As Hurricane Katrina begins its assault on New Orleans in 2005, Daisy (Cate Blanchett) is on her death bed and recounts to her daughter the story of an extraordinary man in Daisy’s life. Born on the day World War 1 ends, Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) is unusual- he is born old and grows younger as the years go by. Benjamin and Daisy are always in each other’s lives but only really experience their love story when they meet in the middle. Through his journal, Benjamin tells his whole story.

CRITIQUE

Over the years of his career, director David Fincher has carved out a unique, distinctive style for himself that seemed particularly suited to the thriller genre. Recently, though, that talent neared a full expression of the genre with Zodiac and shifted toward another type of story with this film. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a stunning achievement, both technically and artistically, especially in its epic narrative and soaring performances.

One unifying characteristic of Fincher’s work is the maturity which, maybe inevitably, comes with a jaded tone. This cynical outlook is Fincher’s personally but is never heavy-handedly encroached on the material he works with. With this epic, romantic story, that tone is the best balance to keep things from getting schmaltzy. Instead, every step of the way, the audience only gets genuine emotion and an engaging plot.

The idea of a man aging backwards is a stellar plot-device, providing a deep trove of thematic possibilities. Death and time are ideas that permeate every frame, with images of clocks and a nice use of reversing action near the beginning of the film, as well as an excellently edited sequence that shows how different actions intersect to create one outcome.

This story’s success is largely dependent on the technology needed to execute it, and it’s seamless use here is truly innovative. The image of a wizened Pitt pushing around a wheelchair looks jarringly real but when the actor himself also takes over the bodily action of the role, you realize it’s a true performance. Closer to the film’s end, Pitt’s young visage appears in all its golden glory (also helped just a little by visual effects) and the effect startles again because of how well it all works.

Pitt is wonderful, and he works alongside the excellent Cate Blanchett is quickly making them an onscreen duo to reckon with. Other actors here, like Taraji P. Henson and Jared Harris, add value to the film as well. Superlative direction and performances in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button combine with technical and artistic achievements in a stunning movie-going experience.

THE VIDEO

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen in a strikingly beautiful transfer.  Picture quality is great, colors are extremely bright and clear, and black levels are rock solid; a trademark of the Criterion Collection. The movie was almost entirely filmed in digital and converted to a high definition master for this home video release.

THE AUDIO

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. Every sound, whether it is dialogue, sound effects, or the score, is loud and clear. Surrounds are active at the right moments. There are French and Spanish language tracks, also; optimized by Criterion. Optional subtitles in English, French, and Spanish are available.

THE EXTRAS

Commentary with Director David Fincher: Despite being a solo track, it is a good example of how one of these can be informative and entertaining at the same time. Fincher is clearly being himself, with his cynicism (and some curse words) shining through, but the viewer also hears interesting facts. For instance, we learn that much more of the scenes of elderly Daisy in the hospital with her daughter were shot but cut, and that Daisy’s performance in Carousel on Broadway is choreographed based on photos of that actual ‘50s performance of the piece. Definitely listen to this extra.

The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button: This is the meat of the special features here and is divided into sections. After a “Prologue,” there are “First,” “Second,” and “Third Trimesters” and “Birth.” Within each section, the features go in order. “First Trimester” covers pre-production, “Second” covers filming, and “Third Trimester” covers post-production, mostly the visual effects.

Pretty much every frame of these featurettes is filled with information. The long process of the script finally becoming a film is captivating- at one point, Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise were attached. I loved hearing from costume designer Jacqueline West and composer Alexandre Desplat, while the most fascinating featurettes here cover the ground-breaking visual effects of the techniques used to capture Pitt’s performance for the earlier part of the film and to de-age Pitt and Blanchett at certain points in the film. This last technology is startling at first but a blessing to actors - their age doesn’t matter so much now. This is the best extra on this set - watch it all.

Stills Galleries: There are four sections of galleries here: storyboards, art direction, costume design, and production stills. A good amount of photos are included and they are great to flip through. Shots of the Russian hotel set are beautiful, for example, and Fincher at work is a popular subject in the production stills.

Essay: Film critic Kent Jones wrote an essay of good length about the film, which is printed in the booklet with this two-disc set. Well-written, this essay mostly discusses the film in terms of the work of Fincher, drawing in many of his previous films for mention. Jones intelligently and accessibly touches on theme and technique, so I recommend reading this.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is technologically innovative and artistically impressive with performances and direction that enthrall. With this epic feeling, the script is amazing as well. Moreover, because this two-disc set is by The Criterion Collection, the array of bonus features is plentiful and full of informative content. Many viewers, not just fans of epic romances, will enjoy The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as one of the best films of last year. Buy this film on DVD, and I highly recommend this Criterion Collection edition.