The Aviator

The Aviator is a 2004 biographical drama film, directed by Martin Scorsese. It was distributed by Miramax, and like many of Scorsese's films, was tipped for numerous Academy Awards before its release. Roger Ebert, a respected American film reviewer, described the film and its subject Howard Hughes in these terms:

Plot

The movie is a biopic of the aviation pioneer Howard Hughes (played by Leonardo DiCaprio). It follows his life from the late 1920s through the 1940s, a time when Hughes was directing and producing Hollywood movies as well as test piloting his own groundbreaking new aircraft.

Related Topics:
Biopic - Pioneer - Howard Hughes - Leonardo DiCaprio - 1920s - 1940s - Hollywood

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Hughes was the son of a Texan inventor, who left him most of his company "Hughes Tool Co." upon his death. At the time, Hughes was a college student at Rice University. From there, Hughes moved to Los Angeles to become a movie producer, helping fledging actors launch their careers, such as Jean Harlow (played by Gwen Stefani), whom he cast in the movie Hell's Angels. He also produced other classic movies such as Scarface. Later on in his career, he branched out into other industries, such as electronics, and most significantly aviation. His company Hughes Aircraft was responsible for legendary aircraft such as the Hercules, aka the Spruce Goose. However, Hughes's mental deterioration with his obsessive-compulsive behavior is a major plot thread through the film.

Related Topics:
Rice University - Los Angeles - Jean Harlow - Gwen Stefani - Hell's Angels - Scarface - Hughes Aircraft - Spruce Goose - Obsessive-compulsive

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The movie also details Hughes's romances with Hollywood stars like Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale), and Katharine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett), and his battles with Pan Am head honcho Juan Trippe (Alec Baldwin), who has allegedly bribed Maine senator Owen Brewster (Alan Alda) into granting Pan Am a coercive monopoly on international air travel.

Related Topics:
Ava Gardner - Kate Beckinsale - Katharine Hepburn - Cate Blanchett - Pan Am - Juan Trippe - Alec Baldwin - Bribed - Maine - Senator - Owen Brewster - Alan Alda - Coercive monopoly

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In an early portion of the movie, the color blue appears in a number of unexpected places. Scorsese had some of the images altered to change green to blue in order to partially simulate early two-tone Technicolor movies. These color effects were done by Legend Films.

Related Topics:
Blue - Green - Technicolor - Legend Films

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Tagline: Some men dream the future. He built it.

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