“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” has always been a great story!

I don’t write a lot of rants on this blog, but this will be one of the few times when I express some strong sentiments. Tonight, as I was winding down from a hard day at work, I was watching television and a movie preview came on. A few seconds into the preview, I realized it was for the new movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" a classic F. Scott Fitzgerald short story.

When the movie was first announced, I wrote about it in this post. Now the movie is gaining a lot more attention, as well as the story itself. I even noticed at my local bookstore there’s a hardbound edition of the story that is fully illustrated and advertises the story being a "Motion Picture" right on the front cover. Yes, the short story The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

So what’s my problem? Here it is: This was a good story long before Hollywood discovered it! I first read "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" about ten years ago. It was one of my favorite stories by Fitzgerald. And I know there are legions of people out there who have loved this story for decades.

While F. Scott Fitzgerald has been dead since 1940, this is also a figurative "slap" in his face. He tried to succeed in Hollywood in his later years, mostly for financial reason (Fitzgerald wasn’t a fan of Hollywood either), but failed and then died before he could even finish his last novel.

I’ll conclude by saying that it’s kinda sad some of these great works don’t get their proper acclaim until after Hollywood makes a movie out of it, and in the process, totally bungles and distorts the original story. Will I watch the movie? Maybe (just to see what a hack job they did). Will I continue to read and enjoy all of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s other works? You betcha!

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• Short fiction meets Hollywood with Fitzgerald story
• F. Scott Fitzgerald still trying for success in Hollywood
• Help! My story has no ending!
• Is the short story dead?
• History of the Short Story

Read More: Classic Literature, Literary News