The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	David Fincher
Produced by	Kathleen Kennedy Frank Marshall
Written by	Screenplay: Eric Roth Screen story: Eric Roth Robin Swicord Short story: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Starring	Brad Pitt Cate Blanchett
Music by	Alexandre Desplat
Cinematography	Claudio Miranda
Editing by	Kirk Baxter Angus Wall
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures (USA) Warner Bros. (Overseas)
Release date(s)	December 25, 2008
Running time	167 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$150,000,000[1]
Gross revenue	$22,000,000
Official website • IMDb • Allmovie

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 American film whose main character is loosely adapted from a 1921 short story of the same name written by F. Scott Fitzgerald (though the plots of the film and written story have very little else in common). The film was directed by David Fincher, written by Eric Roth, and stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. The film was released on December 25, 2008.

[edit] Plot

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is set in New Orleans, Louisiana from the end of World War I on November 11, 1918 all the way to August 29, 2005 – when Hurricane Katrina washed upon the shores of New Orleans and the Gulf South.

Daisy (played by Cate Blanchett) was lying in her death bed at a hospital in New Orleans just as Hurricane Katrina was approaching the Gulf South on August 29, 2005. She was accompanied by her daughter, Caroline (played by Julia Ormond) and a nurse at the hospital with news being broadcasted that a hurricane was approaching the region. Daisy asked her daughter to read from a diary written by Benjamin Button along with various photos and postcards with it as part of her last wishes. The diary was written by Benjamin Button just before he began losing his memory, and the story was narrated from his voice. The preface of the movie is about a clock that was erected in a New Orleans station that ticks backwards. The reason of it ticking backwards was due to the wishes of the blind clockmaker to commemorate his son and the thousands of soldiers that died in battle, noting his wishes for time to be reversed.

In 1918, just as the people of New Orleans were celebrating the end of World War I, a baby is born with the appearance and physical limitations of a man who is 85 years old. The mother of the baby dies shortly after giving birth, and the father, Thomas Button, takes the baby, runs out of the home, and abandons him on the porch of a nursing home close to the docks, leaving $18 with the baby. It is there where Queenie (played by Taraji P. Henson) and Tizzy (played by Mahershalalhashbaz Ali) find the baby as they are departing the nursing home for the evening. Queenie, who was unable to give birth at that time, decides to take the baby in as her own, against Tizzy's wishes. Queenie brings the baby into the old age home and gave the baby the name of "Benjamin" (played by Brad Pitt).

Over the course of the story, Benjamin begins to age backward on the outside of the body. While in the home, he meets Daisy, at the time a young aspiring ballerina, whose grandmother lives in the home. Daisy would visit the nursing home often and would point out how different Benjamin was despite the appearance of his old age. Daisy's grandmother would read bedtime stories out of a picture storybook for both Benjamin and Daisy. Benjamin and Daisy would also play as children, but this is frowned upon by Daisy's grandmother due to the appearance of age differences. As time progresses, Benjamin starts to work on a tug boat on the docks of New Orleans for a Captain Mike (played by Jared Harris). It was at this point Benjamin would learn to consume alcohol and visit bars with Captain Mike. He also meets Thomas Button, not knowing that he was his real father. Later, he departs New Orleans with the tugboat crew to Russia for a long term work engagement. In Russia, Benjamin meets a British woman by the name of Elizabeth Abott (played by Tilda Swinton) in the hotel they were staying over tea and falls in love with her. Since Elizabeth is already married, with her husband working as a spy for the British government, they carry their affairs at night in the hotel both stayed in. One day, Elizabeth leaves unexpectedly and leaves a note behind: "It was nice to have met you". Benjamin later gets caught in World War II serving in the Navy after their tugboat sinks a German u-boat submarine in the Atlantic Ocean. Most sailors on board the tugboat, including Captain Mike, die from the gunshot wounds from the gunfire that took place between the u-boat and the tugboat. After the war, Benjamin returns to New Orleans, and meets Thomas Button again who reveals to Benjamin that he was his real father. Thomas Button, who is dying of at the time, also gives Benjamin all his assets as part of his will, including the house and the button factory that the family ran and owned. Benjamin Button was the last kin in the family. Queenie appears unimpressed by the sudden appearance of Benjamin's real father, referring to the $18 that he left with Benjamin on the nursing home's porch.

