The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - A movie review & more...

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – (2008) – A Movie Review…& more

As a ritual, in the Friday morning newspaper I look forward to a Bollywood / Hollywood flick’s critics ratings with unfailing curiosity and loyalty.  As a movie buff, Hindi and English films in general and world multi-linguistic movies preferably with sub-titles was a matter of joy to me.  Of late, I was tossing with the idea of writing a movie review for the first time. In this Christmas season it flashed across my mind’s screen about ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” the Hollywood grosser which was released on a X’mas day the 25^th December, 2008.

The movie made 13 Academy Awards nominations and managed to win in 3 categories.  My interest was not limited to the Oscar Awards but the literature content of this fable of a man in his eighties taking a road trip to his infancy. The metamorphosis of an ugly old creature to the world’s most handsome man, played by Brad Pitt – who else?  I wanted to anchor my ship somewhere in the mid-20’s. Not a year older and not a year younger after seeing Brad Pitt in this romantic fantasy drama.

This is a Warner Bros & Paramount Pictures presentation.  It will be interesting to note that the movie makers first approached the living legend and one of the all time great in film making Steven Spielberg to direct this film.  However, Spielberg after leaving this project went on to make “Jurrassic Park” and “Schindlers List”.  This movie is based on 25 pages of literature from the complete works of  F. Scott Fitzgerald.   The fable talks about ageing process of Benjamin Button on the reverse order.

SYNOPSIS -

Daisy (Cate Blanchet) in her death bed asks her daughter Caroline (Julia Ormond) to unwrap and read aloud a Diary written by Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt).    His DNA father, Thomas Button (Jason Flemyng), abandons baby Benjamin in front of a nursing home after his wife died immediately after giving child birth.  The Nursing Home workers Queenie (Taraji P Henson)   and her husband Tizzy Weathers spot Benjamin on the 9^th of November, 1918 at the door steps of the Nursing Home and Queenie decides to bringing him up as her own child.  The movie was made in New Orleans where Hurricane Katrina devastated the township.  The Director (David Fincher) avoided filming the fury of Hurricane Katrina resorting to a television news bulletin announcement instead.  The movie does not show any racial discrimination or remarks.  The Benjamin’s story unraveled by the Diary notes often leading to flashbacks by the screen play writer Eric Roth (the famous script writer of Academy Award Winner “Forest Gump”).  Benjamin learn to walk with crutches instead of Wheel Chair in 1930 during a healing prayer and declares it as a miracle.  Benjamin meets six year old Daisy introduced by her grandmother who was also a resident of the Nursing Home.  Benjamin befriends Daisy and thereafter it is a story of love and loss.

In the Autumn 1936 Benjamin leaves New Orleans and joins Captain Mike (Jared Harris) who owns a tug boat and Daisy joins a Dance Company in the New York city. The Captain Mike is an interesting character who lives his life in full throttle. He indulges in drinking and womanizing and was a hero among his crew.  He was a go lucky and jovial person.    He quizzically examines Benjamin about his sexual experiences.  Having heard none from him, he feels pity for Benjamin and leads him to a brothel, the age old profession for pleasure seekers like other Navy cadets who spends most of their life in the sea.

In 1941 he is in Murmansk and has an affair with Elizabeth Abbot (Twilda Swinton), the wife of a British Trade Minister.  The same year in December Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, thrusting USA to enter World War II.  The Captain volunteers his boat for US Navy and the crew is assigned to salvage duties.  During a patrol, the tug boat finds a US transport with dead bodies of many American troops.  A German Submarine surfaces and Captain Mike accelerates with full speed heading towards it while a German gunner opens fire at the tug boat killing most of the crew including Captain Mike.  Benjamin was rescued by the US Navy ships on the next day.

In May 1945 Benjamin returns to New Orleans and reunites with Queenie at the Nursing Home residence.  A few weeks later he reunites with Daisy and started dating her. Upon failing to seduce him afterwards she departs. 

   

Benjamin later reunites with Thomas Button, who, terminally ill reveals that he is Benjamin’s biological father and wills his button company and estate to Benjamin. You may recall that in their previous meetings he had hidden the fact of being his DNA father from Benjamin.

In 1947, in a sudden surprise Benjamin visits Daisy in New York and after finding that she is in love with other person he departs.  In 1954, Daisy’s dancing career ends when her leg is crushed in an automobile accident in Paris.  When Benjamin visits her, Daisy is amazed by his youthful and handsome appearance.  However, she tries to avoid him and asks him to stay away from her life due to her frustration caused by injuries.  

In Spring 1962, Daisy returns to New Orleans and reunites with Benjamin.  Now at a comparable age they go out for boating and experience romantic love. At that time Benjamin has become the prince charming and their love affair blooms.  A real Hollywood roller coaster.

When they returned from their trip to the Nursing Home, the news of Queenies death awaited them.  They moved in together after Queenie’s death.  1n 1967, Daisy opened a Ballet Studio, and tells Benjamin that she is pregnant with his child.  In the spring of 1968 she gave birth to a girl, Caroline.  We learn from Benjamin’s Diary notes that believing he can never be able to do the role play as a devote father due to his reverse ageing, Benjamin sells his property and give the proceeds to Daisy and Caroline and departs for a world tour on his motor bike.   In 1970s, he was a lone traveler.

Benjamin returns to Daisy in 1980. Now married, Daisy introduce Benjamin as a family friend to her husband and daughter.  Daisy admits that he was right to leave; she could not have coped otherwise. She meets Benjamin later in his Hotel and they fall passionately in love with each other.

In 1990, now widowed Daisy was contacted by social workers who have found Benjamin now physically a preteen.  When she arrives they explained to her he was living in a condemned building and he was taken to a hospital due to poor health and from his belongings they got a Diary from which they got her address.  They told her that he was showing early signs of Dimentia.  Daisy moves into the Nursing Home in 1997 and takes care of Benjamin for the rest of his life.  In the spring of 2003 he dies in Daisy’s   arms, physically an infant and 84 years of age in chronological order.

Daisy dies as the Hurricane Katrina approaches towards New Orleans.

At the end of the movie one feels that movie should have been tightly edited.  A lot of footage has been devoted to the lessons of child rearing.

The lead performances by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett and the Best Director, Best Supporting Actress , best Visual Effects,  best Art Direction and best Make-up all these numbering a total of 13 Oscar nominations were made.  Though Oscar win was only for best art direction, best make-up and best Visual Effects categories, many other prestigious Awards were won by this movie. The make-up of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchet especially when she was at her death bed was superb.   There are spectacular Visual Effects, especially Benjamin and Daisy’s sailing in the outdoor locations like a colorful picture post card and the war sequence of tug boat Captain and his crew members were amazing.  There are many frames of landscape made to look exotic by the cinematography. The Director has added a dimension of delicacy and grace to digital film making. 

The length of this film is 2 hrs. 47 minutes which is unusual by Hollywood standards.  Most of the Hollywood films last 90 minutes duration.  One of the critics opined his experience of watching this movie – “I was sorry when it was over and was happy to have seen it”.  

The movie will attract repeat audience and survive the decades for next generations’ movie watching benefits.