World Famous Comics: The Aviator (Two-Disc Special Edition)
The Aviator (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Alan Alda, Alec Baldwin, Kate Beckinsale, Cate Blanchett, Frances Conroy Directed By: Martin Scorsese Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Binding: DVD Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Warner Home Video Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product. Number of Items: 2 Region Code: 1 Release Date: May 24, 2005 Running Time: 170 minutes Theatrical Release Date: December 25, 2004
Product Description: An epic biopic depicting the early years of legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes' career from the late 1920's to the mid-1940's.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 085393893927
Amazon.com:
From Hollywood's legendary Cocoanut Grove to the pioneering conquest of the wild blue yonder, Martin Scorsese's The Aviator celebrates old-school filmmaking at its finest. We say "old school" only because Scorsese's love of golden-age Hollywood is evident in his approach to his subject--Howard Hughes in his prime (played by Leonardo DiCaprio in his)--and especially in his technical mastery of the medium reflecting his love for classical filmmaking of the studio era. Even when he's using state-of-the-art digital trickery for the film's exciting flight scenes (including one of the most spectacular crashes ever filmed), Scorsese's meticulous attention to art direction and costume design suggests an impassioned pursuit of craftsmanship from a bygone era; every frame seems to glow with gilded detail. And while DiCaprio bears little physical resemblance to Hughes during the film's 20-year span (late 1920s to late '40s), he efficiently captures the eccentric millionaire's golden-boy essence, and his tragic descent into obsessive-compulsive seclusion. Bolstered by Cate Blanchett's uncannily accurate portrayal of Katharine Hepburn as Hughes' most beloved lover, The Aviator is easily Scorsese's most accessible film, inviting mainstream popularity without compromising Scorsese's artistic reputation. As compelling crowd-pleasers go, it's a class act from start to finish. --Jeff Shannon
DVD Features In his commentary track, director Martin Scorsese offers his own impressions of Howard Hughes and rattles off his memories of experiencing Hughes's films. He mentions how he made Cate Blanchett watch every Katharine Hepburn film from the '30s on the big screen, and observes that Kate Beckinsale had "a real sense of the stature of a Hollywood goddess." But in general he doesn't talk much about the craft of making the film. That area is covered better by editor Thelma Schoonmaker, who also appears on the commentary track, and producer Michael Mann makes a few appearances (all were recorded separately). The picture is brilliant, but the 5.1 sound is not as aggressive in the rear speakers and subwoofer as one might expect, other than some nice surround effects in the Hell's Angels flying sequence.
The second disc collects almost three hours of features. There's one unnecessary deleted scene, and an 11-minute making-of featurette that's basically the cast and director heaping praise on each other. More interesting are the short featurettes on visual effects (including the XF-11 scene, of course), production design, costumes, hair and makeup, and score, and Loudon Wainwright discusses his and his children's musical performances. Historical perspective is provided by spotlights on Hughes's role in aviation and his obsessive-compulsive disorder, and a 43-minute Hughes documentary from the History Channel (part of the Modern Marvels series, it focuses on his mechanical innovations and spends less than a minute on his movies). More unusual are DiCaprio and Scorsese's appearance on an OCD panel, and a half-hour interview segment DiCaprio did with Alan Alda. --David Horiuchi
The Personalities of The Aviator
Click the links to explore more movies by these stars.
Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes "Sometimes I truly fear that I... am losing my mind. And if I did it... it would be like flying blind."
Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn Howard Hughes: "You're the tallest woman I have ever met." Katharine Hepburn: "And all sharp elbows and knees. Beware."
Kate Beckinsale as Ava Gardner Howard Hughes: "Does that look clean to you?" Ava Gardner: "Nothing's clean, Howard. But we do our best, right?"
Gwen Stefani as Jean Harlow Jean Harlow in Hell's Angels: "Would you be shocked if I put on something more comfortable?"
Jude Law as Errol Flynn Errol Flynn in Captain Blood: "Up the riggings, you monkeys! Break out those sails and watch them fill with the wind that's carrying us all to freedom!"
Director Martin Scorsese "You get a sense of Howard Hughes being Icarus with the wax wings. Those wings were great for a while, but he flies too close to the sun." --Martin Scorsese
Other Movies by The Aviator's Oscar® Winners
Production Designer Dante Ferretti Film Editor Thelma Schoonmaker Costume Designer Sandy Powell Cinematographer Robert Richardson See all the Oscar® winners at Oscar Central
I had such consideration... ...for Martin Scorcese that I feel very sorry for his precocious senility. I can't think of any other explanation (there is no excuse) for mistaking di Caprio for an actor (which is about as ludicrous as mistaking McDos for restaurants). And, since he's persisting in polluting the screens with something whose only merit is he never will be a "Has Been" (since he never was anything in the first place), from now on I will keep clear from Scorcese's movies.
