Fight Club: I Am Jack's Laryngitis - Redux

Updated
Fight Club: I Am Jack's Laryngitis - Redux
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
1999
Original Running Time:
139
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
138
Time Cut:
1
Available in HD?
Brief Synopsis:
Zach's synopsis: By removing Edward Norton’s voiceover, FIGHT CLUB gets to be a much more introspective and artsy film.

All I've done past that is adjust and restructure some shots to flow better with the lack of narration.
Intention:
In August of 2008, a Faneditor by the name of Zach Action released a technically stellar edit of Fight Club (entitled "The I Am Jack's Laryngitis Edit"), completely removing Edward Norton's "The Narrator" voiceover. The only issue, however, was that it was 2008 - and the visual scan of Fight Club used for the edit was atrocious. Zach Action's amazing audiowork was stifled by the overly-black and contrasting shots. A year later, the Fight Club Blu-Ray was released. And, finally, eleven years after that, both of these have fallen into my hands, along with an unprecedented amount of free time, so I figure I'd give "Jack"'s A the V it deserves.

Special Thanks:
Zach Action for conceptualizing and executing the edit (I deserve no real credit).
Release Information:
Digital
Editing Details:
What Zach did: The narration is completely in the center channel of the 5.1 mix, so I simply faded out any instance of it. I had to use the soundtrack to fill in a few musical holes, had to do a bit of foley work (new audio for the Ron Popeil infomercial on TV, whistling as Jack is leaving his job with the shopping cart), and had to trim a second or two off a couple of shots (very minimal and unintrusive).

What I did: Slotted in the Blu-Ray footage in place of the original.
Cuts and Additions:
What Zach Action did:
- Completely removed all narration/voice-over from the film

What I did:
- Replaced all footage from Zach Action's edit with that of the 2009 "Fight Club" Blu-Ray
0:00:00 - Warning from "Fight Club" DVD
0:00:19 - "FE.org" 'Netflix-style' card and my own "CJM" logo card
0:01:20 - Custom Credits
- 0:01:20 - "Fanedit.org Presents"
- 0:01:22 - "A CJ MacMillan and Zach Action Fanedit"
- 0:01:24 - "I Am Jack's Laryngitis - Redux"
0:03:31 - Cut "Bob" introduction
0:20:24 - Restructured transition
0:26:28 - Rearranged shots
0:31:27 - Trimmed shot (removing freezeframe)
1:16:38 - Trimmed shot (removing freezeframe)
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User reviews

5 reviews
Overall rating
 
9.5
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0(5)
Visual Editing
 
9.6(5)
Audio Editing
 
8.8(5)
Narrative
 
9.8(5)
Enjoyment
 
9.4(5)
Overall rating
 
9.7
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
I really enjoyed this edit. The beginning 20 minutes or so is a bit awkward but after that it feels perfectly natural. You actually notice some small details in this version since you aren't focused on the narration. Only editing issues I noticed was when there was the occasional missing sound effect. I don't know if those were never added in the first place or maybe they had to be removed. Either way it's not a big issue. Overall I don't think it usurps the original film but it's very close.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
B
1 reviews
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
(Updated: July 15, 2020)
Overall rating
 
9.9
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
Wow, fantastic edit to my favourite movie of all time. Never even entertained the idea of a version without narration but holy shit does it work. Removing some of the cynical narrative drive makes for a much more artsier movie, one that keeps you guessing and reserves answers til slightly later, keeping you on edge. The presentation is beautiful and the sound editing was done extremely well, resplicing the amazing soundtrack into the mix. Never noticed an edit. Brilliant work.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
B
1 reviews
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Overall rating
 
9.3
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
8.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
Let's put it straight, Fight Club is one of my Top 20 films of all time and one of the best films ever made by David Fincher. The storytelling is amazing, the special effects are great and the character development is top-notch. Everything is worth watching. Whether it’s Tyler Durden getting his face smashed or the absolute genius of the soundtrack, this movie always has something fresh and unique to offer.

So what is more to ask? The answer is this fan edit from macmilln. Taking the Edward Norton narration away from the original release is a brilliant idea and kind of pervert at the same time. It leaves you wondering what is really going into the movie.

The edits are well cut and a must-watch for any fans of the original. If I had to point something out it would be the audio. Pretty sure taking out the narration from the original release was a difficult task but sometimes I had the impression to watch the movie from a swimming pool. Like the previous reviewer already mentioned, there are so many times in the original when the overall audio track is lowered while the narration is raised. It is a bit weird for my taste.

Overall, I need to thank macmilln for giving me a very positive new experience of Fight Club. I recommend this fan edit to any David Fincher fans out there.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Overall rating
 
8.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
7.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
8.0
Big fan of the original. Big fan of the fanedit.

Before I criticize, I need to gush.. This LOOKED amazing, and felt increditbly different than the original. I'm not sure if I haven't seen Fight Club since the bluray came out, but this felt much more visceral, violent, and personal than what I remember. Without Jack to say sarcastic things and make jokes about the disgusting and horrible events, the reality of what you're seeing just sits with you. Many people I've showed Fight Club to over the years told me it was too violent and made them sick. And this time, without the comedy to keep me safe, I felt the same way. Crazy experience.

Also, I've seen this movie more than 10 times in my life, I've quoted every line, it's been in my top 5 movies for years... but I noticed things that I never saw before (like Marla overflowing her coffee at group therapy). I noticed something new in almost every scene. The narration has always been my favorite thing about this movie, so without it, it really was like a new movie for me. And for that I thank you.

Now for the critique. Visual edits were done nicely, but detracted from the movie in my opinion. There were a few specific moments I was excited to see with no narration, and most were clipped or moved to better suit the awkward no narration shots. In my opinion, as nessecary as the cuts may seem, these shots would have been more comtemplative left intact. Even with stretches of no dialouge, or awkward shots. The best example is the apartment explosion. This is one of the most brilliantly directed and edited shots in the entire movie. The shot cuts back and forth between the narrator's apartment filling with gas, and the narrator coming physically closer and closer to contacting Marla in the payphone. When he finally calls, and we hear Marla answer "hello?", the spark ingites the gas and the apartment explodes! This was THE scene I was excited to see in this edit, so it was dissapointing to see it edited. And I did feel like editing it to be a linear shot of an explosion took a lot away.

For a new viewer, audio cuts were where the edit suffered. There are many times in the original when the overall audio is temporarily lowered while the narration is raised. As far as I could tell, the audio wasn't evened out for this edit. So there are a lot of strange fade outs and ins for seemingly no reason.

Overall, this gave me an experience I won't soon forget, so for that it gets high points.
As a standalone edit though, there were some technical issues so I have to be fair.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 2 0
Overall rating
 
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
Without Edward Norton's voiceover, David Fincher's masterpiece becomes an entirely different and somehow even stranger difference, and I mean that in the very best way. This edit is an absolute must-see for anyone who's a fan of the original film and a fan of Fincher in general. This gets my highest recommendation.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 1 0