Spring Break
Fincher crafts 'Button' into cinematic piece of art
Sean Smith
Issue date: 12/5/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment
The idea may seem a little ridiculous: A person is born as an 80-year-old man and then progresses to age backwards, getting younger each year.
You would think that this is comedic and in no way able to be a dramatic film, but David Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" takes this concept and crafts it into a beautiful piece of cinema in both a narrative and visual manner.
From New Orleans at the end of World War I in 1918 into the 21st century, on a journey as unusual as any man's life could possibly be, the film tells the grand tale of a not-so-ordinary man, the people and places he discovers along the way, the loves he finds and loses, the joys of life and the sadness of death and what lasts beyond time.
Based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" follows the life of the title character (Brad Pitt). The film begins during the post WWI celebrations as Benjamin's mother dies during childbirth. After seeing his disfigured son (he has the appearance of an 80-year-old baby), Thomas Button abandons his child on the steps of a nursing home. Discovering the abandoned child, the nursing home's housekeeper, Queenie (Taraji Henson), adopts the baby despite his deformity.
What follows is Benjamin's childhood as an elderly man, his first encounter with Daisy (Cate Blanchett), the woman he is destined to be with, Benjamin's time on a tug boat, and his involvement in the navy during World War II.
The story focuses also on the emotional path of Benjamin, like meeting his father for the first time, falling in love, and grappling with whether or not he can be a father while he is continuously growing younger. While Benjamin's predicament is entirely peculiar, his journey highlights the complex emotions at the core of every life.
The ensemble gives an amazing performance as a whole but the biggest acknowledgment goes to Brad Pitt. His take on Benjamin Button is a refined, coming across as contemplative, not lazy.
You would think that this is comedic and in no way able to be a dramatic film, but David Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" takes this concept and crafts it into a beautiful piece of cinema in both a narrative and visual manner.
From New Orleans at the end of World War I in 1918 into the 21st century, on a journey as unusual as any man's life could possibly be, the film tells the grand tale of a not-so-ordinary man, the people and places he discovers along the way, the loves he finds and loses, the joys of life and the sadness of death and what lasts beyond time.
Based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" follows the life of the title character (Brad Pitt). The film begins during the post WWI celebrations as Benjamin's mother dies during childbirth. After seeing his disfigured son (he has the appearance of an 80-year-old baby), Thomas Button abandons his child on the steps of a nursing home. Discovering the abandoned child, the nursing home's housekeeper, Queenie (Taraji Henson), adopts the baby despite his deformity.
What follows is Benjamin's childhood as an elderly man, his first encounter with Daisy (Cate Blanchett), the woman he is destined to be with, Benjamin's time on a tug boat, and his involvement in the navy during World War II.
The story focuses also on the emotional path of Benjamin, like meeting his father for the first time, falling in love, and grappling with whether or not he can be a father while he is continuously growing younger. While Benjamin's predicament is entirely peculiar, his journey highlights the complex emotions at the core of every life.
The ensemble gives an amazing performance as a whole but the biggest acknowledgment goes to Brad Pitt. His take on Benjamin Button is a refined, coming across as contemplative, not lazy.
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Kiki
posted 12/09/08 @ 8:14 AM EST
I am so excited to see this movie on Christmas day! The film looks beautifully shot, and the acting looks very good. I am so proud of the the work Brad Pitt has done on and off the screen. (Continued…)
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