Back in the nursing home, Benjamin meets Daisy again, and learns that she has taken a highly successful dancing career in New York City. Daisy attempts to seduce Benjamin, but Benjamin refuses. Benjamin later travels to New York to meet Daisy unannounced at a performance. Daisy explains that she has fallen in love with a colleague dancer, but then turns him away after Benjamin states that he was there to "sweep" her away. Later, Daisy falls victim to a car accident during a dance tour in Paris, causing her to lose her ability to dance. Benjamin receives notice of this by telegram from one of her friends, and immediately travels to Paris to find her. Daisy first comment was "you're perfect" – referring to Benjamin's younger appearance, but then turns Benjamin away telling him to get out of her life. Later, after Daisy regains the ability to walk, she returns to New Orleans, and the two eventually fall into deep love as their ages become similar to each other. Benjamin sells the house he had inherited from Thomas Button and moves into a new apartment with Daisy. Daisy starts a dance studio for young girls called "Esplanade". Daisy also gets physical therapy treatments from a physiotherapist that lives in the same building as them. The story continues with Daisy and Benjamin struggling to deal with the issue of one growing younger while the other grows older. In a local swimming pool 4 blocks away from their home, Daisy confesses her desire to become younger. A couple of years pass and Daisy then gives birth to a girl, Caroline. Benjamin, realizing he can no longer stay with Daisy due to his young age appearance and his inability to be a "real father", decides to leave Daisy behind with his possessions and assets when Caroline is one year old. Benjamin becomes younger, travels the world, spends time in various 3rd world countries, and returns once again many years later to meet Daisy in her dance studio. At this point, Daisy has grown old, married a widowed husband, and has brought up their daughter Caroline who is now 12 years old and unaware of Benjamin's past relationship with her mother. Daisy introduces Benjamin to her husband and daughter as a long time family friend. Daisy and Benjamin then meet privately in Benjamin's hotel where they share their passion for each other, but realizes that Daisy has become too old for Benjamin. Benjamin departs and continues to grow younger until he develops alzheimers and becomes a young child who has no memory of the past. Daisy, who is now significantly older, spends time with Benjamin and takes care of Benjamin as he becomes a younger, more confused boy with a growing youthful temper. At one point Daisy cuddles with the childlike Benjamin and read out of the storybook – the same storybook that her grandmother read to both Daisy and Benjamin when they were young. Soon, Benjamin eventually becomes an infant, and dies in Daisy's arms one day. At the moment before Benjamin dies, Daisy claims to have seen through his eyes that he still remembers her, despite the fact that Benjamin has no other way to communicate with her.

The movie ends back in the 2005 hospital room shortly before the power of the hospital was cut due to Hurricane Katrina. Daisy's daughter, Caroline, who learns that her real father was Benjamin Button, becomes upset at the fact that Daisy took such a long time to inform her about her father. When the power is cut, Caroline leaves the room while Daisy passes away with air sirens sounding in the background. The reversed clock, which has since been taken off the tower into the storage and replaced by a digital clock, continues to tick backwards as the floodwaters enter the room where it was stored in.

[edit] Cast

• Brad Pitt as Benjamin Button
• Cate Blanchett as Daisy
• Taraji P. Henson as Queenie
• Julia Ormond as Caroline
• Jason Flemyng as Thomas Button
• Mahershalalhashbaz Ali as Tizzy
• Jared Harris as Captain Mike
• Elias Koteas as Monsieur Gateau
• Ed Metzger as Theodore Roosevelt
• Phyllis Somerville as Grandma Fuller
• Tilda Swinton as Elizabeth Abbott
• Elle Fanning as Daisy - Age 7
• Madisen Beaty as Daisy - Age 10
• Spencer Daniels as Benjamin Button - Age 12

