The Aviator (2004) (Blu Ray) - 8/10

After listening to Scorsese's great commentary for Raging Bull, I was excited to jump into his mind once again and learn the details of making The Aviator. Giving an extraordinarily performance as Howard Hughes, Leo was totally believable as the obsessive complusive recluse who was so rich and powerful within the airline industry that he ultimately made himself crazy. Marty talks about his initial experience and love for Hughes' Hell's Angels movie where he wanted to go into the details of needing clouds all while showing the actual filming needed to capture the addiction of being inside the cockpit. One minute they're using an integration of visual effects to recreate the epic battle sequences and speed record flights and the next he was giving us a fascinating character study of declining health and relationships with past stars like Katherin Hepburn and Ava Gardner who perfected the look and feel of the time. His longtime editor also contributes to the track where she goes into the difficulties of shooting out of continuity where Leo would have to act like he was 20 one day, then 40 the next.

I appreciated the long takes on some of the dialogue scenes and how he talked about using the music within the frame to signfiy what year it was and convey the passing of time that Hughes has trying to build bigger and faster airplanes. It's always interesting to hear the details Marty researched and put in like the Hepburn estate, the little container of soap/germ phobia, or the fact that he literally locked himself in a room pissing in bottles. I think it's the way that it seems to cover a long period of time that The Aviator works so well, showing us the highs and lows of a playboy lifestyle so I understood how important he was to the evolution of planes. It kind of made me sad to see the results of obsession and financial downfall of such a promising person when their illness prevented them from opening up to anyone around him. The Aviator excels as Scorcese's most epic film to date, a true ensemble biopic that gives us great performances of dark and flawed characters who lived in a time of glamour I can only imagine. This movie rightly earned 5 academy awards for the way it accurately captured the costumes, atmosphere and events in the life of one of the most fascinating inventors in history