American Originals

Rating: 10/10 (8 January 2005)

It is hard to imagine there might be a film released in time for Oscar contention that will more perfectly fit the profile of a Best Picture candidate. In a time when Americans struggle to feel good about themselves and about what makes us distinctly who we are in the view of the world, we are offered "The Aviator".
Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) was a master juggler of interests; it is difficult to sort out whether passions, ingenuity, aggressiveness or private obsession drove him, and perhaps it was all those things. We have always viewed him from the later, more eccentric years, a recluse no longer able to deal with the world or even the smallest mote on a tie or milk bottle out of place. This is not fair, and director Martin Scorcese's decision to key on Hughes in his prime is brilliant.
The studio Internet site (http://www.miramax.com/aviator/) is a nice one and I encourage you to visit it for background on some of Scorcese's vision. There is no doubt he attempted to bring realism and truth to the screen. For a thumbnail on Hughes check out Wikipedia's bio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Hughes) and if you doubt the severity or facts about his crash in Beverly Hills try http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/XF-11_crash_site.htm for just how lucky and admittedly foolhardy Hughes was  throughout his life.
Scorcese has assembled a fine, if not near perfect cast for "The Aviator". Grading out the roles of key figures; Gwen Stefani doesn't come close to capturing Jean Harlow's look and not much is required of her otherwise; so too Jude Law's inclusion as Errol Flynn is a cameo and he just may be there because he was available during a hot year for him; Kate Beckinsale is quite captivating as the captivating Ava Gardner and shows us a nice moment in the latter part of the movie; Alec Baldwin (portraying Pan Am visionary Juan Trippe) and Alan Alda (as Senator Brewster) nail their parts, and both should be applauded for adding real value to the final effort; John C. Reilly (whom we all love but only gets one opportunity to say something of importance) plays a fine sidekick (Noah Dietrich) and Kelli Garner is equal to the task of depicting Faith Domergue.
But DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett really deliver the goods. In Leonardo's case we get the first opportunity of seeing him portray a real man. Flawed as Hughes may have been, he was an American original, the American dream, really, and we are never in doubt that we are really watching Howard Hughes. Leonardo will absolutely rivet you in his depiction of Hughes as he testifies (late in the film) before Senator Brewster's Committee; this is the best work DeCaprio has ever done.
There has never been an actress, or any other woman, for that matter, that looked like Katherine Hepburn. Again Scorcese made the right decision, knowing full well Hepburn's look couldn't be duplicated, to use a terrific actress that convincingly delivers what Hepburn herself always delivered  a class act with signature singularity. No mean task, that, and Blanchett really adds the extra required.
The only moments that did not ring true were fleeting, but the key unnecessary insertion was a childhood memory of Hughes revisited late in the film and is a little heavy handed; I immediately thought of "Citizen Kane" and "Rosebud" and did not appreciate the similarity. Secondarily, much ado is made of Hughes discovering the need for clouds to serve as a backdrop for air battles to emphasize speed, but William Wellman had actually discovered this (and is so credited in several books) a few years previously while filming the first Academy Award Best Picture ("Wings").
Martin Scorcese's "The Aviator" is so captivating that it is difficult to figure how any other film of '04 can possibly be a better candidate for Best Picture. We have, in fact, an American original (Scorcese) weaving a story about an equally compelling figure in our history. And it is all here: the stars, the acting, and the period feel, the cinematography and Leonardo DiCaprio doing his best work ever. This is one that will be watched again and again by the next generation. That is as good as Scorcese could have hoped for.
Rating: Four Stars.