The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (2-CD Set)
A great deal of music was used in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, to represent the grand span of years of the protagonist's life - lived in reverse - including both original pieces composed for the film, and an array of songs evoking various periods during his life.
It is therefore fitting to have a double-CD release of the soundtrack: one with the original score (composed by the legendary Alexandre Desplat), and the other featuring the bevvy of songs.
The first CD undeniably captures the feel of the film,
but what the CD Producers have done with the collection of songs is really quite impressive: occasionally, in between songs, one hears snippets of dialogue from the film. This makes the entire listening experience reminiscent of the film.
It's also quite lovely to hear snippets of musicians from decades ago, which one mightn't ordinarily hear. You may not wish to buy a whole CD of the Boswell Sisters, for example, but no doubt you'll enjoy their beautiful harmonies on this recording. Many of the tracks on the second CD are jazz-style pieces, but there are a couple of classically-oriented tracks, as well.
For his part in bringing the story of Benjamin Button to the screen, Desplat credits the work of David Fincher, whose creation of a magical world in which a man lives his life in reverse, evidently inspired the composition of music to accopmany it.
A nice touch in the CD's production, is the title of the CD on the back of the liner notes: in reverse, of course!