Overrated The problem that almost all biopics have is that they tell far too much of their subjects' life facts that most of the drama is drained. They never seem to find the important nor key moments in a life in which to imbue the tale, rather they cram a life with minutia, and miss out on any real insight. Such it is with Martin Scorsese's latest film, now out on DVD. The Aviator spans twenty or so years in the life of Howard Hughes, the reclusive billionaire and eccentric, but never delves into the man, merely glossing the surface of its subject, mainly due to the pallid script by John Logan of Gladiator infamy. Having recently watched a DVD version of Raging Bull, from 1980, the difference is stark. I've never thought Raging Bull was Scorsese's best work- it's not on a par with Taxi Driver, The King Of Comedy, After Hours, nor Goodfellas- but it can be argued as a great film, and it's a cut above this film whose first half has potential, albeit flawed, but whose second half reeks. The film has many flaws, other than the script, though. The major one being Leonardo DiCaprio is simply not a good nor compelling actor, especially in comparison to Robert De Niro. He is, next to Tom Cruise, perhaps the most milquetoast and passionless actor going and radiates none of the magnetism, power, and arrogance of the real man- he is a boy pretending to be a man, and clearly way out of his league. He has absolutely zero range, and is unwilling to let go of himself to the role. He is always Leonardio DiCaprio, never Howard Hughes. Better actors, like Brad Pitt in Kalifornia or A River Runs Through It, do so. DiCaprio is woefully miscast- although since he shepherded the film to fruition Scorsese had little choice but to use him. First off, he doesn't age, as Hughes, in the twenty years of the film- what? Was all the money gone for looser prosthetic jowls or crow's feet? At forty-five Hughes still looks like a teenager, especially in scenes with his airline rival Juan Trippe, as played by Alec Baldwin, a man who in real life was only a few years older than Hughes. Next to Baldwin the two characters seem of different generations- as the fey DiCaprio may not be able to pass for thirty until he's fifty or sixty, and certainly never lets us in to the `real' Hughes', as he is content with mere gesticulation. DiCaprio also looks nothing like Hughes, facially, but that's not so important if the acting is up to snuff- think Anthony Hopkins as Richard Nixon in Oliver Stone's Nixon. This evidences itself in that DiCaprio sounds nothing like Hughes, and the constant ticking and twitching he does to suggest that Hughes suffered from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is just too carny for a convincing dramatic role, even up to the film's final shot of Hughes in a Tourette's Syndrome-like daze- which is far too reminiscent of both the prison and end scenes of Raging Bull. It's never a good sign when a director has to rip off a better, earlier film of his own.... While not bad, that's also not good. If you need proof just ask yourself if you ever thought you'd hear a phrase like `a rather conventional Hollywood film by Martin Scorsese' and you'll get the points that Scorsese did not.
Cate Blanchett Owns This Movie "The Aviator" IS Cate Blanchett's film, her Oscar deserving role as Katherine Hepburn is so dead-on, you'd think she was possessed by her spirit. As for the film, not bad, a little slow at times, the CGI is horrific, and Alan Alda's performance as the slimy senator is quite good. The Blu-Ray is loaded with extras, and the transfer is quite clean, probably in the top 20. I've never really been a Dicaprio fan, but if he keeps making movies with Marty Scorsese ("The Departed"), I think one these days, he'll get his own Oscar.
Scorsese and DiCaprio at their best That plane crash was probably one of the most brutal scenes that I have ever seen.
The performances were all excellent. Leonardo Dicaprio gave a so far career best performance. When he is in the car covering his mouth as he said the same thing over and over, It was very impressive.
Blanchett gives the Hepburn in the movie life, energy, humor, depth, one of the best performances of 04. Beckinsale was also good. When she tears down the tape in the house, she serves the movie the way Blanchett does, though without as much depth, but still is excellent.
Alan Alda deserved his nomination. He is a good villain, but also one who is thinking about playing the Washington game. The whole chairman scene with Baldwin was a good entry for his character. Also with the Baldwin character-Citizen Kane did pop into my head. It was probably the set, but his powerful character doing what he can to tear down Hughes reminded me of CK.
The Aviator is one of the best movies of 04, even if it drags with the hearings, it provides for the set up for one of the more triumphant scenes with the flying of the Spruce Goose.
Recommended... but it is not for everyone I don't believe this movie is for family. It is not entertaining enough to keep everyone's interest. I recommended this movie for people that appreciate and have an interest in stories about people that are different.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
From Hollywood's legendary Cocoanut Grove to the pioneering conquest of the wild blue yonder, Martin Scorsese's The Aviator celebrates old-school filmmaking at its finest. We say "old school" only because Scorsese's love of golden-age Hollywood is evident in his approach to his subject--Howard Hughes in his prime (played by Leonardo DiCaprio in his)--and especially in his technical mastery of the medium reflecting his love for classical filmmaking of the studio era. Even when he's using state-of-the-art digital trickery for the film's exciting flight scenes (including one of the most spectacular crashes ever filmed), Scorsese's meticulous attention to art direction and costume design suggests an impassioned pursuit of craftsmanship from a bygone era; every frame seems to glow with gilded detail. And while DiCaprio bears little physical resemblance to Hughes during the film's 20-year span (late 1920s to late '40s), he efficiently captures the eccentric millionaire's golden-boy essence, and his tragic descent into obsessive-compulsive seclusion. Bolstered by Cate Blanchett's uncannily accurate portrayal of Katharine Hepburn as Hughes' most beloved lover, The Aviator is easily Scorsese's most accessible film, inviting mainstream popularity without compromising Scorsese's artistic reputation. As compelling crowd-pleasers go, it's a class act from start to finish. --Jeff Shannon
