WeatherGirl and I saw The aviator last night in its epic three hour glory. I didn’t really know what I was going to think of it, in part because I didn’t really know much about Howard Hughes’s love for and understanding of aviation, and was therefore somewhat confused by the title. (To me, he was an incredibly rich recluse, probably because what little sense I had of him was probably formed by news of his death when I was a kid.)
The film focusses on what is probably the most productive period of his life from when he inherits the family business and money in the 20’s through the Second World War and the beginning of his descent into increasingly debilitating psychological problems. In this period he made movies that won Oscars, cost millions, and got him in trouble with the censors (although not always at the same time), pushed the envelope in both commercial and experimental aviation, and courted both famous movie stars (Cate Blanchett as Kathrine Hepburn is quite amazing) and political trouble.
All of which made for an incredibly gripping story under Scorsese’s direction. It was a (quite literally) white knuckle ride in several places, despite the fact that we all know (at least in vague terms) how it’s going to turn out. DiCaprio was excellent (and I can’t say I’ve been a big fan of his), and the cast (and acting) is full of wonderful surprises. And, perhaps most importantly, I never once wanted to look at my watch and see how much longer we’d have to be there.
Check out WeatherGirl’s thoughts on the film.
No tag for this post.