Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4920 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-06-13
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, German
• Dubbed in: German
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 163 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
From Hollywood's legendary Cocoanut Grove to the pioneering conquest of the wild blue yonder, Martin Scorsese's The Aviator celebrates old-school filmmaking at its finest. We say "old school" only because Scorsese's love of golden-age Hollywood is evident in his approach to his subject--Howard Hughes in his prime (played by Leonardo DiCaprio in his)--and especially in his technical mastery of the medium, which reflects his love for classical filmmaking of the studio era. Even when he's using state-of-the-art digital trickery for the film's exciting flight scenes (including one of the most spectacular crashes ever filmed), Scorsese's meticulous attention to art direction and costume design suggests an impassioned pursuit of craftsmanship from a bygone era; every frame seems to glow with gilded detail. And while DiCaprio bears little physical resemblance to Hughes from the film's 20-year period (late 1920s to late '40s), he efficiently captures the eccentric millionaire's golden-boy essence, and his tragic descent into obsessive-compulsive seclusion. Bolstered by Cate Blanchett's uncannily accurate portrayal of Katharine Hepburn as Hughes' most beloved lover, The Aviator is easily Scorsese's most accessible film, inviting mainstream popularity without compromising Scorsese's artistic reputation. As compelling crowd-pleasers go, it's a class act from start to finish. --Jeff Shannon

Synopsis
Martin Scorsese's THE AVIATOR is a lavish spectacle of a motion picture that harks back to Hollywood's Golden Era in telling the story of Howard Hughes, one of 20th-century America's most pioneering and influential figures. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the eccentric billionaire, Scorsese's biopic concentrates on Hughes's life between the 1920s and '40s, when he made some of his most striking contributions to both the film and aviation industries. At only 25 years of age, Hughes directed the most expensive film ever made up to that point, HELL'S ANGELS (1930), which Scorsese gleefully recreates here in all its sprawling, audacious glory. At the same time, he became known as an unabashed playboy, bedding the likes of Jean Harlow (singer Gwen Stefani), Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale), and Katherine Hepburn (a brilliant Cate Blanchett). In the mid-'30s, he turned his attention to the aviation industry, where he quickly became a world-renowned celebrity for shattering speed and distance records. He also continued to test the limits of flight technology, building bigger, faster, and stronger aircrafts. All the while, he struggled with an obsessive-compulsive mental disorder that sent him into a full-fledged tailspin after a near-fatal plane crash. The film concludes with Hughes being called to the Senate in '47 to defend himself against nefarious Senator Owen Brewster (Alan Alda), who accused Hughes of taking money from the United States government during wartime. Stunningly photographed by Robert Richardson, Scorsese's nearly three-hour drama features an impassioned performance by DiCaprio, who is also credited as an executive producer. Although she appears in less than a third of the film, Blanchett delivers a performance that cements her status as one of the finest actresses ever to appear on the big screen.

Customer Reviews

Weird genius
A lavish film about one of the weirder Americans of the last century. Having caught from his mother an obsession about the dangers of infections Hughes mental health deteriorates but he still manages to run and to defend his huge business empire. The film stops before he becomes the total recluse. Wealth and women do not bring happiness seems to be the lesson of this long film Dicaprio gives a stunning performance as Hughes. The aerial scenes are spectacular.

Watch this more for learning than for entertainment
Before watching this film I knew nothing about Howard Hughes, about aviation, had no idea what this film was about other than a biography, when it was set, had never even seen a trailer. Yet, I had heard many positive reviews and curious to see what all the fuss was about I finally got around to watching the film, and was not dissapointed I did.

As I said before, I knew nothing previously about Howard Hughes so this film was interesting to me just to find out about the man, about his eccentrisities, his obsession with perfection, his his constant strive towards the future. Leonardo DiCaprio was believeable (though how similar he was to the real Howard Hughes I cannot comment), as was Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn (in fact, I'd say Blanchett's performance was some of the best acting I have seen in a long time).

The film isn't exciting, fun, it doesn't even capture the viewer and keep them enthralled in the story. It is long, and I often began to think 'is this film actually going ANYHWERE?' but it is worth a watch, especailly if you're interesting in Howard Hughes, or if not, if you enjoy biographical films, or even interested in hollywood at the time. I'm glad I watched it purely to find out about the man, but it is dark, and will leave viewers with a dark feeling looming over them, and I don't think I'd like to watch it again in a hurry. It is a brave film, some of the scenes seemed incredibly risky but were pulled off well, but there isn't really much more to say - I won't rave and say it was one of the best things I've ever watched, because it isn't, but it does deserve recognition (far more than it's had if I'm honest) and is a good piece of work. Give it a go, just don't expect to be overwhelmed.

Failed to grab me, making it a very long 3 hours to watch!
You can't fault the production quality of this film, but it failed to grab me and it was dragged out for far too long. The characters were superficial, even DiCaprio's Howard Hughes, so I didn't care what happened to him in the end. Cate Blanchet is particularly irritating. I can't believe this film won awards!

This film told me nothing about Howard Hughes and I can think of many better ways to spend an evening than watching this film (one previous reviewer suggested root canal work, and I'm tempted to agree).