Movie enthusiasts will remember that the first rule about Fight Club is that you “don’t talk about fight club.” China apparently learned this lesson because it did not want any Chinese citizen who sees this movie to talk about it, especially the ending. The communist country edited the conclusion of the film to have a drastically different ending than the original version — an ending fit for a communist.
In the original version, the film concludes with the narrator (Edward Norton) emerging victorious in a gruesome fight with Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), his imaginary friend-slash-split personality. He joins his love interest, Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter). The two watch the city’s buildings blow up and crumble, fulfilling Durden’s wish, facilitating the destruction of consumerism, and ushering in a new world of chaotic anarchy.
Yet in the newly edited version in China, the descent into anarchy with the buildings blowing up is entirely removed from the conclusion. Instead, the film concludes with a message that Durden’s plot failed, and he was punished for his actions.
“Through the clue provided by Tyler, the police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding,” a caption said. “After the trial, Tyler was sent to lunatic asylum receiving psychological treatment. He was discharged from the hospital in 2012.”
Vice reported that the film had been edited by the copyright owner and subsequently approved by China’s government before it was made available for streaming sites. The publisher of the film has connections to the state-owned Guangdong TV.
China has a history of editing movies to promote messages it feels will benefit its society. In the cinema, out-of-country films are frequently edited to demonstrate that the state and law enforcement are always viewed positively. This method of editing American cinema to tailor to Chinese communist ideals is a frequent practice.
“China is on track to overtake the U.S. as the largest consumer of movies in the world,” Tim Doescher of the Heritage Foundation said on an episode of Heritage Explains.
“As most know, China is communist, and while they are somewhat economically open, there is still significant control over the content Chinese people are exposed to,” Doescher said. “It goes something like this: In order for the U.S. film to crack the Chinese market, certain themes cannot be portrayed, certain products must be taken out, and certain speech must be limited.”
Although that is unsurprising, there is some irony in China censoring and editing out Fight Club’s ending, given that the movie romanticized and glorified anarchy throughout. Then again, the agenda behind the edits seems obvious. China’s regime is at all times in a panic over the nation’s enormous population and the potential for unrest. At all times, it seeks to deter any thoughts of dissension. This edit was done to prevent people from celebrating anarchy because the moment the Chinese people begin to question their government, China will implode.
