Friday November 21, 08:52 PM

Things get curious at 'Button' screening

NEW YORK (Billboard) - One of the first major industry screenings of David Fincher's highly anticipated romance "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was halted shortly into the film because of technical difficulties Thursday.

From practically the start, the print featured colors that appeared to be off, and about a half hour into the screening, the projection stopped.

The film's cinematographer, Claudio Miranda, stood up to apologize to the audience of awards voters and media. He explained that a channel was out, leading to the incorrect colors. The movie had an unusually brown and grainy look.

He and others then worked for about a half hour to get the color corrected, as images stopped and started on the screen, but they were unable to restore the correct look of the film. Miranda also called Fincher, who was not in the theater, and the two agreed to halt the screening.

"I talked to David about it tonight and I don't think anyone should see it like that," he said.

The crowd then filed into the lobby at the Directors Guild of America's headquarters for a previously scheduled reception.

While there were several other screenings of the Paramount film throughout the day, the DGA-set screening, which was to feature a talk from Fincher, was the first major unveiling; a number of critics were in the room.

The screening was rescheduled, with a Fincher talk, for noon on Saturday on the Paramount lot.

The movie is one of the big awards hopefuls and a sizable bet for Paramount. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett star in the adaptation of an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story about a man who ages backward.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter