The script begins as a young Hughes directs one of Scorsese’s favorite films, Hell’s Angels. Hughes was so obsessed with perfection in the aerial sequences that he waits forever for perfect conditions, right down to cloud formations. The Aviator ends in 1946, when Hughes was still a dashing young man and romancing actresses like Ava Gardner and Katharine Hepburn.

The Aviator (2004)
  • Rating: (126,369 votes)
  • Taglines:For some men, the sky was the limit. For him, it was just the beginning. » Some men dream the future. He built it. »
  • Runtime:170 minutes
  • Director: Martin Scorsese
  • Countries:USA, Germany
  • Actors:
    Howard Hughes
    Leonardo DiCaprio
    Katharine Hepburn
    Cate Blanchett
    Ava Gardner
    Kate Beckinsale
    Noah Dietrich
    John C. Reilly
    Juan Trippe
    Alec Baldwin
    Senator Ralph Owen Brewster
    Alan Alda
    Professor Fitz
    Ian Holm
    Jack Frye
    Danny Huston
    Jean Harlow
    Gwen Stefani
    Errol Flynn
    Jude Law
  • Genres:Biography, Drama
  • Producers:
    Chris Brigham
    executive producer  
    Sandy Climan
    producer  
    Colin Cotter
    executive producer  
    Matthias Deyle
    producer: IMF  
    Leonardo DiCaprio
    executive producer  
    Charles Evans Jr.
    producer  
    Graham King
    producer  
    Dan Maag
    line producer: IMF  
    Michael Mann
    producer  
    Aslan Nadery
    executive producer: IMF  
    Joseph P. Reidy
    co-producer (as Joseph Reidy) 
    Volker Schauz
    executive producer: IMF  
    Philip Schulz-Deyle
    line producer: IMF  
    Rick Schwartz
    executive producer  
    Bob Weinstein
    executive producer  
    Harvey Weinstein
    executive producer  
    Rick Yorn
    executive producer  
    Martin Scorsese
    executive producer (uncredited)  
  • Plots: The script begins as a young Hughes directs one of Scorsese's favorite films, Hell's Angels. Hughes was so obsessed with perfection in the aerial sequences that he waits forever for perfect conditions, right down to cloud formations. The Aviator ends in 1946, when Hughes was still a dashing young man and romancing actresses like Ava Gardner and Katharine Hepburn. Written by Ryan McIntosh <Save_Ferris85@hotmail.com>
The Aviator
  • User's comment:Falling Short of Greatness...Again by Rathko

    Scorsese has such an encyclopedic knowledge and understanding of cinema that every shot, however inventive and daring, is effortlessly composed. The direction, editing and cinematography are all the first-rate work by individuals who are clearly masters of their profession and the production design, costumes and makeup are the best you'll see all year. Their efforts combine to create a world of rich and lavish color, of excitement and glamour. Who wouldn't want to visit THIS Cotton Club in 1935? It's hard to imagine who could trump the technical team for Oscars this year.

    With such a perfectly realized world in which to perform, the actors universally do an outstanding job. Despite the criticism of the hardcore DiCaprio-haters, the unprejudiced will observe an excellent performance that takes genuine risks and convincingly conveys the passing of more than twenty years. Importantly, DiCaprio more than holds his own when paired with Cate Blanchett and especially Alan Alda, who both give equally note worthy performances. Blanchett's interpretation of Katherine Hepburn seems spot on, and anyone familiar with the late actresses mannerisms will appreciate the hard work that clearly went into the recreation. Alda, one of the most consistently underrated actors around, delivers another masterclass in restrained character building as he oozes ambition and political dishonesty from every pore.

    And yet, despite the obvious talent of all those involved and Scorsese's ability to effortlessly fill three hours, something about The Aviator fails to completely satisfy. Without wanting to sound like a film student, movies should, ultimately, be ABOUT something; love, honor, courage, redemption, the BIG ideas and themes that are the fuel of the plot. What was the drive of The Aviator? A rich guy recklessly spends lots of money to indulge his personal obsessions and gets away with it. We're never told how his experiences change him, and without change there's no journey. Considering the screenplay was written by John Logan, who usually displays a keen interest in showing the emotional evolution of his characters, the oversight is inexplicable. Ultimately then, much like Gangs of New York, The Aviator is simply the sum of it's parts, and however brilliantly those parts are realized, there doesn't seem to be a bigger theme to underpin and drive them.

    The Aviator is a perfectly realized recreation of the era and one well worth experiencing. But the lack of a real emotional journey suggests 'all gloss and no substance', and ultimately prevents the movie from being truly great.


  • Quotes: Howard Hughes: I feel like a little adventure. Katharine Hepburn: Do your worst, Mr. Hughes. Juan Trippe: If you let him testify at that hearing, the whole world will see what he's become. They should remember him for what he was.
  • Also known as: El aviador (Argentina), El aviador (Chile), El aviador (Mexico - imdb display title), El aviador (Peru - imdb display title), El aviador (Spain), Aviator (Austria), Aviator (France), Aviator (Germany), Aviator (Poland), Avijaticar (Croatia - imdb display title), Avijaticar (Serbia - imdb display title), O Aviador (Brazil), O Aviador (Portugal), Авиатор (Russia), Aviátor (Hungary - imdb display title), Aviaator - valguses ja varjus (Estonia), Flygaren (Finland - imdb display title, Swedish title), Göklerin hakimi (Turkey - Turkish title), Iptamenos kroisos (Greece - transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title), L'aviateur (Canada - French title), Lentäjä (Finland), The Aviator (Greece),

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