The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 1922 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The film was directed by David Fincher starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton.
Fitzgerald’s short story first appeared in the May 27, 1922 edition of Collier’s Weekly. Later that year it was included in his book of short stories, “Tales of the Jazz Age.”
The protagonist “Benjamin Button” is born as a feeble old man and ages in reverse until he becomes a baby at the end of his life and finally ceases to exist. Fitzgerald noted that “This story was inspired by a remark of Mark Twain’s to the effect that it was a pity that the best part of life came at the beginning and the worst part at the end.” Button is from a well-to-do family in Baltimore, Maryland. He is able to live a relatively normal middle portion of his life when his biological and chronological ages are not too drastically far apart, but he has more problems at either end. The story is in part comic and part melancholy.
The double disc DVD is due in stores on May 5th and features the following extras:
- Interviews with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett
- Audio commentary featuring Academy Award-nominated director David Fincher
- Never-before-seen footage revealing the innovative techniques behind the Academy Award–winning visual effects and makeup
- Step-by-step examination of the motion-capture process aging Brad Pitt
- In-depth exploration of David Fincher’s creative process on the set
- Interview with acclaimed composer Alexandre Desplat about the score
- Featurettes on the film’s storyboards, costumes, and Academy Award–winning art direction
- Stills galleries, including costume design and candid behind-the-scenes production photos
- Optional French- and Spanish-dubbed soundtracks
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing, and optional French and Spanish subtitles
- PLUS: An essay by film critic Kent Jones
If you liked the films Forrest Gump and Big Fish, then you will enjoy this unusual award winning movie.
