The Aviator

Reviewed by H. W. Moss

Directed by Martin Scorsese Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, John C. Riley, Alec Baldwin, Alan Alda, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, Gwen Stefani and Jude Law. Written by John Logan

As Howard Hughes is rescued from the wreckage of his experimental photo reconnaissance spy plane which destroyed three homes in Beverly Hills when it crashed in 1946 and very nearly killed him, he identifies himself to the Marine master sergeant who saved him as, I m Howard Hughes, the aviator.

Thus the origin of the film s title, The Aviator, which was directed with extreme attention to historical detail by Martin Scorsese and stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the amazing Mr. Hughes who cut a larger than life swathe through Hollywood, made aeronautical history and was a leading corporate industrialist from the Roaring 20 s right through the Cold War 50 s in America. He also developed psychological problems and is generally considered to have gone nuts before he died alone and friendless in 1976.

Although DiCaprio is not the first person who comes to mind to portray a man whose legacy survives to this day in the form of scientific research and satellite communication, he does an incredible job with the part. This is an Academy Award nomination role and DiCaprio deserves to win. He takes Hughes as a youth and imbues him with the sense of personal ability and arrogance the young tool-and-die man from

Houston must have had. As years pass and Hughes many famous female companions, mostly movie stars but young chippies as well, come and go DiCaprio achieves character change and physical feature alterations that are nothing short of striking. Comparing DiCaprio s scenes to descriptions of Hughes famous eccentricities and actual photos of the man is like being there as events unfolded.

This is, of course, Scorsese at his directorial best. His attention to historical accuracy is renown, but here he takes it to astounding extremes. Pair the original black and white footage of a film clip of Jean Harlow at the microphone on the sidewalk for opening night of Hell s Angels, the WW I aerial combat film that first made Hughes a

Hollywood success story, with the same scene in color with Gwen Stefani as Harlow. It is as if the two are lip-synching each other. Stefani captures every word, intonation, gesture and wink Harlow threw out.

But that s not all. Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn duplicates the wry wit, intelligent delivery and special voice that made Hepburn an international star. Blanchett should have a whole film devoted to her as Hepburn, her characterization is so perfect.

But that s not all. There are a dozen outstanding actors in this film not the least of which is Alec Baldwin as Pan American Airlines CEO Juan Tripp who challenged

Hughes for worldwide air passenger dominance. Kate Beckinsale plays Ava Gardner who appears to have been Hughes sincere companion even if he fails to appreciate her. She deflects his promise to buy her anything with, You can buy me dinner. Willem DaFoe has a mere two minutes of screen time as a private investigator with photos exposing

Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Tracy was still legally married and that was a no-no. Jude

Law is Errol Flynn who delivers a knuckle sandwich to one of the dinner guests at the

Coconut grove. Alan Alda plays an unscrupulous Congressman and that s not all.

You should see the film so you can pick out your favorite actor. If there is a flaw to the film it is a probably a specious bit of evidence purporting to explain Hughes rather well known phobia for cleanliness. While it may or may not be true that his mother washed him during a cholera epidemic and this saved his life, that s not enough to assign Rosebud significance to the black bar of soap Hughes is shown carrying around with him wherever he goes. Someone ought to have told Scorsese that not every eccentric has a Rosebud, just ask Donald Trump.

Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (1905-1976) once held every air speed record of consequence, according to an online biography. He owned an international airline, two regional airlines, an aircraft company, a major motion picture studio, mining properties, a tool company, gambling casinos and hotels in Las Vegas, a medical research institute and a vast amount of real estate. In 1958, he apparently suffered a second mental breakdown, the first having occurred in 1944. As told in the film, Hughes Aircraft produced armaments, but not a single plane for the war effort. That doesn t mean he had no intention of delivering them, but the war ended before the XF-11 or his flying boat, the

Spruce Goose which was the largest cargo and troop carrier ever made, could be put into production.

Hughes was not a simple business man. He was capable of operating on many levels at the same time, of switching gears from looking at the rushes of The Outlaw starring his new prot g Jane Russell, while designing an uplifting bra for her to wear, then jumping straight into the purchase of an airline or designing the planes, their interior styling and the outfits attendants with that airline would wear. And that s not all. The Aivator is so absorbing that, at 168 minutes or very nearly three hours duration, when the end arrives you think it ought not. Now that s good movie making.

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