The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story is expanded into a sweeping survey of 20th century history and culture as seen through the eyes of a man who is born old and grows younger through the century. Brad Pitt plays the old/young man who enters the world as a doddering old infant and gets younger through time, and Cate Blanchett is the love of his life, who ages like the rest of us and meets him in the middle. It could have been the new incarnation of a "Forrest Gump" romp through American history (also from screenwriter Eric Roth) but it has more heart and more genuine heartbreak, and director David Fincher creates a magnificent texture of the past. Taraji P. Henson earned an Oscar nomination as Benjamin's mother, and Julia Ormond, Tilda Swinton, Jared Harris and Jason Flemyng co-star. It was nominated for 13 Academy Awards in all and won three, for Best Visual Effects, Art Direction and Makeup.

The two-disc edition is a curious case of the Criterion logo on a set otherwise released and distributed by Paramount. Together, they have created a handsome set with beautifully produced supplements. Fincher provides a typically serious commentary track (and does it solo for the entire film) and participates in the nearly three-hour documentary "The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button," a detailed production as interesting as it is informative. There is plenty of technical detail on creating the magnificent special effects and visual palette, but more interesting is what it reveals about the collaborative effort of the creative and production process. Hit the "play all" function to get the epic presentation, then explore the various sections (which have chapter titles like "First Trimester" and "Birth") to find the featurettes and galleries not included in the documentary proper. Also available on Blu-ray.