Springfield (1984)
- "Bop Til You Drop", Rick Springfield (1984)
- "Shame", The Motels (1985)
- "Shock", The Motels (1985)
- "Celebrate Youth", Rick Springfield (1985)
- "All The Love In The World", The Outfield (1986)
- "Everytime You Cry", The Outfield (1986)
- "One Simple Thing", Stabilizers (1986)
- "She Comes On", Wire Train (1987)
- "Should She Cry", Wire Train (1987)
- "Endless Nights", Eddie Money (1987)
- "Downtown Train", Patty Smyth (1987)
- "I Don't Mind At All", Bourgeois Tagg (1987)
- "Notorious", Loverboy (1987)
- "Love Will Rise Again", Loverboy (1987)
- "Johnny B", The Hooters[4] (1987)
- "Storybook Story", Mark Knopfler (1987)
- "Can I Hold You", Colin Hay (1987)
- "No Surrender", The Outfield (1987)
- "Say You Will", Foreigner (1987)
- "Don't Tell Me The Time", The Motels (1987)
- "Tell It To the Moon", The Motels (1988)
- "Heart of Gold", Johnny Hates Jazz (1988)
- "Englishman in New York", Sting[4] (1988)
- "Shattered Dreams" (second version),
Johnny Hates Jazz (1988) - "Get Rhythm", Ry Cooder (1988)
- "Most of All", Jody Watley (1988)
- "Roll With It", Steve Winwood[4] (1988)
- "(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me" (version 1988), Paula Abdul (1988)
- "Holding On", Steve Winwood (1988)
- "Heart", Neneh Cherry (1989)
- "Bamboleo" (second version), Gipsy Kings (1989)
- "Straight Up", Paula Abdul[4] (1989)
- "Most of All", Jody Watley (1989)
- "Real Love", Jody Watley (1989)
- "Bamboleo" (third version), Gipsy Kings (1989)
- "She's a Mystery to Me", Roy Orbison (1989)
- "Forever Your Girl", Paula Abdul (1989)
- "Express Yourself", Madonna[4][7] (1989)
- "The End of the Innocence", Don Henley (1989)
- "Cold Hearted", Paula Abdul[7] (1989)
- "(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me" (version 1989), Paula Abdul (1988)
- "Oh Father", Madonna (1989)
- "Janie's Got a Gun", Aerosmith[4][7] (1989)
- "Vogue", Madonna (1990)
- "Cradle of Love", Billy Idol[4] (1990)
- "L.A. Woman", Billy Idol[31] (1990)
- "Freedom '90", George Michael[4] (1990)
- "Who Is It?", Michael Jackson[5][6] (1992)
- "Bad Girl", Madonna (1993)
- "Love Is Strong", The Rolling Stones (1994)
- "6th Avenue Heartache", The Wallflowers[7] (1996)
- "Judith", A Perfect Circle[7] (2000)
- "Only", Nine Inch Nails[8] (2005)
- "Suit & Tie", Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z[9] (2013)
Reception
Critical reception
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|
| Alien 3 | 42%[32] | N/A |
| Seven | 85%[33] | 65[34] |
| The Game | 71%[35] | 61[36] |
| Fight Club | 81%[37] | 66[38] |
| Panic Room | 77%[39] | 65[40] |
| Zodiac | 90%[41] | 78[42] |
| The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | 73%[43] | 70[44] |
| The Social Network | 96%[45] | 95[46] |
| The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | 87%[47] | 71[48] |
| Average | 77.9% | 71.4 |
Box office
| Film | Release date | Revenue | Budget | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Outside United States | Worldwide | ||||
| Alien 3 | May 22, 1992 | $55,473,545 | $104,340,953 | $159,814,498 | $50 million | [49] |
| Seven | September 22, 1995 | $100,125,643 | $227,186,216 | $327,311,859 | $33 million | [50] |
| The Game | September 12, 1997 | $48,323,648 | $61,100,000 | $109,423,648 | $50 million | [51] |
| Fight Club | October 15, 1999 | $37,030,102 | $63,823,651 | $100,853,753 | $63 million | [52] |
| Panic Room | March 29, 2002 | $96,397,334 | $100,000,081 | $196,397,415 | $48 million | [53] |
| Zodiac | March 2, 2007 | $33,080,084 | $51,705,830 | $84,785,914 | $65 million | [54] |
| The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | December 25, 2008 | $127,509,326 | $206,422,757 | $333,932,083 | $150 million | [55] |
| The Social Network | October 1, 2010 | $96,962,694 | $127,957,621 | $224,920,315 | $40 million | [56] |
| The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | December 20, 2011 | $102,068,888 | $124,300,000 | $232,617,430 | $90 million | [57] |
| Total | $592,281,774 | $920,129,139 | $1,512,410,913 | $509 million | ||
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "The Membership: Howard Kely "Jack" Fincher". Wolfensberger: Newsletter of the Wolfensberger Family Association. May 2003. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
- ↑ Davies, Gareth A (December 23, 2008). "Forrest Griffin to show his police brutality". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ↑ Swallow, James (2003). "Dark and Light". Dark Eye: The Films of David Fincher. Reynolds & Hearn. p. 11. ISBN 1-903111-52-8.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.10 4.11 4.12 "10 Music Videos Directed by David Fincher". unrealitymag.com. 2009-03-20. Retrieved 2013-08-05.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Michael Jackson – Who Is It on Vimeo". Vimeo. 2009-07-20. Retrieved 2013-08-05.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Dash, Anil (2009-06-26). "The Best Music Video Michael Jackson Ever Released". dashes.com. Retrieved 2013-08-05.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Basham, David (2000-03-30). "David Fincher To Direct A Perfect Circle Video". MTV.com. Retrieved 2013-08-05.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Digital Domain Productions". Digital Domain. Retrieved 2013-08-05.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Justin Timberlake – Suit & Tie (Official) ft. JAY Z". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-08-05.
