Howard Hughes wore many different hats during his life. He was at times a film
director and/or producer, a multi-millionaire businessman, an inventor, a pilot,
an accused communist, and a playboy socialite. It’s fitting then that
Martin Scorsese, a director who has worn equally as many hats with his various
films, took a stab at the early life of Hughes in last year’s The
Aviator. The film is now getting a two-disc special edition release
to DVD.
The Aviator covers the period between 1930, when Hughes (Leonardo
DiCaprio) was making Hell’s Angels, and 1947, when he took his mammoth
plane, the H-4 Hercules (or the ‘Spruce Goose’) on its first and
only flight. Starting with the success of Hell’s Angels, Hughes held himself
in the public spotlight for most of those 17 years. Aside from his relationships
with high-profile starlets Katharine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett) and Ava Gardner
(Kate Beckinsdale), Hughes also set records as a pilot and founded his own airline
company, Trans-World Airlines. Those years were not all fun and games for Howard
Hughes, however. Hughes dealt with obsessive-compulsive disorder for most of
his life and as such, towards the end of the film, paranoia and reclusion dominate
the character.
Martin Scorsese gave it everything he’s got with The Aviator.
This was yet another unsuccessful Oscar push for a director who has consistently
been snubbed by the Academy, and once again, undeservedly so. While it feels
overly long at times, The Aviator is a great film, rife with
strong performances and accurate historical details. This isn’t a Scorsese
art film. No no… this is a Scorsese blockbuster, plain and simple. Grabbing
hold of the idea that truth is often stranger (i.e. more compelling) than fiction
(which is especially true with regards to Howard Hughes), Martin Scorsese gives
us the straight story with little of the visual flair, beyond solid cinematography
of course, normally attributed to his films. Not only does he tell a good story,
but he animates a good setting. The 30’s and 40’s come to life in
full color and vivid detail, true to form for a man who has mastered the art
of the period piece.
The film is helped by solid casting. Leonardo DiCaprio continues to prove himself
as a strong actor with his portrayal of Howard Hughes. He makes the character
grow over the 17 year span presented in the film, a difficult feat to accomplish,
especially with such a mercurial personality as Hughes’. DiCaprio has
a solid supporting cast to lean on for support, but the other real star of the
film is Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn (for which she won an Oscar). She’s
practically a carbon-copy of the actress she portrays in looks and in attitude.
Also worth mentioning is John C. Reilly as Hughes’s longtime associate
John Dietrich. The rest of the notable cast includes Alan Alda, Ian Holm, Alec
Baldwin, and Jude Law, but their performances are overshadowed by the enormity
of the Hughes character.
There’s a mammoth amount of bonus content included on the DVD release
of The Aviator. The first disc adds a commentary track to the
film. Although the box lists Martin Scorsese as the sole participant, editor
and longtime Scorsese associate Thelma Schoonmaker, and producer Michael Mann
also add their own comments. None of the three speak together which leads to
the belief that the commentaries were recorded separately. The information is
good, however, and Scorsese speaks in detail of how he worked to get the look
and feel of the period correct.
The second disc is where the fun(?) really starts. There’s an exhaustive
amount of material here. First is a short little deleted scene where Howard
tells Ava about his car accident (that’s what it’s called, in fact).
Nothing jaw-dropping here, just some cut footage. Next are a series of 12 documentaries
covering the film, the man, and the people behind it all. First up is a ten-minute
behind-the-scenes feature called “Making the Aviator,” which sits
down with the filmmakers for a look at the production. Next is “The Role
of Howard Hughes in Aviation History,” which should be pretty self-explanatory.
The third entry is an episode of “Modern Marvels” from the History
Channel. This hour-long televised (about 45 minutes long) program focuses on
Howard Hughes and his accomplishments, making the previous feature somewhat
redundant (this one is far more complete). Fourth is “The Affliction of
Howard Hughes: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder,” which gives an overview
of OCD and how the condition affected Hughes. Next is a largely unnecessary
“OCD Panel Discussion with Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, and Howard
Hughes’ Widow Terry Moore,” which is led by two doctors. There’s
nothing particularly head-spinning to be found in this feature, which runs about
15 minutes. The sixth feature moves into more behind-the-scenes territory with
the half-hour long “An Evening with Leonardo DiCaprio and Alan Alda.”
The actors, moderated by David Schwartz, talk about their opinions of the film,
the people involved, the people they portray, themselves, and each other. The
rest of the features are all shorts that cover specific behind-the-scenes aspects
of the production. First is “The Visual Effects of The Aviator,”
another short making-of which focuses on, you guessed it, the visual effects
of the film. Pretty standard stuff, all with Robert Legato, the visual effects
supervisor. Next up is “Constructing The Aviator: The Work of Dante Ferretti,”
which looks at the art and set design for the film. Like the previous two, the
next three are like-mindedly structured (and self-explanatory from the title);
“Costuming The Aviator: The Art of Sandy Powell,” “The Age
of Glamour: The Hair and Makeup of The Aviator,” and “Scoring the
Aviator: The Work of Howard Shore.” All told, these five features add
up to about 40 minutes of viewing time, not a bad look behind the scenes when
all is said and done. The final feature (aside from a soundtrack spot and stills
gallery) is a five minute look at the Wainwright family (Loudon, Rufus, and
Martha), who appear in the film. Whew.
That’s about all (as if it isn’t enough). The Aviator was
a good, bordering on great, film when it hit the theaters and it’s gotten
a nice treatment for DVD release. The film looks and sounds as good as it should
(considering that it came out last year) and the bonus content is more than
most people would get through in one sitting. This isn’t necessarily a
must-own or even a must-rent, but if you liked the movie in theaters you can
rest safely knowing that the DVD release is overflowing with goodies for the
impassioned viewer.
DVD Film Score: B+
DVD Special Features Score: A-
Overall Score: B+
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