THE CURIOUS CASE OF
BENJAMIN BUTTON

Year: 2008
USA: Paramount Pictures
UK: Warner Bros Pictures International UK
Cast: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P Henson, Tilda Swinton, Julia Ormond, Jason Flemyng, Jared Harris, Joeanna Sayler, Tom Everett, Elias Koteas, Peter Donald Badalamenti II, Spencer Daniels, Chandler Canterbury, Robert Towers, Charles Henry Wyson, Elle Fanning, Madisen Beaty, David Ross Paterson, Taren Cunningham, Devyn A Tyler, Deneen Tyler, Faune A Chambers, Donna DuPlantier, Jacob Wood, Ed Metzger, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, Fiona Hale, Patrick Thomas O'Brien, Danny Nelson, Marion Zinser, Paula Gray, Lance E. Nichols, Rampai Mohadi, Troi Bechet, Phyllis Somerville, Ted Manson,Clay Cullen, Edith Ivey, Jared Harris, Sonya Leslie-Shepherd, Yasmine Abriel, Don Creech, Joshua DesRoches, Christopher Maxwell, Richmond Arquette, Josh Stewart, Adrian Armas, Katta Hules, Rus Blackwell, Joel Bissonnette
Director: David Fincher
Country: USA
USA: 159 mins
UK: 166 mins
USA Rated: PG-13 for brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking
UK Certificate: 12A contains infrequent strong language and moderate violence
USA Release Date: 25 December 2008
UK Release Date: 6 February 2009


Soundtrack

Synopsis

I was born under unusual circumstances." And so begins THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, adapted from the 1920s story by F Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards: A man, like any of us, who is unable to stop time.

We follow his story set in New Orleans from his birth at the close of World War I in 1918, into the 21st century, following his journey that is as unusual as any man's life can be. During his backwards lifetime, he falls in love with an exquisite beauty named Daisy (Cate Blanchett). As deep and genuine as their love may be, Benjamin's reverse biology makes a lasting union impossible.

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett with Taraji P Henson, Tilda Swinton, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas and Julia Ormond, BENJAMIN BUTTON, is a grand tale of a not so ordinary man and the people and places he discovers along the way, the loves he finds, the joys of life and the sadness of death, and what lasts beyond time.

Synopsis Soundtrack

Concord Records to release the soundtrack for THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON on 16 December. The original soundtrack is composed, conducted, and produced by Oscar winner Alexandre Desplat. It creates a mesmerizing sonic mindscape that mirrors the unique emotional world of the movie's lead character, Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt). Based on F Scott Fitzgerald's short story, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the score and movie explore the life of some one who is born an old man and ages backwards.

Benjamin's life progresses in retrograde motion, to his death at the start of the 21st century. Desplat's haunting score creates a mystical, diaphanous haze through which we watch events in Benjamin Button's life transpire as if through a scrim of heart-tugging sadness.

The movie begins in New Orleans in the 21st century, just before Katrina hits. As it flashes back to the time of Benjamin's birth, in New Orleans in 1918, and follows his retrograde journey through life, Desplat's haunting music finds its counterpart in the forthright, authentic sounds of the jazz era in New Orleans, as performed by Bix Beiderbecke, The Boswell Sisters, Louis Armstrong, and other greats. The contrast between the two sound worlds, as heard on the two separate CDs, speaks volumes.

Disc 1: Score (Original Score Composed, Conducted and Produced by Alexandre Desplat)
1. Postcards (2:51)
2. Mr. Gateau (3:02)
3. Meeting Daisy (1:22)
4. A New Life (3:39)
5. Love in Murmansk (3:53)
6. Meeting Again (2:41)
7. Mr. Button (2:05)
8. "Little Man" Oti (2:02)
9. Alone at Night (2:33)
10. It Was Nice to Have Met You (1:43)
11. Children's Games (4:10)
12. Submarine Attack (2:40)
13. The Hummingbird (2:35)
14. Sunrise on Lake Pontchartrain (3:33)
15. Daisy's Ballet Career (2:03)
16. The Accident (2:38)
17. Stay Out of My Life (1:44)
18. Nothing Lasts (2:54)
19. Some Things You Never Forget (1:36)
20. Growing Younger (2:14)
21. Dying Away (2:58)
22. Love Returns (1:44)
23. Benjamin and Daisy (2:32)

Disc 2: Songs
1. "My name is Benjamin" - Benjamin Button (:27)
2. We Shall Walk Through the Streets of the City - Doc Paulin's Marching Band (3:17) (Traditional) Courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways Records
3. "Some days I feel different" - Queenie & Benjamin Button (:21)
4. Ostrich Walk - Frank Trumbauer and His Orchestra featuring Bix Beiderbecke (3:12) (Edwin Edwards/James La Rocca/H.N. Ragas/Anthony Sbarbaro/Larry Shields)
5. "How old are you?" - Benjamin Button & The Preacher (:11)
6. That's How Rhythm Was Born - The Boswell Sisters (2:57) (Nat Burton/J.C. Johnson/George Whiting)
7. "When was the last time you had a woman?" - Benjamin Button & Captain Mike (:18)
8. Freight Train Blues - Billie & DeDe Pierce (5:34) (Traditional) Arranged by Billie Pierce
9. Basin Street Blues - Preservation Hall Jazz Band (7:36) (Spencer Williams) Edwin H. Morris & Co., Inc. (ASCAP)
10. "Thanksgiving, 1930" - Benjamin Button (:07)
11. If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight) - Louis Armstrong and His Sebastian New Cotton Club Orchestra (3:36) (Henry Creamer/James Johnson)
12. "What's YOUR secret?" - Captain Mike & Benjamin Button (:28)
13. Chanson Sur Staline - Choeur de la Cathedral de la Rue Daru, Paris XVII (3:09) (Matvey Blanter/Alexej Surkov)
14. "A date which will live in infamy..." - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1941 (:19)
15. Arabeske for Piano in C Major Op. 18 (3:23) (Robert Schumann)
16. "Coming home" - Benjamin Button (:12)
17. Out of Nowhere - Sidney Bechet (3:04) (Johnny Green/Edward Heyman)
18. Dear Old Southland - Louis Armstrong (3:19) (Henry Creamer/Turner Layton)
19. "Defined by opportunities" - Benjamin Button (:05)