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    The Aviator

    • 20042004
    • PG-13PG-13
    • 2h 50min
    IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    341K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    452
    130
    • Cast & crew
    • User reviews
    • Trivia
    • IMDbPro
    Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator (2004)
    Theatrical Trailer from Miramax
    Trailer1:55
    7 Videos
    99+ Photos
    BiographyDrama

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

    • Director
      • Martin Scorsese
    • Writer
      • John Logan
    • Stars
      • Leonardo DiCaprio
      • Cate Blanchett
      • Kate Beckinsale
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Martin Scorsese
    • Writer
      • John Logan
    • Stars
      • Leonardo DiCaprio
      • Cate Blanchett
      • Kate Beckinsale
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 863User reviews
    • 267Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Won 5 Oscars
      • 85 wins & 131 nominations total

    Videos7

    The Aviator
    Trailer 1:55
    The Aviator
    The Aviator
    Trailer 2:47
    The Aviator
    Cate Blanchett Almost Played Clarice Starling?
    Clip 3:37
    Cate Blanchett Almost Played Clarice Starling?
    A Guide to the Films of Martin Scorsese
    Clip 2:06
    A Guide to the Films of Martin Scorsese
    'Bohemian Rhapsody' Cast Celebrate the Life of a Rock Star
    Interview 2:10
    'Bohemian Rhapsody' Cast Celebrate the Life of a Rock Star
    What to Watch: A Marvelous Return, a Battle for the Ages, and a Guaranteed Cry
    Full Episode 4:00
    What to Watch: A Marvelous Return, a Battle for the Ages, and a Guaranteed Cry
    What Roles Did Leonardo DiCaprio Almost Play?
    Video 4:07
    What Roles Did Leonardo DiCaprio Almost Play?

    Photos170

    John C. Reilly in The Aviator (2004)
    Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator (2004)
    Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator (2004)
    Leonardo DiCaprio and Gwen Stefani in The Aviator (2004)
    Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Beckinsale in The Aviator (2004)
    Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator (2004)
    Cate Blanchett in The Aviator (2004)
    Alan Alda in The Aviator (2004)
    Leonardo DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett in The Aviator (2004)
    Leonardo DiCaprio, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett, and Adam Scott in The Aviator (2004)
    Alec Baldwin in The Aviator (2004)
    Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator (2004)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Leonardo DiCaprio
    Leonardo DiCaprio
    • Howard Hughesas Howard Hughes
    Cate Blanchett
    Cate Blanchett
    • Katharine Hepburnas Katharine Hepburn
    Kate Beckinsale
    Kate Beckinsale
    • Ava Gardneras Ava Gardner
    John C. Reilly
    John C. Reilly
    • Noah Dietrichas Noah Dietrich
    Alec Baldwin
    Alec Baldwin
    • Juan Trippeas Juan Trippe
    Alan Alda
    Alan Alda
    • Senator Ralph Owen Brewsteras Senator Ralph Owen Brewster
    Ian Holm
    Ian Holm
    • Professor Fitzas Professor Fitz
    Danny Huston
    Danny Huston
    • Jack Fryeas Jack Frye
    Gwen Stefani
    Gwen Stefani
    • Jean Harlowas Jean Harlow
    Jude Law
    Jude Law
    • Errol Flynnas Errol Flynn
    Adam Scott
    Adam Scott
    • Johnny Meyeras Johnny Meyer
    Matt Ross
    Matt Ross
    • Glenn Odekirkas Glenn Odekirk
    Kelli Garner
    Kelli Garner
    • Faith Domergueas Faith Domergue
    Frances Conroy
    Frances Conroy
    • Mrs. Hepburnas Mrs. Hepburn
    Brent Spiner
    Brent Spiner
    • Robert Grossas Robert Gross
    Stanley DeSantis
    Stanley DeSantis
    • Louis B. Mayeras Louis B. Mayer
    Edward Herrmann
    Edward Herrmann
    • Joseph Breenas Joseph Breen
    Willem Dafoe
    Willem Dafoe
    • Roland Sweetas Roland Sweet
    • Director
      • Martin Scorsese
    • Writer
      • John Logan
    • All cast & crew
    See production, box office, & company info

    Leonardo DiCaprio Through the Years

    Leonardo DiCaprio Through the Years

    Take a look back at Leonardo DiCaprio's movie career in photos.
    See more Leonardo
    View image
    View image
    View image

