This case study is about how the decision is made for the classification of the film Fight Club.
This film had a lot of debate about the film's subject matter. The film presented sequences where men challenged other men to beat them up. The result of this is scenes of strong and sometimes bloody violence.
The film's distributor which are 20th Century Fox requested the film should be classified as an 18. This was seen by most of the board's examiners and also the BBFC Director, Robin Duval, his deputy, and the President and Vice-Presidents. This provoked a wide range of opinion. BBFC examiners felt that the film was stylish and challenging and some others felt that an uncut '18' was acceptable for this adult viewing experience, there were concerns under the existing guidelines about the glamorisation of violence and the potential for encouraging interest in organised bare-fist fighting.
After consideration the final decision was taken to require cuts under the Guidelines of between six and seven seconds to two scenes. Both of the scenes it was felt focused on the pleasures of beating the faces of helpless victims to a bloody mess. After the cuts were made an '18' was certificate was given. The film had been classified 'R' in the USA.
