by Warner Home Video
| Average Rating: |
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| Sales Rank: | 4165 (lower is better) |
| Price Used: | $11.95 |
| Shipping: | Free Shipping on most orders over $25* |
| Availability: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| Release Date: | 2007-11-06 |
| Label: | Warner Home Video |
| UPC: | 085391186281 |
| Binding: | Blu-ray |
| Published By: | Warner Home Video |
| ASIN: | B000VZGK3K |
| Category: | DVD |
Actors and Actresses
Editorial Reviews and Product Descriptions
Description
An epic biopic depicting the early years of legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes' career, from the late 1920's to the mid-1940's.
Amazon.com
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 reflecting 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 during the film's 20-year span (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
Customer Reviews
Overrated - Reviewed on 2008-09-18
1 customer found this review not to be helpful.
The problem that almost all biopics have is that they tell far too much of their subjects' life facts that most of the drama is drained. They never seem to find the important nor key moments in a life in which to imbue the tale, rather they cram a life with minutia, and miss out on any real insight. Such it is with Martin Scorsese's latest film, now out on DVD. The Aviator spans twenty or so years in the life of Howard Hughes, the reclusive billionaire and eccentric, but never delves into the man, merely glossing the surface of its subject, mainly due to the pallid script by John Logan of Gladiator infamy. Having recently watched a DVD version of Raging Bull, from 1980, the difference is stark. I've never thought Raging Bull was Scorsese's best work- it's not on a par with Taxi Driver, The King Of Comedy, After Hours, nor Goodfellas- but it can be argued as a great film, and it's a cut above this film whose first half has potential, albeit flawed, but whose second half reeks.
The film has many flaws, other than the script, though. The major one being Leonardo DiCaprio is simply not a good nor compelling actor, especially in comparison to Robert De Niro. He is, next to Tom Cruise, perhaps the most milquetoast and passionless actor going and radiates none of the magnetism, power, and arrogance of the real man- he is a boy pretending to be a man, and clearly way out of his league. He has absolutely zero range, and is unwilling to let go of himself to the role. He is always Leonardio DiCaprio, never Howard Hughes. Better actors, like Brad Pitt in Kalifornia or A River Runs Through It, do so. DiCaprio is woefully miscast- although since he shepherded the film to fruition Scorsese had little choice but to use him. First off, he doesn't age, as Hughes, in the twenty years of the film- what? Was all the money gone for looser prosthetic jowls or crow's feet? At forty-five Hughes still looks like a teenager, especially in scenes with his airline rival Juan Trippe, as played by Alec Baldwin, a man who in real life was only a few years older than Hughes. Next to Baldwin the two characters seem of different generations- as the fey DiCaprio may not be able to pass for thirty until he's fifty or sixty, and certainly never lets us in to the `real' Hughes', as he is content with mere gesticulation. DiCaprio also looks nothing like Hughes, facially, but that's not so important if the acting is up to snuff- think Anthony Hopkins as Richard Nixon in Oliver Stone's Nixon. This evidences itself in that DiCaprio sounds nothing like Hughes, and the constant ticking and twitching he does to suggest that Hughes suffered from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is just too carny for a convincing dramatic role, even up to the film's final shot of Hughes in a Tourette's Syndrome-like daze- which is far too reminiscent of both the prison and end scenes of Raging Bull. It's never a good sign when a director has to rip off a better, earlier film of his own.... While not bad, that's also not good. If you need proof just ask yourself if you ever thought you'd hear a phrase like `a rather conventional Hollywood film by Martin Scorsese' and you'll get the points that Scorsese did not.
Cate Blanchett Owns This Movie - Reviewed on 2008-09-12
"The Aviator" IS Cate Blanchett's film, her Oscar deserving role as Katherine Hepburn is so dead-on, you'd think she was possessed by her spirit. As for the film, not bad, a little slow at times, the CGI is horrific, and Alan Alda's performance as the slimy senator is quite good.
The Blu-Ray is loaded with extras, and the transfer is quite clean, probably in the top 20.
I've never really been a Dicaprio fan, but if he keeps making movies with Marty Scorsese ("The Departed"), I think one these days, he'll get his own Oscar.
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Book Subjects
- Adult Language
- Adult Situations
- Adventure Drama
- Biopic [feature]
- Blu-Ray
- Brief Nudity
- Color
- Compassionate
- Drama
- Elegant
- English
- Feature
- Feature Film-drama
- Lavish
- Mental Illness
- Movie
- Nostalgic
- Period Film
- Rise and Fall Stories
- Scandals and Cover-Ups