- ↑ "Director's Cut: Picturing Hollywood in the 21st Century". Amazon.com. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
- ↑ Seven (1995). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-09-14.
- ↑ Entertainment Weekly – Review of Fight Club (1999). October 15, 1999
- ↑ Entertainment Weekly – The 50 Essential DVDs. January 19, 2001
- ↑ Total Film. "Who is the greatest?". Total Film. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
- ↑ Zodiac Director’s Cut DVD, 2nd Disc, Visual Effects featurette.
- ↑ Best of 2007 « CriticsTop10. Criticstop10.com. Retrieved on 2014-02-01.
- ↑ "2007 Box Office". Box Office Report. January 6, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
- ↑ Nominees. 80th Annual Academy Awards. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. oscars.org
- ↑ "Confirmed: Eisenberg, Timberlake and Garfield Cast in David Fincher’s ',The Social Network', 9/22/2009". "Slashfilm.com. September 22, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
- ↑ Brooks, Xan (January 17, 2011). "Golden Globes: Colin Firth crowned while The Social Network wins lion's share". Guardian (London). Retrieved January 20, 2011.
- ↑ "'Dragon Tattoo' sequel still on track, Sony says". EW.com. January 3, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
- ↑ "‘Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ Sequel is Still Moving Forward". ScreenRant.com. January 3, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
- ↑ "Trent Reznor Scoring David Fincher's Version of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"". Slashfilm. January 7, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
- ↑ O'Connell, Michael (April 10, 2012). "Netflix Launching Entire Run of David Fincher's 'House of Cards' in One Day". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ House of Cards | Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Emmys.com. Retrieved on 2014-02-01.
- ↑ "David Fincher may have found next ‘Girl’". January 22, 2013.
- ↑ "Ben Affleck To Star In David Fincher’s ‘Gone Girl’ For Fox/New Regency Before Directing Warner Bros’ ‘Live By Night’". July 11, 2013.
- ↑ "‘Gone Girl’ filming at Giant City State Park". September 17, 2013.
- ↑ "'Gone Girl' Gets Fall 2014 Release; 'Frankenstein' Pushed to January 2015". October 15, 2013.
- ↑ Goldfarb, Andrew (October 10, 2012). "David Fincher Producing Halo 4 Launch Trailer". IGN. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
- ↑ "Demo Reel (Billy Idol's "LA Woman")". IMDb. Retrieved 2013-08-05.
- ↑ "Alien 3 Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
- ↑ "Seven (Se7en) Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
- ↑ "Se7en Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. September 27, 1999. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
- ↑ "The Game Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
- ↑ "The Game Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. September 27, 1999. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
- ↑ "Fight Club Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
- ↑ "Fight Club Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. October 29, 1999. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
- ↑ "Panic Room Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
- ↑ "Panic Room Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. January 23, 2002. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
- ↑ "Zodiac Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
- ↑ "Zodiac Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. November 28, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
- ↑ "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
- ↑ "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. May 28, 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
- ↑ "The Social Network Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. September 18, 2010. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
- ↑ The Social Network. Metacritic. Retrieved 2010-09-14.
- ↑ "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
- ↑ The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Metacritic. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
- ↑ "Alien 3 (1992)". Box Office Mojo.
- ↑ "Seven (1995)". Box Office Mojo.
- ↑ "The Game (1997)". Box Office Mojo.
- ↑ "Fight Club (1999)". Box Office Mojo.
- ↑ "Panic Room (2002)". Box Office Mojo.
- ↑ "Zodiac (2007)". Box Office Mojo.
- ↑ "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)". Box Office Mojo.
- ↑ "The Social Network (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 15, 2011.
- ↑ "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
Further reading
- Waxman, Sharon, ed. (2005). Rebels on the Backlot: Six Maverick Directors and How They Conquered the Hollywood Studio System. HarperEntertainment.
External links
- David Fincher at the Internet Movie Database
- David Fincher at AllRovi
- David Fincher at Rotten Tomatoes
- David Fincher at MVDbase.com
- Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical Database
- Interviews
- David Fincher interview with Paul Guyot of www.dvdtalk.com
- David Fincher interview with Gavin Smith of edward-norton.org
- Esquire magazine interview with Fincher
- IndieLondon interview with Fincher
- David Fincher Didn't Want To Make 'Another Serial-Killer Movie' ... Until Zodiac Came Along – Part 1 interview with MTV
- David Fincher Discusses Reunion With Brad Pitt, Possible Fight Club Musical – Part 2 interview with MTV
- CHUD: Exclusive Interview: David Fincher
- LA Weekly – David Fincher discusses Zodiac's rising star
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| National Board of Review | ||
| Preceded by Tim Burton for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street |
Best Director for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 2008 |
Succeeded by Clint Eastwood for Invictus |
| National Board of Review | ||
| Preceded by Clint Eastwood for Invictus |
Best Director for The Social Network 2010 |
Succeeded by Martin Scorsese for Hugo |
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