Bret easton ellis american psycho plunges the reader into a world of late 1980s yuppieism. Differences between american psycho book vs movie page 1. Dec 01, 2016 american psycho 2000 based on the second novel from bret easton ellis, american psycho is a satirical horror story about the inner life of patrick bateman, a highpaid investment banker in 1980s. Look closer at the deeper meaning and messages of american psychos ending.
Also, the televised speech by president ronald reagan, as shown the final scene of the film, also occurred in 1987 whereas reagan had already left the white house by the. Ellis also appeared on an episode of charlie rose 1991, along with christian bale and coscreenwriterdirector mary harron, where he said he liked the film very much, and felt it improved on the novel in certain aspects. Christian bale in the 2000 film version of novel american psycho. He is goodlooking, charming, smart, delusional, sadistic, and a cannibal. American psycho vintage contemporaries kindle edition by. The best study guide to american psycho on the planet, from the creators of.
A more dubious undertaking is lions gate films attempt to translate another tale of. American psycho might have seemed like a straightforward film about a psychotic serial killer one who has good hygiene and knows his font. He wants desperately to fit in with the other yuppies, but also wants to be an intelligent freethinking individual. The world of american psycho is not our world, it exists within the novel and although there are similarities between our 1980s and the 1980s of patrick bateman, they are not synonymous.
The film adaptation of the bret easton ellis novel american psycho was released in 2000, and has been confusing viewers ever since. Bret easton ellis is known for featuring his characters across several different novels. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Despite its controversial nature and horrific content, american psycho is a near perfect example of a post modern horror. I have just read a book that has all at once captivated, disgusted and intrigued me. Not only does it break common treads in horror archetypes and structure but its critique of consumerism and materialism gives the film a post modern complexity as an analysis of both an insane character and a time in american history. The book ends as it began, with bateman and his colleagues at a new club on a. Even after 15 years of its release, the much ambiguous ending of american psycho calls for debate amongst fans. Earlier in the novel patrick and his other mergers and acquisitions friends go to a club in. American psycho 2000 frequently asked questions imdb. Abandon all hope ye who enter here is graffitied across the side of a bank in bloodred paint. The end of american psycho author bret ellis is firmly on the record as saying that he didnt think american psycho should be made into a movie, because as quoted in an interview with indie publisher creative loafing the medium of film demands answers which in his opinion makes the story less interesting. As the narration progresses, events in the film get more violent and take gory turns.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading american psycho vintage contemporaries. American psycho study guide from litcharts the creators of. It is based on the controversial 1991 novel american psycho by bret easton ellis, which also inspired a 2000 film of the same name, which starred christian bale. Like the bret easton ellis novel that inspired it, the film leaves open the possibility that patrick bateman didnt really kill all those people.
The book obviously offers much more detail compared to the film, and the latt. Thats right american psycho has one of those classic twist endings where most of the action of the movie and the book was a fantasy. In american psycho, they are wall street yuppies, the upper class, the marxist bourgeoisiewho destroy and use the unfortunate homeless, prostitutes, children so they can live in excess. Set in manhattan during the wall street boom of the late 1980s, american psycho is about the daily life of patrick bateman, a. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The internet too is rife with explanations and theories, and after a brief mum period, even the makers came out with their own intentions. If you want to have american psycho explained, knowing the ending will definitely be of great help. It is also, and in the end this matters most, a bad book. Director mary harrons american psycho 2000 is a terrific horror film where patrick bateman christian bale is a wealthy new york banking executive who hides his serial kier alto ego from everyone around him. Dann hat dennis scheck gesagt, dass american psycho sein allzeitlieblingsbuch sei.
One of the more popular interpretations of american psycho suggests patrick bateman never actually killed anyone, and the murderous actions we see played out merely take place in his unhealthy mind. It may seem like one of the cheaper ways to end a story, a cliche finale used so often it practically has a spot on the hollywood walk of fame. American psycho essence of trash the washington post. Jul 23, 2019 the 90s films, especially, saw the deconstruction and the shattering of the fake glass facade that was the great american dream after decades of glorification. This is evidenced by the scene where patrick is briefly reading zagats survey. Yes, the ending has been ever questioned and debated upon by the entire fandom of this movie and the book, to this date, and that is what i believe is the beauty of it. To sum it up, the idea overarching this is the refusal of the illusory, the materialistic and a recognition of the embrace of mundanity in the modern age, something that was our tradeoff for said materialism. Tunnel was a real club which closed in 2001, and did feature an actual tunnel as part of its interior. Christian bale starred in american psycho 2000 as patrick bateman, a new york investment banker who hides a murderous alter ego. Nov 02, 2016 screen prism has put together this really cool and very concise exploration of the ending of american psycho and its implications for either side of the argument surrounding the reality of bateman. American psycho begins with a quote from dantes inferno. Bret easton ellis american psycho even people who have never read bret easton ellis american psycho likely do not expect to hear the phrase comedy of manners in reference to it. Sep 04, 2017 director mary harron depicts an extraordinary criminal in american psycho 2000.
