Well, since this post is up on the front page again, I’ll add this to my thoughts on the film…
I still rather dislike it, with all of those negative feelings focused directly on the screenplay and nothing else (performance, direction, cinematography, effects, score… still all wonderful, still all wasted on such an unfortunate script).
Having rented the Criterion blu-ray release, I can say without a doubt that the discs are a technical marvel to behold, with one of the finest collections of documentaries I’ve seen for a recent release, and as good of an audio/video transfer as you could ever ask for. The blatantly obvious fact that the Criterion name, logo and menu-scheme was little more than a marketing after-thought bothered me, but at least they sold their name to a perfectly produced release.
What interested me the most, however, was learning that one of the most egregious (and yes, offensive) aspects of the film, that being the use of Hurricane Katrina as a ridiculous and unnecessary narrative thread, was a last-minute revision to the script after it was decided very late in the game to switch the setting from Baltimore to New Orleans. Even more last-minute in that they decided to set the film in New Orleans and began the process of rewriting a few months before the storm even hit.
So, essentially, Eric Roth was already sitting at his desk working New Orleans into his completed script, turned on the TV, saw the worst natural disaster to be inflicted upon American shores and the criminal anti-response to it from our government, and came up with the idea to immediately exploit it and rework the entire framing device of the film around it, when such a decision was completely unnecessary to the film itself.
Stay classy, Mr. Roth.
why not
have you seen it? it’s super fantastic
It’s not the most tasteful choice, but like others have already stated, it’s an economical one. I don’t see too many people buy DVDs during these times, especially the pricier Criterion catalog choices. I bought the DVD version (not converting to Blu-Ray just yet), mainly because I like the film, and want to continue to support Criterion. It’s a technical marvel, something to behold even if the story can’t hold the same way. Without a doubt, I’ll be replaying this one multiple times.
Benjamin Button is a brilliant contribution to the collection… and I believe we’ll only know why in ten or fifteen years time when Fincher is seen as the closest thing to Kubrick’s successor. It may not be his best film, but in terms of technical achievement it is… It’s also a grand artistic achievement… one that can probably be appreciated more fully by those who are in fact, in their old age. It refrains from sentimentality, and is filled with nuance… give it another chance… it is indeed a film that can be studied and admired… frame by frame.. and isn’t that what the collection is about?
Benjamin Button is a brilliant contribution to the collection… and I believe we’ll only know why in ten or fifteen years time when Fincher is seen as the closest thing to Kubrick’s successor. It may not be his best film, but in terms of technical achievement it is… It’s also a grand artistic achievement… one that can probably be appreciated more fully by those who are in fact, in their old age. It refrains from sentimentality, and is filled with nuance… give it another chance… it is indeed a film that can be studied and admired… frame by frame.. and isn’t that what the collection is about?
I can’t be much surprised when movies like this are added to the Criterion catalog. They are a competing business for one, and for all of the excellent preservation and awareness they do for smaller artistic films, Criterion does have to account for the limitations of competition and resources. Including some of these Hollywood-hybrid prestige films which will just be a part of their ability to produce other more authentic yet less-profitable films in the future.
Benjamin Button is not a challenging film in any particular manner, however, we will see others that are arriving from Criterion thanks in some part to it. Technical filmcraft, no matter how incredible it may be, is still incomplete when paired with less than genuine storytelling. You can see where the artistic and commercial worlds are clashing when these movies get thrown together.
christopher bush