I went to see “The Aviator” the other day. Overall the picture was okay but I left the theater feeling unsatisfied.
I had the same feeling about the movie “Master And Commander-The Far Side Of The World (2003, C+ grade)”. “The Aviator” wasn’t too reserved as I accused “Master And Commander” of being yet something didn’t thoroughly gel in the film in my view.
Scorsese the director of this flick hasn’t made to many films that are A grade in my opinion although no one can argue that he doesn’t know American and Italian cinema very well or the technicalities of filmmaking.
There was a flaw in one of the scenes. In a scene where Hughes tells a young women auditioning for a movie to wipe off her lipstick there is a shot showing her wiping off her lipstick and then a cut to Hughes followed by a cut back to the actress with her lipstick back on. How did that happen? It seems like a problem occurred in the editing room.
I do think the story is well written but it is mostly ‘inside pool’. Only lovers of cinema will be aware of all of actress lovers of Howard Hughes (except probably Katherine Hepburn who was quite unique), and all the intricacies involved in the making of his movies. The movie may appeal to professional film critics and some of the ‘old hands’ in the film business in other words.
The Aviator is about the first half of Howard Hughes’s life (as an adult). ‘Germaphobe’ (like comedian Howie Mandell), obsessive/compulsive (and racist and anti-Semitic which is not covered in the film) Hughes is shown at the beginning of The Aviator trying to make one of his films We follow him as he use his millions to help get his movie made. We see how he interacts with Hollywood (he was an outsider). We also see Hughes designing and building airplanes and breaking barriers in plane design and plane speed. We see a millionaire (and eventually billionaire back in the day when there were very few billionaires) making thousands of dollars and loosing thousands of dollars.
His eccentricity and mental illness combine to make him a high risk taking person that pushed the limits of aviation and introduced more risqué themes and images to mainstream American cinema.
In a sense just as Orson Wells moved the technology and techniques of film making forward in movies like Citizen Kane (1941, C+) Hughes moved what could be shown in American movies forward (although he did move American filmmaking technique forward a little also).
So, “The Aviator” ‘in a nutshell’ is about Hughes and his planes, movies and madness.
I think the Oscar nomination for Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance in this movie is deserved. He does a ‘knockout job’ playing Hughes. The last performance by Leo that was Oscar worthy was of the mentally challenged character in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” (1994, art house feel movie, B grade).
Unaware that DiCaprio was an actor at that point I could have sworn he was a real retarded person or very good actor. My opinion came from real experience that I had with a mentally challenged person.
DiCaprio is also quite handsome. If a pretty face is not enough DiCaprio for you may I suggest you rent or buy the movie “Total Eclipse (1995,C grade) where you can see all of him.
There is also a good performance by Cate Blanchett who plays Katharine Hepburn. I don’t know if she should have been nominated for an Oscar for this portrayal. The portrayal is not a long detailed performance and does not occupy that much time in the film.
The Aviator also is too long. I found myself glancing at my watch on several occasions. This tells me several things. One of them is I did not become engrossed in any aspect of the film. This could be due to many reasons. Maybe I’m just not that interested in pioneers in aviation (or Howard Hughes to be more specific). Who knows?
Don’t get me wrong, the film is an okay movie and director Scorsese deserves an Oscar in the best director category if for no other reason than he is just so knowledgeable about movies and film making. The Oscar is the most prestigious award given by the American film community and Scorsese deserves that award. All I am saying is that “The Aviator” does not meet my criteria for an A grade movie. Some of the reasons for this are known to me and some are not.
Is “The Aviator” worth a trip to the theater? Well, I feel there are no special reasons to see this movie at the movie house. One can wait until it is released on DVD or videotape. However, if you decide to go see it at the theater, you will not be loosing anything. It is ‘watchable’. In fact it is better than just ‘watchable’. It is better than your average movie. I give it a grade of B minus.
Ossie Davis: I could not stop writing without mentioning a truly great man that passed away the other day and that man was Ossie Davis who died while making a movie. He was eighty-seven.
He was an actor, writer, playwright, and very articulate speaker. He wrote beautiful prose and spoke his words (and others) just as beautifully. He was heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement and was acquainted with many civil rights leaders and activist. He did a lot of good and will be missed.