David Fincher’s director’s eye has the keen ability to create for viewers the most amazing landscapes. But it’s not only the snow-driven backdrop of remote Sweden, which nearly becomes a character itself in 2011’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. He also lets us into the emotional landscapes that delight or ravage his characters psyches, providing us with an elegant subtext to guide us into their minds and hearts. Both Fincher and the movie have received critical acclaim for the movie, including five Academy Award nominations for the film, and a Directors Guild nomination for Fincher in the Best Director category.
Fincher got his start at George Lucas’ legendary visual effects studio Industrial Light and Magic, working on the iconic Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and then Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom during the 1980s. After spending some years directing commercial spots, and then shorts for Propaganda Films, Fincher crossed over into features, directing several films, including crime thriller Seven with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman and Fight Club.
Starring Edward Norton, the 1999 adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s novel movie about an office worker who opens up, well, a club for fighting—not boxing, but more of the bare-knuckle-get-it-out-of-your-system variety—was not immediately well received either by audiences or critics. However, a second glance by the critics gave the movie a second chance, and the movie has become a classic cult film. It now sits on several “Best Of” lists. In 2006, Total Film placed it at #4 among the British magazine’s “100 Greatest Movies of all Time” list.
Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), another collaboration with Brad Pitt, earned 13 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (Pitt). The visually stunning fantasy-drama came away with three Academy Awards on Oscar night: Best Art Direction, Best Makeup, and Best Visual Effects.
The director received another Oscar nomination for 2010’s The Social Network, and a Best Director Golden Globe. The movie, which chronicled the formation of Facebook, received wide critical and popular acclaim, also won several other directing awards for Fincher.
Fincher’s next project is the Netflix original series House of Cards starring Kate Mara, Kevin Spacey, and Robin Wright. It is slated for release next year.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo will be released on Blu-ray and DVD March 20, and is now available for pre-order.