Movie MarauderThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button
July 28th 2009 03:58
Loosely based on the 1921 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Benjamin Button is quite a curious case. When the town clock maker loses his only son to the great war, he builds a very special clock, one that goes backwards, in the hope that if time is reversed, his son might return to him. Alas, this was not the case. What did happen was that when a baby was born on the day the town of New Orleans celebrated the end of the war, that baby was born at the end of his life rather than the beginning. Instead of growing older with each day this child grows younger.
The biggest curiosity of the Curious Case of Benjamin Button (played by Brad Pitt) is how on earth does this work and more to the point how could it possibly be portrayed in film. The answer is…quite cleverly.
The scene for Benjamin’s early years is set within a rest-home where he is surrounded by elderly people. By the time he grows to the size of a child, he looks no different to the people he lives with, just perhaps smaller. The problem for Benjamin is that he doesn’t feel the same inside. Despite his appearance Benjamin is still young at heart so when one of the rest home folk introduces him to her 12 year old grand daughter (Daisy, played by Cate Blanchett) they quickly become friends, forming a bond that will endure till the end of their days.
Benjamin and Daisy drift in and out of each others lives as Benjamin travels the world in a tug boat, falls in love with an older married woman and finds himself at World War II Pearl Harbour while Daisy follows her dream of becoming a successful ballet dancer in New York. Whenever they meet there is a strong connection but the timing is never right. Only when their ages converge for a brief period are they are truly together.
In the style of the Notebook, the story is read from Benjamin’s diary on the deathbed of an 81 year old Daisy who seeks closure from her complicated past. This final reading of Benjamin’s life is a clever tool that allows the viewer omniscience as Daisy learns the missing pieces of the puzzle. This story is successful in answering all our questions.
Nominated for 13 Academy Awards including best picture, best director and best actor and winning Oscars for art direction, makeup and visual effects the Curious Case of Benjamin Button certainly earned critical attention. The Oscars they did receive were definitely well deserved. With such a difficult task ahead of them, the art directors managed to make this story completely authentic and even through the piles of make up you always knew the face beneath belonged to Benjamin.
If you can succeed in stopping yourself from doing mental arithmetic throughout the movie, it is an entertaining and enjoyable story. There is opportunity to be disappointed by Benjamin’s decision at one point but ultimately his reasons are validated. This is a unique, well rounded movie, a story the whole family could enjoy.
The scene for Benjamin’s early years is set within a rest-home where he is surrounded by elderly people. By the time he grows to the size of a child, he looks no different to the people he lives with, just perhaps smaller. The problem for Benjamin is that he doesn’t feel the same inside. Despite his appearance Benjamin is still young at heart so when one of the rest home folk introduces him to her 12 year old grand daughter (Daisy, played by Cate Blanchett) they quickly become friends, forming a bond that will endure till the end of their days.
Benjamin and Daisy drift in and out of each others lives as Benjamin travels the world in a tug boat, falls in love with an older married woman and finds himself at World War II Pearl Harbour while Daisy follows her dream of becoming a successful ballet dancer in New York. Whenever they meet there is a strong connection but the timing is never right. Only when their ages converge for a brief period are they are truly together.
In the style of the Notebook, the story is read from Benjamin’s diary on the deathbed of an 81 year old Daisy who seeks closure from her complicated past. This final reading of Benjamin’s life is a clever tool that allows the viewer omniscience as Daisy learns the missing pieces of the puzzle. This story is successful in answering all our questions.
Nominated for 13 Academy Awards including best picture, best director and best actor and winning Oscars for art direction, makeup and visual effects the Curious Case of Benjamin Button certainly earned critical attention. The Oscars they did receive were definitely well deserved. With such a difficult task ahead of them, the art directors managed to make this story completely authentic and even through the piles of make up you always knew the face beneath belonged to Benjamin.
If you can succeed in stopping yourself from doing mental arithmetic throughout the movie, it is an entertaining and enjoyable story. There is opportunity to be disappointed by Benjamin’s decision at one point but ultimately his reasons are validated. This is a unique, well rounded movie, a story the whole family could enjoy.
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