Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Alec Baldwin, Kate Beckinsale, Cate Blanchett, Alan Alda, Kelli Garner, Danny Huston, Matt Ross, John C. Reilly
The Howard Hughes of The Aviator is certainly not the Howard Hughes who was seen decades later living in hotels, germophobic to the point that he did not like to even be touched, and if the movie Melvin and Howard is to be believed, wandering the desert like a homeless man. Although, you can certainly see the genesis of the pitiful Hughes who died in 1976. Martin Scorsese chooses to focus on the years Hughes was famous and inventive before his demons overtook him. It is epic in scope like Hughes' expensive early movies such as Hell's Angels, but it also shows us a man who may be more fondly remembered today if not for the sad final chapter of his life.
Hughes (DiCaprio) was a rich Texan who inherited his family's wealth and boldly strode into 1920s Hollywood with dreams of making realistic, big-budget films no one had dreamed of. Hell's Angels budget skyrocketed due to Hughes' desire for realism and also to convert it to a talkie. It far outearned its budget at the box office, allowing Hughes enough power to finance more movies and date Hollywood actresses like Jean Harlow (Gwen Stefani), Ava Gardner (Beckinsale), and Katharine Hepburn (Blanchett). Things were good for him, but soon he turned his attention to manufacturing airplanes and purchasing TWA. His vision was to take on Pan Am and its monopolized dominance over international air travel. Pan Am founder Juan Trippe (Baldwin) does whatever is necessary to prevent that, including having Senator Owen Brewster (Alda) launch a Congressional hearing targeting Hughes. Did the pressure bring about his demons? Or were they always there?
We witness Hughes go from powerful aviator and filmmaker to someone so germophobic that he couldn't leave a men's room because he would have to touch the door handle to exit. Did such behavior stem from childhood, where his mother would repeatedly tell him he is not clean or safe? The Aviator hints at this, but concentrates more on the man who risks his fortune on a flying boat like the Hercules, which had a wing span of a city block. Did Hughes actually believe such a plane would be practical? Maybe, but Hughes seemed to be a believer in bigger being better. Just look at how he films Jane Russell's bosom in The Outlaw. Hughes was a man who achieved small victories just by doing things others said he couldn't do.
Scorsese's film reflects a certain admiration and sympathy for Hughes. DiCaprio received an Oscar nomination for his work. He is equally adept at showing us all sides of Hughes while allowing us to sympathize with a man who, even with his vast fortune, was unable to stop repeating himself and locking himself in screening rooms and urinating in bottles. Yet, he managed to pull himself together long enough to get the Hercules flying and humiliate Brewster at the Congressional hearings.
Blanchett won an Oscar playing Katharine Hepburn. She is strong, passionate, and loves Howard, but worries about his womanizing and eccentricities. We see a woman who is not willing to sacrifice her own sense of self to become Mrs. Howard Hughes. Ditto Ava Gardner, who turns down Howard's repeated marriage proposals by saying, "You can't buy me."
The Aviator thankfully does not glorify Hughes or exaggerate his greatness. He dreamed big, thought big, and pushed the envelope in films and aviation. The film does the same, especially in the depiction of the test flight resulting in a horrific crash that nearly killed Hughes. Considering the wealth of injuries he sustained, it is a miracle he survived at all. Would it shock anyone to learn that Hughes had his hospital bed modified so he could adjust it to be comfortable? And this was the prototype of the bed used in hospitals today? This was the spirit The Aviator hopes to shed light on, rather than the dark days ahead which are a more well-known part of the Howard Hughes legacy.
No comments:
Post a Comment