[edit] Production

As early as summer 1994, Maryland Film Office chief Jack Gerbes was approached with the possibility of a film adaptation of the 1922 short story "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which takes place in Baltimore.^[2] In October 1998, screenwriter Robin Swicord wrote for director Ron Howard an adapted screenplay of the short story, a project which would potentially star actor John Travolta.^[3] In May 2000, Paramount Pictures hired screenwriter Jim Taylor to adapt a screenplay from the short story. The studio also attached director Spike Jonze to helm the project.^[4] Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman had also written a draft of the adapted screenplay at one point.^[5] In June 2003, director Gary Ross entered final negotiations to helm the project based on a new draft penned by screenwriter Eric Roth.^[6] In May 2004, Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures joined to co-finance the project, with Paramount Pictures marketing the film in foreign territories and Warner Bros. handling domestic distribution (those were eventually switched). In the same month, director David Fincher entered negotiations to replace Ross in directing the film.^[7] In May 2005, actors Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett entered negotiations to star in the film as Benjamin Button and Daisy, respectively.^[8] In July 2005, Fincher negotiated a deal with the studios to direct Benjamin Button and Zodiac back-to-back, with Zodiac being produced first. For Benjamin Button, New Orleans, Louisiana and the surrounding area was chosen as the filming location for the story to take advantage of the state's production incentives, and shooting was slated to begin in October 2006.^[9]

In September 2006, actors Tilda Swinton, Jason Flemyng, and Taraji P. Henson entered negotiations to be cast into the film.^[10] The following October, with production yet to begin, actress Julia Ormond was cast as Daisy's daughter, to whom Blanchett's character tells the story of her love affair with Benjamin Button.^[11] Filming of Benjamin Button began on November 6, 2006 in New Orleans. The following December, actor Ed Metzger was cast to portray President Theodore Roosevelt.^[12] In January 2007, Blanchett joined the shoot.^[13] Fincher praised the ease of accessibility to rural and urban sets in New Orleans and said that the recovery from Hurricane Katrina did not serve as an atypical hindrance to production.^[14] In March 2007, filming moved to Los Angeles for two more months of filming.^[2] Principal photography was targeted to last a total of 150 days. Additional time was needed in post-production to create the visual effects for the metamorphosis of Brad Pitt's character to the infant stage.^[15] The director used a camera system called Contour, developed by Steve Perlman, to capture facial deformation data from live action performances.^[16] Overall production was finished in September 2007.^[17] The movie props were donated to the victims of Hurricane Katrina in the 9th Ward of New Orleans.

[edit] Music

The score to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was written by French composer Alexandre Desplat, who recorded his score with an 87-piece ensemble of the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Sony Scoring Stage.^[18] The film's first trailer featured the "Aquarium" movement of Camille Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals (previously adapted by WB for a television special starring two of that studio's most popular cartoon characters, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck). The choir singing in the trailer is Libera, a group of boys from South London. The international trailer contains the song "A Moment of Greatness" by Immediate Music. One of the TV spots contains the song "My Body is A Cage" by Arcade Fire. There are also songs in the film shared with O Brother Where Art Thou, including "Didn't Leave Nobody But the Baby" and "I'll Fly Away", from a different recording.

[edit] Release

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was originally slated for theatrical release in May 2008,^[19] but it was pushed back to November 26, 2008.^[20] The release date was moved again to December 25, 2008 in the United States, and December 26 in Australia.[1]

[edit] Critical reception

The film has received generally positive reviews. As of December 27, 2008, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 73% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 119 reviews.^[21]

Todd McCarthy of Variety gave the film a positive review after seeing it at an early screening, calling it a "richly satisfying serving of deep-dish Hollywood storytelling".^[22] Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter felt the film was "superbly made and winningly acted by Brad Pitt in his most impressive outing to date." Honeycutt praised Fincher's directing of the film and noted that the "cinematography wonderfully marries a palette of subdued earthern colors with the necessary CGI and other visual effects that place one in a magical past."^[23]

Roger Ebert, however, gave the film two and a half stars and also noted the many similarities to screenwriter Eric Roth's earlier Forrest Gump.^[24]

[edit] Awards and nominations

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button trailers
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at the Internet Movie Database
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at Allmovie
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at Box Office Mojo
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at Metacritic

• Scoring Session Photo Gallery at ScoringSessions.com
• Official "behind-the-scenes" audio features