Useless Movie Trivia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Memorable Quotes
Benjamin Button: My name is Benjamin Button, and I was born under unusual circumstances. While everyone else was agin', I was gettin' younger... all alone.
Benjamin Button: Your life is defined by its opportunities... even the ones you miss.
Trivia
Filmmakers worked closely with Levi's to obtain clothing items from their Levi's Vintage Clothing collection to authenticate various time periods captured throughout the film.
Once attached to Tom Cruise as the lead, Steven Spielberg as director in the 1990s.
The second Hollywood feature film, after Denzel Washington's Deja Vu (2006), to film in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Early development of the film began in 1994.
In 1998, Ron Howard was set to direct, with John Travolta in the lead.
Brad Pitt stated it took 5 hours each day to complete the make-up required for the role.
The original setting for the film was to be Baltimore, the city of the short story the movie is based on. David Fincher and Eric Roth changed the location to New Orleans when the studio requested they film there to take advantage of the state's filming discount.
The name of Benjamin's sailboat is Button Up.
The silver-blue motorcycle ridden by Button (Brad Pitt) is a 650cc Triumph T110, recognizable as a 1956 model because of it's alloy head and 4-bar tank badge.
Shot using Viper Thomson digital cameras, also used in David Fincher's previous movie, Zodiac (2007/I). However, the close-ups and the hospital scenes were shot in the Sony F-23 cameras, as Fincher noted that the fan built inside the Viper cameras create too much noise that interferes with the dialog.
The short story based on a remark by author Mark Twain. Twain famously remarked that 'the best part of life was from the beginning and the worst part was the end'.
Goofs
The tug boat Chelsea gets into a gun battle with the German submarine U-497. However, while construction began on a U-boat with this number, it was never completed and therefore could not have been involved.
Soldiers in the First World War would not be issued their weapons until they arrived near the front. They certainly wouldn't carry them when saying goodbye to their family when boarding the train to embarkation.
Box Office Info In the USA
Budget: $150,000,000
Gross: $127,509,326
Filming Locations
Burbank, California, USA
Cambodia
Cité du Cinéma, Montréal, Québec, Canada (studio)
Donaldsonville, Louisiana, USA
India
Laplace, Louisiana, USA
Los Angeles, California, USA
Mandeville, Louisiana, USA (English Channel beach shots)
Montréal, Québec, Canada
Morgan City, Louisiana, USA
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
S.S. Lane Victory, Pier 94, San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands