The Aviator DVD Review:

Turbulent Triumphs of a Magnificent Maverick

Biopics tend to live and die by the appeal of their subject matter, as no amount of fine acting or direction can supplant a truly larger than life story. Certainly “American Splendor” has moments of cleverness, but I didn’t need to spend 90 dreary minutes to discover losers lead a miserable existence. Even the highly acclaimed “Motorcycle Diaries” must rely on an introspective journey for drama since the actual action amounts to little more than sightseeing and skirt chasing. Every once in a while though Hollywood stumbles upon a life so bold and epic that it seems tailor-made for their exploitation, and Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator” is cut from this cloth.

Howard Hughes is a name that many in the audience will be familiar with, but a much smaller number would be likely to know many details of his rich story. “The Aviator” looks beyond the engineer/pilot/Hollywood mogul’s hermit-like old age to explore a youth full of some of the most dazzling accomplishments of the 20th century. Even those not persuaded by the film’s sumptuous visual feast, strong performances, and typically skillful Scorsese direction will be hard-pressed not to be amazed by the events of Hughes’ life. He directed the first hugely successful special effects blockbuster, took on the U.S. government, pushed forward all sorts of engineering advances, smashed multiple aerial speed records, broke multiple bones doing so, and was adored by some of the loveliest leading ladies in Hollywood. Talk about living your dreams. Then there’s the, ah, debilitating mental illness, but the ups outweigh the downs in this magnificent adventure.

The film opens on Hughes’ mother instilling in her young son an exaggerated fear of disease as she bathes him with creepy meticulousness. Next we cut to 1927 where a twenty-something Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) works on his aerial action film “Hell’s Angels,” on which he is spending most extravagantly. He is anxious to prove himself to the board of the wealthy Hughes Tools, which he has taken over after his parents’ death. To this end he hires executive Noah Dietrich (John C. Reilly) to run the business while he pursues fame in Hollywood. The company flirts with bankruptcy as production on “Hell’s Angels” drags on for an agonizing three years, but it turns out to be a sweeping success and Hughes reluctantly steps into the limelight. He begins to woo the fast-talking Katharine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett), who is tired of the shallow Hollywood crowd and falls for his spirit of adventure. Hughes becomes deeply involved in the aviation industry and in 1935 he sets the world speed record in his experimental monoplane. When he buys control of TWA Airlines rival Pan Am’s aggressive president Juan Trippe (Alec Baldwin) and his crony Senator Owen Brewster (Alan Alda) start to investigate rumors about Hughes’ questionable WWII military contracts. Hughes begins work on Hercules, a massive troop transport plane, whilst fending off indecency accusations about his racy western “Outlaw.” His love life becomes much more chaotic when he begins socializing with a wide array of Hollywood starlets, including the sultry Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale). Hughes’ fear of germs and general social unease begins to worsen dramatically, and at one point he locks himself in his screening room for weeks on end. His life comes to revolve around two major struggles, one to protect TWA from Trippe’s schemes, and the other to preserve his sanity.

I’m no expert on the life of Howard Hughes, although watching the copious documentaries on this DVD should certainly qualify me for some sort of associate degree. Some critics have noted that “The Aviator” whitewashes his life, showing us the grand achievements of his youth while neglecting certain unpopular political views and the dark years of his final descent into madness. These allegations may be quite sound, but ultimately this is another case of critics demanding the kind of film they hoped to see rather than fairly evaluating the one that was made. “The Aviator” is a specific narrative focusing on Hughes’ career in aviation, which happened to unfold in his early years. As for overlooking his supposed anti-Semitism, most legendary public figures have some nasty skeletons in their closets, and those do have a tendency to undermine tales of heroism. Speaking of which, it is somewhat ambiguous as to what sort of hero Hughes is made out to be. The film argues he was a visionary innovator who dared all in the face of great obstacles to achieve great breakthroughs in the arts and sciences. The very model of the American dream. However, he can also be seen as a self-absorbed millionaire tyrant who thought himself above the law.

DiCaprio is ever “cursed” with cherubic good looks, but he carries off one of his more convincing dramatic performances as Hughes. This obsessive-compulsive character puts the king of the world through numerous moments that are decidedly unglamorous, especially when he ceases bathing and takes to collecting his urine in milk bottles. DiCaprio does a solid job of making the character’s anxieties uneasily palpable, such as at the nightmarish meal at Hepburn’s family home where he is confronted by barely cooked meat and an unending torrent of pointed snobbery. Blanchett undoubtedly steals the show with her dead-on portrayal of the charmingly eccentric Hepburn’s biting wit and upper crust airs. A tomboy long before it was popular in Hollywood; she becomes the love of Hughes’ life perhaps because she’s as much of an oddball as he is. A very manly oddball, but to each their own. Despite an Academy award nomination, Alda basically plays himself as the conniving Brewster. Baldwin entertains with another of his smooth slimeballs, Ian Holm gets a couple of laughs as Hughes’ exasperated meteorologist-cum-mammary inspector, and the rest of the cast is fairly quiet. Not that Beckinsale needs words to light up the screen.

The set and costume designs are perhaps the biggest stars of the film. Scorsese’s painstaking attention to period detail plunges the viewer right into the middle of the 20th century, with the changes from the 20s to 30s to 40s reflected in the evolving décor of the famed Hollywood nightclub Cocoanut Grove. The premiere of “Hell’s Angels” is a dazzling spectacle, the street before Grauman’s Chinese Theatre packed with a teeming mass of cars, starlets, and photographers while spotlit biplanes roar overhead. The film’s other big thrill is delivered when Hughes loses control during a test flight and the plane bounces through a residential neighborhood like a pinball, tearing through houses and telephone poles until coming to a violent stop.

Excellent special effects make the recreation of period details seamless, and carry off the numerous flight sequences with considerable aplomb. Sometimes the use of CGI planes is apparent, but at others I was completely fooled, in part due to the clever use of models. The soundtrack also does a great job of evoking the era through a combination of classic peppy dance numbers and a soaring score from Howard Shore.

Befitting a 170-minute movie, the special features stretch on interminably. Not that it’s a bad thing. Every question you could possibly have had about the movie and more is answered here, sometimes more than once. I would have liked just a little more detail on the special effect process, but otherwise it’s hard to complain about this very comprehensive collection. Disc I has a commentary mostly from Scorsese that provides a fascinating history lesson focusing on the people and times depicted rather than the technical details of the film itself. He reveals he shot the early part of the film to match the limited color palette available to filmmakers at the time. Disc 2 is home to a deleted scene, “making of” piece, two documentaries about Hughes’ life, two segments on the nature of obsessive compulsive disorder, featurettes on the visual effects, set design, costume design, score, singers, hair and makeup, and a still gallery featuring dozens of photos of Scorsese on set (!). Just try watching all of that in one evening. Or better yet don’t, unless you enjoy repetition or have a burning desire to know what sort of mascara was worn in the 20s.

“The Aviator” is a big, bold film about a fascinating man of a similar nature, and while it may skimp on subtlety it entertains with abandon. Anyone who finds the golden age of Hollywood or aviation intriguing cannot help but be drawn in. Although Hughes was ultimately unable to fly free of his ailment, he left behind a stunning record of achievement. It just goes to show that you can never dream too big, no matter what people may tell you. Oh, you’re not heir to a multimillion-dollar fortune? Well never mind then.



Chris Wood