I thought it was kinda odd, since my theory isnt very. Difficult as it may be to trace the genuine pathology of patrick bateman, who, in his own words, killed 20 people, maybe 40, there are several strikingly exacerbated personality traits in the film that. The ending of american psycho finally explained looper. The story is told in the first person by patrick bateman, a serial killer and manhattan investment banker. Rather, the film aims to portray the selfindulgent and hedonistic wall street elite of 1980s new york in a. It is only fitting then, that this is the month in which stephen kings novella, apt pupil, will finally be released as a feature film, directed by bryan singer. He is the quintessential citizen of consumer society who consumes the victims of his insanity, all with the same disengaged obsession he uses in choosing outfits. In order to understand the final scene of american psycho, its key to remember the details. A friend of mine sent me an interesting article about american psycho that makes the case that patrick is a closeted gay man running around giving aids to everyone, the book being either a metaphorical story or just an unreliably told one. American psycho 2000 based on the second novel from bret easton ellis, american psycho is a satirical horror story about the inner life of patrick. You cant capture the essence of it at all if you didnt read the book. Now that american psycho, which is the subject of this months guardian book club, has become an established feature of the literary landscape and is generally acknowledged as a.
Explanations of american psychos symbols, and tracking of where they appear. Jan 10, 2015 irvine welsh american psycho is a modern classic when published in 1991, bret easton elliss american psycho caused outrage for its depictions of violence, especially towards women. While the novel american psycho is set in 1989, the film adaptation is set in 1987. During batemans spiral downward into his evil desires. The movie failed in its capacity to represent the book and its message, all it did was make money. In hindsight, an american psycho looks a lot like us the. All i wanted was to be ambiguous in the way that the book was. American psycho is a novel by bret easton ellis, published in 1991. Screen prism has put together this really cool and very concise exploration of the ending of american psycho and its implications for either side of the argument surrounding the reality of.
American psycho is the modern equivalent of the great gatsby, where money is king and shallow appearances are the only thing that matter. Irvine welsh american psycho is a modern classic books. American psycho is not only a great critique of the 80s yuppie culture, but it is a scathing criticism of a nations moral decay. Ive read the book, ive listened to the audio version, and ive seen the movie about three times. Explanations to some of the most confusing movie endings. Mar 27, 2016 when bret easton elliss american psycho was about to be published in 1991, word of its portrait of a monster an amoral young wall street serial killer named patrick bateman, who nail. Eventually his internal conflict becomes so troubling that he finds catharsis by murdering people. Directed by mary harron and starring christian bale in a breakout performance, both american psycho and its main villain patrick. Hitchcock practically throws open those house doors to analysts. The story is set in new york amongst the 1980s wall street boom.
And hitchcock even throws in a psychiatrist at the end to explain everything, through elaborate psychoanalytic explanations. In the end, bateman seemingly kills dozens of police officers, something that. Now, while theres no way to be 100 percent certain that bateman did murder people. Where gatsby focuses on the american jazz era, psycho is the yuppie young, upwardlymobile professional decade of the 1980s, set in wall street, new york, at the time of the great economic boom. It demonstrates conclusively that although the career of. Jul 02, 2010 american psycho begins with the words at the entrance to dantes hell, scrawled in blood red lettering on the side of the chemical bank near the corner of eleventh and first. The movie, american psycho, is taken from the book of the same name that is written by bret easton ellis. Sep 02, 2017 much like the book its based on, american psycho isnt really about patrick bateman. American psycho study guide literature guide litcharts. At the end patrick calls his lawyer and tells him that he killed her with a nail gun.
Observing another side of potential behavior coming from the affluent american society of consumerism is explained through c. Alison kelly of the observer notes that while some countries deem it so potentially disturbing that it can only be sold shrinkwrapped, critics rave about it and academics revel in its transgressive and postmodern. American psycho vintage contemporaries kindle edition by ellis, bret easton. The novel takes place in new york city in the late 1980s, on the tail end of the. In hindsight, an american psycho looks a lot like us.