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Biopic of billionaire Howard Hughes, starting with his early filmmaking years as owner of R.K.O. Pictures, but mostly focusing on his role in designing and promoting new aircraft. Hughes was a risk-taker spending several fortunes on designing experimental aircraft and eventually founding TWA as a rival to Pan Am airlines owned by his great rival Juan Trippe. When Trippe's politico Senator Ralph Owen Brewster accuses Hughes of being a war profiteer, it's Hughes who gains the upper hand. Hughes also had many women in his life including a long relationship with Katharine Hepburn. From an early age, however, Hughes was also germophobic and would have severe bouts of mental illness. —garykmcd
    obsessive compulsive disordertest flightfilm producerhoward hughes charactercalifornia299 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • For some men, the sky was the limit. For him, it was just the beginning.
    • Genres
      • Biography
      • Drama
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, sexual content, nudity, language and a crash sequence
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Director Martin Scorsese designed each year in this movie to look just the way a color movie from that time period would look. Achieved mainly through digitally enhanced post-production, Scorsese re-created the look of Cinecolor and two-strip Technicolor. Watch in particular for the scene where Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) meets Errol Flynn (Jude Law) in the club. Hughes is served precisely placed peas on a plate, and they appear blue or turquoise, just as they'd have looked in the two-strip Technicolor process. As Hughes ages throughout the movie, the color gets more sophisticated and full-bodied.
    • Goofs
      The scene in which Howard Hughes locks himself in the projection room and cuts off most contact from the outside world for an extended period of time is somewhat misleading. Though Hughes battled germ phobia all of his life (the fear of germs was instilled in him early on by his mother) Hughes did not become a recluse until much later in his life. The scene that is portrayed in the movie is very similar to a documented incident where Hughes did spend almost a year in a private movie theater however it wasn't until he was near 50 years old.
    • Quotes

      Mrs. Hepburn: We don't care about money here.

      Howard Hughes: That's because you have it.

    • Crazy credits
      There are two different Panavision credits used: the "Filmed with Panavision Cameras and Lenses" credit, and after that, the "Filmed in Panavision" credit, despite being shot in Super 35 (3-perf).
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Christmas with the Kranks/A Very Long Engagement/The Life and Death of Peter Sellers/Alexander/Bright Leaves (2004)
    • Soundtracks
      Music
      (1930)

      from Hell's Angels (1930)

      Written by Adolph Tandler

      Courtesy of Universal Studios

    User reviews863

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    A GREAT American TRAGEDY
    This is an astonishingly beautiful and moving film. Martin Scorcese has created a seminal work -- one that brings the harrowing, big-studio, adult movie making of the 1970's and totally reinvents and reinvigorates it for today's audience.

    The story traces the rise and demise of billionaire Howard Hughes as he struggles to find meaning and purpose in a life unfettered by concerns of money, talent or opportunity. Whether trying to get a plane off the ground or a young starlet into bed, Hughes attacks life with a fierce gusto -- plagued and prodded by obsessive compulsive germphobia that constantly threatens to consume and defeat him.

    DiCaprio is amazing! It's the performance no one thought he was capable of. It is a dynamic, smart, funny, articulate, intense, mature and ultimately harrowing performance that relaunches his career as one of American's finest actors. At the end of the film, you just want to take him in your arms and sob. It's really that good.

    Cate Blanchett is incredible as Katherine Hepburn. At first, I was a little thrown by how bravely she attacked the Hepburn trademark voice, but I was completely won over by the second line. It is a tender, funny, incredibly convincing star turn that supplies the heart for the first half of the film. The scene where she takes Howard home "for dinner" with the family is a classic! Kate Beckinsale does a surprisingly fine job with Eva Gardner -- conveying the slow burning passion of this Hollywood icon without ever lapsing into mere mimicry.

    But, in the end, this isn't a love story -- it's a war story -- a war between Howard's unstoppable will and his fierce inner demons battling for Howard's soul. It is the major relationship in the movie and the true heart of the film -- one that fuels his eccentric genius and yet constantly threatens to rip his life apart. He tries to ignore it by sleeping with every beauty in town. He tries to outrun it, building faster and faster airplanes. Yet, it is his one constant companion from early childhood to his ultimate, inescapable end. And it is this relationship that leaves you devastated at the end of the film.

    Brilliant!
    helpful•520
    201
    • Mister1045
    • Dec 17, 2004

    FAQ4

    • Why did Howard look quite a while and very cautiously to the cameras at Sen. Owen Brewster at the beginning of the hearing ?
    • Is "The Aviator" based on a true story?
    • Why didn't Hughes just cut power to both engines and glide to earth?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 25, 2004 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Germany
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Aviator
    • Filming locations
      • RMS Queen Mary - 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Forward Pass
      • Appian Way
      • IMF Internationale Medien und Film GmbH & Co. 3. Produktions KG
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $110,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $102,610,330
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $858,021
      • Dec 19, 2004
    • Gross worldwide
      • $213,719,942
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 50min
    • Color
      • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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