Every single disc that the Criterion Collection releases is a cause for celebration, but rare are the times that you’ll see a studio’s home entertainment division even consider partnering with the best in DVD releases. Not since (I might be wrong with my facts here) Wes Anderson’s involvement with Criterion have we seen another filmmaker do the same. David Fincher’s THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (among my top 20 of the year) will be released on May 5th as a two-disc DVD and two-disc Blu-ray stacked with three hours of special features, behind the scenes stuff and a commentary track from Fincher and a visit with composer Alexandre Desplat coming in at a cool forty bucks. Here is the press release below.
The two-disc and single-disc DVD are presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround and English, French and Spanish subtitles. The two-disc Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio™, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English, English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. The two-disc Criterion Edition DVD and two-disc Criterion Blu-ray include the following special features:
The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button—four-part documentary:
I. Academy Award-nominated director David Fincher introduces the surprising beginnings of what would become an epic masterpiece including the casting of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, the decision to change the location of the story to New Orleans and more.
II. Follow the production from day one including the challenges of aging Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, designing over five thousand costumes and creating the animatronic baby.
III. Explore the incredible visual effects techniques created specifically for the film that allowed Brad Pitt to play the title character at virtually every age. Also includes a visit to the scoring stage with composer Alexandre Desplat.
IV. Walk the red carpet at the film’s premiere in New Orleans, with final thoughts from cast and crew.
V. Audio Commentary by director David Fincher
