The Aviator (2004)

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writer (WGA):

John Logan (written by)

Release Date:

25 December 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

For some men, the sky was the limit. For him, it was just the beginning.

Plot:

A biopic depicting the early years of legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes' career, from the late 1920s to the mid-1940s.

Plot Keywords:

Hollywood | WWII | Aviation | 1920s | Fight

Awards:

Won 5 Oscars. Another 45 wins & 64 nominations

Cast

Leonardo DiCaprio	...	Howard Hughes
Cate Blanchett	...	Katharine Hepburn
Kate Beckinsale	...	Ava Gardner
John C. Reilly	...	Noah Dietrich
Alec Baldwin	...	Juan Trippe
Alan Alda	...	Senator Ralph Owen Brewster
Ian Holm	...	Professor Fitz
Danny Huston	...	Jack Frye
Gwen Stefani	...	Jean Harlow
Jude Law	...	Errol Flynn
Adam Scott	...	Johnny Meyer
Matt Ross	...	Glenn Odekirk
Kelli Garner	...	Faith Domergue
Frances Conroy	...	Mrs. Hepburn
Brent Spiner	...	Robert Gross

Also Known As:

Aviator (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, sexual content, nudity, language and a crash sequence.

Runtime:

170 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Taiwan:PG-12 | Portugal:M/12 | Malaysia:U | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | France:U | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Chile:TE | Czech Republic:15 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Iceland:12 | Ireland:12 (video rating) | Ireland:15 (original rating) | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | UK:12A (original rating) | UK:12 (video rating) (2005) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #41156) | Indonesia:Dewasa | Sweden:11 | South Korea:15 | Denmark:11

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Forward Pass

Trivia:

During a love scene between Katharine and Howard, the song "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" plays in the background. This is likely an in-joke/homage to Bringing Up Baby (1938), in which Katharine Hepburn sings the same song to a leopard.

Goofs:

Continuity: Hughes inspects a rudder while talking to Dietrich, but neither he or Dietrich are in the shot when we cut to a frontal view of the plane, even though we still hear Hughes talk.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Allene Hughes: Q-u-a-r-a-n-t-i-n-e.
Young Howard Hughes: Quarantine. Q-u-a-r-a-n-t-i-n-e. Quarantine.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006)

Soundtrack:

Ou Est Tu, Mon Amour?

Ambitious, Impeccably-Acted, DELIVERS

Martin Scorsese's most recent ambitious project does not disappoint.

I just saw this film in a special preview for NYU film students, with Martin Scorsese there to discuss and answer questions after, and I must say, it was pretty phenomenal. It is Martin Scorsese's best work since Goodfellas (this is obvious) and most probably his best work since Raging Bull. DiCaprio's character study of Howard Hughes, and his devotion to this role, is exquisite and reminiscent even of Robert De Niro's in Raging Bull. The film is lengthy, but this compliments it, for the story is riveting and the production is practically flawless (even the combination of computerized processes and more traditional photography was smooth and effective).

The presentation of the film, in an evolving color (from two-tone Technicolor, as Martin explained it to us, to three-tone, to modern by the later sequences) is absolutely stunning, and the cinematography by renowned Robert Richardson, ASC, is some of the best I've seen (and, in my opinion, deserving of an Oscar).

Cate Blanchett was impeccable as Katharine Hepburn, though, at times, I felt that the complexity of her character was never really deeper than a surface analysis.

She did her role flawlessly, but this is not to say that it really Alec Baldwin portrayed one of the flattest villains I've seen in a major motion picture, but, again, this is about Howard Hughes, and DiCaprio's performance is worthy of an Oscar nod at least, and perhaps an Oscar Win (certainly the best performance I've seen all year).

One of my few complaints, though, is the lengthy sequences featuring Howard Hughes as a solo aviator. Though interesting, entertaining even, the film was long enough already, and did not require such an exhaustive analysis of individual flight procedures.

Also, it seems that some of the themes were almost too redundant, such as the ways in which Hughes' psychological problems were performed. Much of the Hollywood history is good, even interesting, but it also sometimes seemed a bit self-indulgent, to the point where you questioned the necessity of ALL of those nightclub sequences in the film.

But, besides those relatively few complaints, it is a spectacular film.

In all: do not miss it.

3.5/4