An industrial unit at Parkhouse Business Park was transformed into the basement of Lou’s Tavern for a special single-serving screening of Fight Club. Brad Pitt and Edward Norton star in David Fincher’s movie adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s thought-provoking and violent novel, scrutinising the dark side of consumerism and the American dream.
In commemoration of the film’s 20th anniversary, Glasgow Film Festival teamed up with Stage Fight Scotland to bring you face-to-face with Tyler Durden, Robert Paulson and co. for an intense and immersive theatre experience prior to the screening of Fight Club.
Attendees got into the full Fight Club spirit and came dressed as their favourite characters for the event. They were enjoying drinks and street food while watching a spray-paint artist create a fantastic Fight Club mural, when The Narrator (played by Sylas Szabolcs) appeared alongside the one and only Tyler Durden (Alastair William Duncan), sporting his signature red leather jacket and Hawaiian shirt combo. The audience then followed the protagonists to the stage area, becoming the crowd in Fight Club. Before any fighting began, Tyler laid down some ground rules:
“Welcome to Fight Club. Rule number one: do not talk about Fight Club. Rule number two… do NOT talk about Fight Club…”
We realise that we’re breaking the first and second rules here, but it truly was an evening worth talking about - and what a way to celebrate the iconic film turning 20 years-old. After the conclusion of the famous Fight Club speech, fists started flying. The crowd erupted, cheering on their favourite characters as they battled it out against the industrial backdrop at Parkhouse. The atmosphere was electric.
The Stage Fight Scotland actors put on one helluva show, doing the film justice with their high-octane routine. They interweaved monologues and scenes from the film with impressive choreographed fight sequences, made all the more real with the incorporation of fake blood. The audience seemed to love every minute, with many of them eager to grab a selfie with the cast after the performance.
Earlier this month we were given behind-the-scenes access to the rehearsals of Stage Fight Scotland’s incredible show. You can learn more about the full cast and fight director Janet Lawson’s journey of adapting this fable of fisticuffs from film to the stage in our blog, GFF19 Special Events: Fight Club.
After the screening, the audience went home complimentary soap bars in hand - kindly provided by Soapworks Ltd (definitely not made from human fat, like Tyler’s infamous recipe in the movie) – and special one-off t-shirt designs from the savvy screen printers, Print Clan.
At Glasgow Film Festival, we pride ourselves on being a festival that loves the movies and loves our audience. GFF19 is your festival - so talk to us and let us know what you're up to! Were you at the Fight Club anniversary screening? Did you attend any of out other special events this year? Do you have your eye on GSFF's upcoming Unrealities: VR Experiential event in March?
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