Hi there, cinemaphiles. I just saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tonight. **Not too spoilerish***
All I can say is WOW! I haven't read any reviews, just the bare outline of the story. It's an epic that holds your attention through the whole 2 3/4 hours--no mean feat. I was on the verge of tears practically throughout the entire film. Spanning eight decades, with not a cliche in sight. Effective use of spare music, unintrusive voice-overs, interesting lighting add to the delight. Not to mention special effects that are used for human purposes, not just to blow up stuff. Hurray!
Brad Pitt is phenomenal. You can't take your eyes off him. I don't think I've ever appreciated him as an actor before this. He makes great use of his eyes and his voice, in this case a quiet, slow, gentle New Orleans lilt. He is gradually transformed from a little old man, eventually to Brad Pitt, to Brad Pitt of twenty years ago!
I always expect great things from Cate Blanchett and she doesn't disappoint. From waif to Martha Graham-esque and beyond, she is a wonder.
I didn't really have much of a sense of David Fincher, except for Zodiac, which I didn't much like. I see he has directed TV commercials, and music videos (Madonna) primarily, along with Fight Club and Se7en, neither of which had I seen.
Based on short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the film was apparently heavily adapted by Eric Roth. Perhaps Brokeback Mountain started a trend of adapting good short stories into films.
I expect this film will haunt me for some time.
To celebrate, my film partner and I went to dinner at the venerable Boston establishment, Locke Ober, for dinner (lobster bisque and crispy sweetbreads, yum) and a Sazerac, featured in the film.
*****
Sazerac, considered the first truly American cocktail, pre-Civil War, born in New Orleans:
coat an old fashioned glass with Pernod and discard
muddle sugar cube and bitters, add ice and bourbon (or whiskey, or rye)
strain into Pernod-coated glass
garnish with lemon peel
Aromatic and gorgeous!
Cheers to Benjamin Button!