The Aviator

Cast View all

	Leonardo DiCaprio	Howard Hughes
	Cate Blanchett	Katharine Hepburn
	Kate Beckinsale	Ava Gardner
	John C. Reilly	Noah Dietrich
	Alec Baldwin	Juan Trippe
	Alan Alda	Senator Ralph Owen Brewster
	Ian Holm	Professor Fitz
	Danny Huston	Jack Frye
	Gwen Stefani	Jean Harlow
	Jude Law	Errol Flynn
	Adam Scott	Johnny Meyer
	Matt Ross	Glenn Odekirk
	Kelli Garner	Faith Domergue
	Frances Conroy	Mrs. Hepburn
	Brent Spiner	Robert Gross
	Stanley DeSantis	Louis B. Mayer
	Edward Herrmann	Joseph Breen
	Willem Dafoe	Roland Sweet
	Kenneth Welsh	Dr. Hepburn
	J.C. MacKenzie	Ludlow
	Jacob Davich	Howard Hughes - 9 Years Old
	Amy Sloan	Howard Hughes's Mother
	Sam Hennings	Frank
	Joe Chrest	Hell's Angels Director of Photography
	Rufus Wainwright	Cocoanut Grove Vocalist #1

Crew View all

Director	Martin Scorsese
Writer	John Logan
Producer	Chris Brigham, Sanford R. Climan, Colin Cotter, Matthias Deyle, Leonardo DiCaprio, Charles Evans Jr., Graham King, Dan Maag, Michael Mann, Aslan Nadery, Joseph P. Reidy, Volker Schauz, Philip Schulz-Deyle, Rick Schwartz, Martin Scorsese, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Rick Yorn
Musician	Howard Shore
Photography	Robert Richardson

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Notes

Story Synopsis:
Winner of five Academy Awards®, "The Aviator" stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a young Howard Hughes, one of the most compelling characters of the 20th century. While Hughes thoroughly enjoyed Hollywood life and the perks that came with it, his true passion was flying. Going from the film business to airplane design and flight, the eccentric billionaire made his share of enemies along the way, but one could not deny what a true genius he was. (Tricia Spears)

DVD Picture:
With expectations high for the stylized look of The Aviator, this anamorphically enhanced 2.32:1 DVD delivers. With ambitiously creative stylizations-through the use of various lighting techniques and a digital re-creation of two vintage Technicolor® processes-the end result complements the period of the storytelling. The picture offers a pleasing color palette that can be rich and warm, or slightly desaturated with a “dated” look. Sometimes the picture can have an intentionally soft, blurred appearance that is reminiscent of old film reels. Archival footage is effectively incorporated into the film as well. Check out the fantastic color scheme in golf course footage in Chapter 6 (a look designed to replicate the appearance of three-strip Technicolor...a process used on many films released during Howard Hughes’ heyday). The blue-green grass contrasts tobacco-toned trees, creating a surreal environment for the on-screen interaction between Howard Hughes and Katherine Hepburn (played by Cate Blanchett). This color scheme occurs quite often during the film and it is a truly creative and intriguing look. When the story moves to the Hepburn estate, colors turn to over-the-top vibrance. Colors become even more dramatic still, as Hughes’ life begins its dramatic downward spiral. Edge enhancement is rarely noticed, and blatant halos are not a problem, as images only occasionally appear a bit “edgy.” Compression is quite good for this DVD, although some pixel breakup is noticed at times. Robert Richardson’s Academy Award®- winning cinematography is engulfing. (Suzanne Hodges)

Soundtrack:
With very good low level articulation and impressively realistic dialogue, the Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack sounds very natural. Music is presented in a way that is typical of time frame, adding another level of realism that works well with the film. The front stereo spread is impressive, with nice phantom imaging of localized effects across the stage. Surround imaging is also a standout, with nice pans directed across the surroundfield. Pans from the front channels to the rear are incomplete, without any sidewall imaging incorporated into the soundtrack, forcing the front and rear fields to sound disjunct from each other. The LFE channel is not used very frequently, but its incorporation does create an impressive low end highlight in key scenes. Foley can be impressive at times, especially with the sounds of the various airplanes and flashbulbs, helping deliver a realistic experience. Dialogue sounds open and spacious during outdoor scenes to match its natural tonality, but clipping distortion can be heard in dialogue when levels reach higher levels (perhaps due to the relatively low 384 kbps bit rate). The presentation is enjoyable and does a very good job of keeping the listening space enveloped into the storyline, but the clipping and inconsistencies of the soundtrack degrade its rating. (Danny Richelieu)

This Disc Contains The Following WSR-Rated Superb Qualities:
Superb Cinematography

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