2008 Woodie Awards
Though Flamboyant, The Aviator Still Excellent
Danielle Cheifetz and Jamie Rodriguez
Issue date: 1/28/05 Section: Arts & Features
Was Howard Hughes a hero? We're not sure, but Martin Scorsese certainly seems to think so. The Aviator is a big-budget, masterfully crafted picture including all the popular elements necessary for a successful Hollywood film. The acting is well-done, the costumes carefully designed, the sets larger than life, and the score equally noteworthy. However, does all this glamour deceive the audience into a false portrayal of not only Howard Hughes, but of early Hollywood as well? Scorsese's vision is seductive due to his talent, but the reality is most likely a whole other story.
Beginning in the late 1920s and progressing into the mid-1940s, The Aviator covers an important time in American history. This film is not a sweeping, objective biography of Howard Hughes; rather, The Aviator gives us a small, biased portion of the man's life. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the womanizing, mentally unstable, aviation-obsessed, mathematical genius Hughes.
While DiCaprio might not physically resemble Hughes, he does an excellent job at portraying the legend's quirks and struggles. Hughes' business partner Noah Dietrich, played by the talented John C. Reilly, is his ally and friend throughout the film, thereby fulfilling the classic Hollywood role of "the trusted sidekick."
Hughes had many love interests, but the two most famous, Katherine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett) and Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale), get the most attention in the film. Hughes' struggle to rise to the top of the aviation world, while battling severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, is the main subject of the film. By the end, we know Hughes will have professional success, but that privately he will continue to fight for sanity.
Blanchett's portrayal of screen legend Hepburn is an interesting mix of cliché and practiced mannerisms. Although Blanchett in some ways might physically resemble Hepburn, and captures her style, it is hard to accept her as the famous actress. Blanchett's voice, although biting, does not quite reach the magnitude of Hepburn's. In dialogue and interactions, Blanchett's Hepburn comes across more as a caricature than an accurate representation.
Beginning in the late 1920s and progressing into the mid-1940s, The Aviator covers an important time in American history. This film is not a sweeping, objective biography of Howard Hughes; rather, The Aviator gives us a small, biased portion of the man's life. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the womanizing, mentally unstable, aviation-obsessed, mathematical genius Hughes.
While DiCaprio might not physically resemble Hughes, he does an excellent job at portraying the legend's quirks and struggles. Hughes' business partner Noah Dietrich, played by the talented John C. Reilly, is his ally and friend throughout the film, thereby fulfilling the classic Hollywood role of "the trusted sidekick."
Hughes had many love interests, but the two most famous, Katherine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett) and Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale), get the most attention in the film. Hughes' struggle to rise to the top of the aviation world, while battling severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, is the main subject of the film. By the end, we know Hughes will have professional success, but that privately he will continue to fight for sanity.
Blanchett's portrayal of screen legend Hepburn is an interesting mix of cliché and practiced mannerisms. Although Blanchett in some ways might physically resemble Hepburn, and captures her style, it is hard to accept her as the famous actress. Blanchett's voice, although biting, does not quite reach the magnitude of Hepburn's. In dialogue and interactions, Blanchett's Hepburn comes across more as a caricature than an accurate representation.