Post by Oss Rae on Oct 8, 2016 8:31:37 GMT -8
After finally seeing the movie a few months ago, I felt compelled to read the original short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. There are profound differences, though I enjoyed each in their own way.
The basic premise--a man born old and regresses in age over his life till he dies as an infant--is primarily what survives the translation, Fitzgerald's story takes place in New Jersey from the time of the Civil War up to the years following WWI. The movie is set in New Orleans and spans WWI to the early 2000s. In both cases the protagonist, Benjamin Button, serves in war (in Fitzgerald's story, Button very eagerly serves in the Spanish-American War and then tries very hard to fight/command in WWI; it's never explained why he likes these wars so much. In the movie he works on a salvaging boat in WW2, though probably not with as much zeal). His unexplained passion to fight in these cynical wars is, I suppose, the main drawback to the short story for this reader. (But being that this is a short story, Button's fascination with war is not dwelled upon a great deal.)
The story's biggest strength, for me, is Fitzgerald's humor, which is absent from the movie (though the film has its own humor, presumably to capture the story's tone). Last week I was actually laughing out loud in a dentist waiting room while reading the story. There are some interesting parallels and contrasts between Button's early years when he's "old" and his twilight years when he's "young." While being raised as an "old man," his parents keep trying to make him look young. He has to dye his white hair black; he's forced to wear shorts till 12; and he has to play with children's toys and other children (even though his mind is that of a 70-year-old, and he prefers to read scientific journals, etc.) The person he relates to most is his grandfather. They both have the same outlook on life. Toward the end of the story, when he's "young," Benjamin's son makes him put on fake whiskers and glasses to make him look older; he returns to kindergarten but unlike last time, he enjoys it (as an "old man" he kept falling asleep during group activities); and now the person he relates to most is his grandson (now playmate). But, of course, the grandson moves on as he gets older.
The love of his life is present in both the short story and movie, and, of course, in both cases after they marry, she advances in years while he regresses. In my opinion, this is one thing the movie handles better. The spouses at least try to deal with their strange circumstances. In the source material, their handling of it seems unenlightened, ageist, and a bit callous. He starts objecting to her greying hair and overall changing appearance. He no longer wants to even be seen with her in public.
So the fairly long movie uses some seminal ideas from the short story, but arguably, it could be described as "loosely based on" Fitzgerald's work rather than "based on."
The basic premise--a man born old and regresses in age over his life till he dies as an infant--is primarily what survives the translation, Fitzgerald's story takes place in New Jersey from the time of the Civil War up to the years following WWI. The movie is set in New Orleans and spans WWI to the early 2000s. In both cases the protagonist, Benjamin Button, serves in war (in Fitzgerald's story, Button very eagerly serves in the Spanish-American War and then tries very hard to fight/command in WWI; it's never explained why he likes these wars so much. In the movie he works on a salvaging boat in WW2, though probably not with as much zeal). His unexplained passion to fight in these cynical wars is, I suppose, the main drawback to the short story for this reader. (But being that this is a short story, Button's fascination with war is not dwelled upon a great deal.)
The story's biggest strength, for me, is Fitzgerald's humor, which is absent from the movie (though the film has its own humor, presumably to capture the story's tone). Last week I was actually laughing out loud in a dentist waiting room while reading the story. There are some interesting parallels and contrasts between Button's early years when he's "old" and his twilight years when he's "young." While being raised as an "old man," his parents keep trying to make him look young. He has to dye his white hair black; he's forced to wear shorts till 12; and he has to play with children's toys and other children (even though his mind is that of a 70-year-old, and he prefers to read scientific journals, etc.) The person he relates to most is his grandfather. They both have the same outlook on life. Toward the end of the story, when he's "young," Benjamin's son makes him put on fake whiskers and glasses to make him look older; he returns to kindergarten but unlike last time, he enjoys it (as an "old man" he kept falling asleep during group activities); and now the person he relates to most is his grandson (now playmate). But, of course, the grandson moves on as he gets older.
The love of his life is present in both the short story and movie, and, of course, in both cases after they marry, she advances in years while he regresses. In my opinion, this is one thing the movie handles better. The spouses at least try to deal with their strange circumstances. In the source material, their handling of it seems unenlightened, ageist, and a bit callous. He starts objecting to her greying hair and overall changing appearance. He no longer wants to even be seen with her in public.
So the fairly long movie uses some seminal ideas from the short story, but arguably, it could be described as "loosely based on" Fitzgerald's work rather than "based on."