Amelia (2009)

A look at the life of legendary American pilot Amelia Earhart, who disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 in an attempt to make a flight around the world.

Director:

Mira Nair

Writers:

Ronald Bass, Anna Hamilton Phelan,

Stars:

Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hilary Swank	...	Amelia Earhart
Richard Gere	...	George Putnam
Ewan McGregor	...	Gene Vidal
Christopher Eccleston	...	Fred Noonan
Joe Anderson	...	Bill Stultz
Cherry Jones	...	Eleanor Roosevelt
Mia Wasikowska	...	Elinor Smith
Aaron Abrams	...	Slim Gordon
Dylan Roberts	...	Leo Bellarts
Scott Yaphe	...	William Dalten
Tom Fairfoot	...	Balfour
Ryann Shane	...	Young Amelia
William Cuddy	...	Gore Vidal
Elizabeth Shepherd	...	Frances Putnam
Richard Donat	...	Gallagher

Storyline

Amelia Earhart, a Kansas girl, discovers the thrill of aviation at age 23, and within 12 years has progressed to winning the Distinguished Flying Cross for being the first woman to pilot a plane solo across the Atlantic Ocean. At age 39, she sets out on an attempt to circumnavigate the globe, an adventure that catapults her into aviation myth.

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Plot Keywords:

flying | ocean | pilot | globe | pacific ocean | 

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Taglines:

Visionary. Lover. Dreamer. Fighter. Legend. Icon.

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some sensuality, language, thematic elements and smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Fox Searchlight [us] Official site [fr]

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 October 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amelia - Kalandok szárnyán

Filming Locations:

Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$3,904,047 (USA) (23 October 2009)

Gross:

$14,241,034 (USA) (8 January 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, Avalon Pictures, AE Electra Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie shows Amelia Earhart finishing third in the first Santa Monica-to-Cleveland Women's Air Derby in 1929, but does not explain why. At the last stop before the final leg of the race to Cleveland, Amelia Earhart and her friend Ruth Nichols were tied for first. Nichols took off right before Earhart, but her aircraft clipped a tractor on the runway and flipped over. Instead of taking off, Earhart ran to Ruth's plane to drag her to safety. After Earhart was sure that Nichols was not seriously hurt, she took off for Cleveland but finished third largely due to her delayed takeoff. A Warner Bros. movie, Women in the Wind, is also based on this air race and features a plot loosely inspired by this incident.

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Goofs

When Amelia Earhart flies with Eleanor Roosevelt, the altimeter reads 0 feet the entire time.

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Quotes

Amelia Earhart: Who wants a life imprisoned in safety?

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Connections

Featured in Great Movie Mistakes 2: The Sequel (2011)

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Soundtracks

"We Will Live Forever"
Written by Homer Greencastle
Courtesy of 5 Alarm Music

User Reviews

One gutsy womans passionate love affair with flying

A most enjoyable movie and I had NEVER heard of Amelia Earheart before I watched this movie, so there, did i have to? She was one gutsy woman, portrayed by this film, who put flying first and love second, that is why clearly Richard Gere had to take a peripheral role in this role and though I feel Gere was the wrong man for the job this time around, he did the job well enough. the British Christopher Eccleston produced an extraordinary American accent playing Fred Noonan and Ewan McGregors role was comfortable enough.

the flying element of the film has received a lot of criticism, by those who understand aviation and by those (me included) who know nothing of aviation. As an aviation spectacle, the film definitely works because this is a love story of one woman with flying, not one womans love story with George Putnam or the other 'chap'! let us clear be about that and enjoy the film for what it is.

Not award winning at Oscar level but entertaining and interesting. Some of the facts may have been changed around but not the basics, again I say this is a movie for entertainment and not a documentary and thank god I didn't get dished something like Nights at Rodanthe which I was served the last time I watched Gere with a mature woman.

Hilary Swank is beyond criticism in this role, she clearly researched her character and acted with great integrity and pride. Amelia Earheart clearly flew at a time of aviation transformation and full credit to her for what she did in her life, whether she was foolhardy or not, she died doing something she loved.

Sometimes we can know too much and it spoils our instinctive enjoyment of something; don't let that happen with this film. I am not a fan of Swank or Gere but to be honest, they delivered the goods here against the odds.