American psycho by bret easton ellis books the guardian. American psycho 5 voice stops, he takes in a breath and then quietly says, his eyes fixed on a beggar at the corner of second and fifth, thats the twentyfourth one ive seen today. What sounds like a bizarre theory actually seems to have a lot of foundation, and explains some very. American psycho is a film about a man who is unsure about his identity. The reader is introduced to the novels narrator, patrick bateman, a 27yearold wall street investment banker. American psycho is a novel that makes a statement about modern society. Christian bales american psycho movie ending explained. The book symbolizes society, and ultimately the vanity and selfcenteredne.
Patrick bateman first appears briefly in elliss 1987 novel the rules of attraction, in which his brother, sean bateman, is a main character and narrator. Throughout the novel, instances of consumed and mistaken identity contribute to a growing experience of isolation on the part of both the reader and narrator. American psycho is often regarded as the first truly exceptional horror movie of the 21 st century. In elliss 1998 novel glamorama, both patrick bateman and christian bale the. Irvine welsh american psycho is a modern classic when published in 1991, bret easton elliss american psycho caused outrage for its depictions of violence, especially towards women.
American psycho ending explained by its writers mary harron. Though the tale was intended as a snapshot of the conformist, consumerist, superficial late. When bret easton elliss american psycho was about to be published in 1991, word of its portrait of a monster an amoral young wall street serial killer named patrick bateman, who nail. At the end patrick calls his lawyer and tells him that he killed her with a nail gun there are 3 chapters that only talk about musicians. Director mary harron depicts an extraordinary criminal in american psycho 2000. The ending of american psycho finally explained youtube. However, during the last moments of the film, patrick. However in november of 1990, the company, citing aesthetic differences, dropped the book over its graphic and misogynistic content. But psycho is certainly fascinated with the idea of multiple personalities. American psycho vintage contemporaries kindle edition. During the movie, ellis shows the entire yuppie culture was so focused upon themselves that they consistently call each other by incorrect names and no one seems to care. After killing many characters onscreen and becoming more and more unhinged, bateman is told by his lawyer that one of his victims paul allen jared leto is.
There are obviously potential spoilers as it is an attempt to decipher and explain the ending of american psycho. Rather, the film aims to portray the selfindulgent and hedonistic wall street elite. My pain is constant and sharp and i do not hope for a better world for anyone, in fact i want my pain to be inflicted on others. Identity and isolation theme in american psycho litcharts. All i have in common with the uncontrollable and the insane, the vicious and the evil, all the mayhem i have caused and my utter indifference toward it i have now surpassed.
Bateman kied homeless people, coworkers, and working women. The content of the movie created a good deal of controversy because of the explicit sex and violence scenes. Genesis, whitney houston and huey lewis and the news before killing someone, patrick gives a monologue paraphrasing some of the chapters. American psycho by bret easton ellis, paperback barnes. Like the bret easton ellis book that its based on, the ending of mary harrons american psycho is rather ambiguous, and has been a source of debate amongst fans for a long time. Then asks without looking over, why arent you wearing the worsted navy blue blazer with the gray pants. American psycho is the story of patrick bateman, a rich, arrogant, twentysomething yuppie in 1980s new york, who also happens to be an insane serial killer. One reoccurring theme throughout the novel is that patrick bateman and his yuppie friends often mistake their coworkers for other coworkers, since there.
Elliss iconic book about 1980s consumerist culture and masculinity. It is therefore, entirely possible that within this version of reality all of these things happen and for whatever reason they do not have comparable. I will always be defined by patrick bateman, says author, adding. Bret easton ellis still stuck with american psycho after 25 years. Can someone explain the end of the film you had all the drawings in the sketch book did that mean he dreamt it, another guy said he had dinner with one of the characters that was murdered. He is the quintessential citizen of consumer society who consumes the victims of his insanity. This study guide consists of approximately 41 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of american psycho.
American psycho is a musical with music and lyrics by duncan sheik and a book by roberto aguirresacasa. Comedy of menace maybe, but definitely not comedy of manners. Earlier in the novel patrick and his other mergers and acquisitions friends go to a club in nyc called tunnel. Much like the book its based on, american psycho isnt really about patrick bateman. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in american psycho, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. The book creates a dissonance from real life and the actual plot that leaves the reader questioning if our. The narrative takes some rather sharp turns as it builds up to its conclusion, and in the end leaves.
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