The Aviator

Filed Under: Film, Reviews | Article Tags : DVD review

 

By: The Dweeb

 

May 2005

DVD Features Video: 2.40:1 Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1,  French Dolby Digital 2.0 Disc 1 Audio Commentary by Martin Scorsese Disc 2 Additional Scene Documentaries on Howard Hughes and the Filmmakers: Making the Aviator The Role of Howard Hughes in Aviation History Modern Marvels: Howard Hughes, a History Channel Documentary The Affliction of Howard Hughes: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder The Visual Effects of The Aviator Constructing The Aviator Costuming and Scoring The Aviator The Aviator and the Age of Glamour An Evening with Leonardo DiCaprio and Alan Alda   Theatrical release: 12/17/2004 DVD released on 5/24/2005 by Warner Bros. Running time of 170 minutes Starring: Cate Blanchett, Leonardo Di Caprio, Alan Alda, Alec Baldwin, Kate Beckinsale, Jude Law, John C. Reilly Director: Martin Scorsese Plot: One of the 20th century’s most compelling figures, Howard Hughes was a wily industrialist, glamorous movie producer and unstoppable American innovator – but he thought of himself first and foremost as an aviator.

 

 

Biopics seem to be the rage lately, with films like Kinsey and The Aviator hitting the mark and others, well..they have gone down in history on a not so positive note (Alexander ahem). Aviator is an epic film, as told by master filmmaker Martin Scorsese, who I think got screwed yet again by the Academy. 11 nominations, but not for direction and over all top honors. Hasn’t that Clint Eastwood guy racked up enough accolades yet? Sure the film won a bunch of Oscars for more technical achievements, but for the real meat and potatoes they were snubbed.

The Aviator is a compelling film, visually stunning, and possibly a tad too long, but before you know it almost 3 hours has elapsed. I didn’t have much background knowledge of Howard Hughes, I just knew he was some guy who had a thing for airplanes and was a complete germaphobe. Now I’m convinced, through Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance that this guy was a complete nut job, albeit an entertaining one. Why is it that a lot of people who are considered geniuses are deficient in any qualities that would make one more normal? I guess that’s what makes them so special in the first place.

To be able to make a film about one man and his extraordinary life would seem daunting enough as it is, but Scorsese managed to extract all the good parts from Hughes complex story and fashion it into an emotional drama. Because it covers such a vast part of his life, sometimes the story jumps around a bit and we are only able to get tidbits of information, an over all glazing of the surface. He could have focused on the more scandalous aspects of his life, but instead chose to equalize it with his triumphs and achievements leaving it up to you to try and figure out who this man was. Genius or self centered madman? Just when you think all bets are off for Howard he comes back fighting.

The film is of the ensemble cast variety and as you can imagine there are a ton of characters, making it hard to keep track of who is who sometimes. Leonardo’s portrayal took some getting used to at first, as I only see him as that kid from Titanic. But as the movie rolls on and he acquires the moustache, he personified Howard Hughes very well. He does this gradual slide into the role.  From his stubborn headstrong paranoia induced rantings to his habit of scrubbing the hell out of his hands from his germ phobia, he was a sight to watch. How any of those starlets could handle him for more than 5 minutes is beyond me.

The true standout, and best support actress nod, for the film was Cate Blanchette’s Katherine Hepburn character. Wow, it was as if she was really Katherine herself, she was awesome. Cate managed to capture the essence of this Hollywood legend (who I incidentally find quite annoying myself), especially her speech patterns. Maybe it was because she talks like a 1930′s radio newscaster all the time that annoys me so. My bias aside, as a character Hepburn was very interesting anyway.

I’m still trying to figure out why Alan Alda was nominated for best supporting actor as Senator Brewster. Sure he was good, but it wasn’t much of a stretch for him, he sounded just like Hawkeye Pierce to me. I didn’t think he was in it long enough either to make much of dent. I like the guy as an actor, but he just didn’t have the face time.

One other aspect of this film that you may or may not have noticed is the use of the different film stock to match the era the scene was taking place in. The beginning, the colors are rather muted to reflect the primitive colorization techniques of the time. As we move forward in time the colors brighten up, makes for a quite an interesting effect which is very subtle.

This first edition of The Aviator is a dual disc, the first of course containing the film and commentary tracks. The second is all the extras. Now if you want to know all about the life and times of Howard Hughes, this DVD is stocked with information. There are plenty of featurettes on him, as well as the full length documentary from The History Channel. A lot of space has also been dedicated to talking about his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that ruled his life. Included also, naturally, are all the other promotional tie ins and documentaries about the making of the film. Plenty of good material to go through and Warners really did a nice job with this DVD.

Reviewer’s Opinion: BUY IT!!