Plot: What’s it about?
For many years, efforts were made into putting together a big screen telling of the life of tycoon Howard Hughes, but with every effort, there were results of developmental hell not getting closer to the production stage. That is until a few years ago when director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio seeked out to work on another project after Gangs of New York. With an actor getting the part down along with an all star cast, Scorsese takes to the skies and tells the story of the life of The Aviator.
Within life, nothing came easy for Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) except for being born into money. As a young man, Howard had an obsession with flying. So much so that he financed an entire motion epic there called Hell’s Angels. Many looked at him for being crazy to use over twenty cameras to film this new venture called motion pictures. Aside from the bright lights and big time of Hollywood, Howard wanted to take his love of flight a step further. He had many planes left over from the film and wanted to develop into something of value for the public. Although many looked at him with passive thoughts, Howard never gave up on his dream, no matter how many issues in his personal and private life came in his way.
Upon first viewing, The Aviator had it’s share of very good moments but something was unsuredly in the air as to how the entire package was. This was corrected on my second viewing of the film as I am sure seeing it many times that it is another in the fine list of Scorsese films that scores high on the repeat value and substantially on the appreciation level.
For one, DiCaprio gives a fine performance as Hughes, with all his eccentricities and all of his mystery surrounding him. He does live in a world of cleanliness and funny ticks, but he uses his time for something valuable and knows his money will be recovered and even if it didn’t. nothing or nobody was prepared to stand in his way. Leonardo is leaps and bounds better here than his work in Gangs of New York and is a hopeful sign of things to come with his collaborations with Scorsese as it’s growing into better work.
The film is in three phases of Hughes’ life. The first is in motion pictures and within this world he happens to share many ladies, but the most stable is Katherine Hepburn (played wonderfully by Cate Blanchett) who finds an equal in that creatively they are both poison in many people’s eyes but in their own eyes they are the best at what they do which is both a good and a bad thing considering in certain circles Howard doesn’t fit in much of Katherine’s world when they’re not alone.
The second is his creative aviation which comes with design, testing the planes out and having the results both in speed and in performance. This comes with dire results and brings the audience into phase three which deals with an aerial monopoly and the U.S. Senate who sees Hughes as a liability but Hughes sees as another obstacle to fulfill what he wants to accomplish.
Aside from the special effects not looking obvious, what also helps this film is two things. One is the choice of editing in this film. There is a wise choice made in phase three of this film and a lot of credit goes to editor Thelma Schoonmaker who cuts the speed of the Hughes flights at the tightest level in phase two and all around does a solid job. The other is the choice Scorsese makes when beginning the picture in a beautiful 2 strip WB shield. It’s after that appearance that a very good choice is made. This is one of the few films of Martin’s that doesn’t have any credits in the beginning, so as not to give away who is included in the all star cast (without looking it up elsewhere). Along with his usual non-scrolling credits at the end, he is smart to not point out who’s where or who’s expected.
It’s hard to not trust a director with vision and a high repeat value, but with the name Scorsese it’s a great one when it comes to quality and the Aviator passes greatly with flying colors.
Video: How does it look?
The Aviator is in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation and the use of color as well as all of the visuals in this piece are handled greatly in this solid transfer. The award winning look of this film both in sets and in scenery handled beautifully by Robert Richardson (well awarded for his body of work that year) is retained very nicely on this DVD for the print hardly has a scratch, flaw, debris, or reel marks to mar the overall picture quality of the presentation on here. This also has a seperate but inferior full screen edition that justifies none of the scope in this film that the widescreen presentation does here. A very nice job in many ways.
Audio: How does it sound?
Kudos spread along to the Dolby Digital 5.1 track as the channels all around give that you’re there sense. Whether it’s the planes flying by from the outer channels or the loud crash of one of Howard’s flights, there’s plenty to appreciate in this track and plenty to hit the deck from the superior quality audibly. The music as well as the fine score of Howard Shore is balanced very nicely in the rear with the effects while the dialogue and other sounds are made for the center channels which comes out as clear and shiny like the surface of a few of Howard’s planes. Overall, a well done job to be heard. This disc also has a French Surround Stereo track along with English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Aside from the prismic letters on the case, The Aviator has a healthy dose of extras starting with a commentary track on disc one. The back cover lists director Martin Scorsese but on the disc, two other participants in addition to Scorsese make their comments seperately on the track and they are editor Thelma Schoonmaker and producer Michael Mann. All three collaborate very nicely in terms of casting, film history, and choices to cut to improve a scene or take it out entirely and all three combine nicely to make a very informative and entertaining track with both Martin and Thelma duking out the most commentary times with a few occasional but good comments from Michael.
Onto disc 2, which is a challenge in itself to get back to the beginning from the fourth of four pages of extras on the DVD, it starts off with an amusing deleted scene that’s more of an extension of a scene involving Howard and Ava Gardner. It’s an interesting addition but unknown as to whether or not it would’ve bettered the scene.
After that scene, comes A Life Without Limits: The Making of The Aviator which is a favorable piece behind Scorsese’s film and many participants in a praisy mode (and for good reason) in working on the picture.
Next up is the final featurette on page one called Role of Howard Hughes in Aviation History which gives an abbreviated account from Hughes historians and participants in Aviation and The Aviator of the flying life and tragedy of Hughes.
Modern Marvels: Howard Hughes- A History Channel Documentary is a long but most informative documentary about the rich tycoon and giving a few more facts more grounded into reality than into a feature film that is most welcomed on a more documented level.
Following this is The Affliction of Howard Hughes: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder which goes into the condition that Howard had in the film as heard by a few experts and a few who suffer this as well and in a related extra a panel discussion with DiCaprio, Scorsese, and Howard Hughes’ widow Terry Moore where some clips figure into the mix but also goes into a more scientific panel discussion.
Another bit of question and answers is abound and page three starts with An Evening with Leonardo DiCaprio and Alan Alda with moderator David Schwartz and recorded after the nominations were announced and they go through some subjects but overall is a very good Q&A between the two.
The Visual Effects of The Aviator covers the visual aspect of the film along with one of the first expanded uses of visual effects in a Scorsese picture and supervisor Robert Ligato covers the bases nicely as well as a few points I had no idea was a special effect.
Both award winning art director and costume designer as well as the hair and the makeup have their own piece about the vision they brought to the project that is short and sweet and informative in only a few minutes.
And next after those is composer Howard Shore and his creation of the score pieces used for the Aviator which are quite compelling for the most part along with the source music and in this piece any interview time with Howard Shore and his creations are a treat.
Rounding out the extras are The Wainwright Family which three (Rufus, Loudon, and Martha) are used within the film and the piece covered where they are musically in the film and singing with Loudon dominating the interview portion. A short but entertaining piece.
After that there is a still gallery and a soundtrack spot, but no trailer (a mystery and this viewer wonders why it was not included…enough with the cheap spots, bring on the trailer, not a good omission!!!)
Once again, Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator brings about a man with a sense of adventure, risk, tragedy, money and a never ending dream in many forms along with an escape from the obstacles that could hold a man back such as Howard Hughes. It’s handled nicely in it’s grand form and in it’s form on DVD, it soars nicely.
