The Aviator (2004)

Synopsis of The Aviator

Martin Scorsese directed this fast-moving, epic-scale biopic documenting the life and loves one of the most colorful Americans of the 20th century, Howard Hughes. The Aviator follows Hughes (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) as the twentysomething millionaire, having already made a fortune improving the design of oil-drilling bits, comes to Hollywood with an interest in getting into the picture business. It doesn't take long for Hughes, with his passion for airplanes, to jump from producer to director of his first major film project, a World War I air epic called Hell's Angels, which took three years to complete thanks to the shift from silent to sound filming and Hughes' relentless perfectionism. However, the film was a massive hit, and the eccentric inventor became a mogul in Hollywood, making Jean Harlow (Gwen Stefani) a star and enjoying a romance with Katharine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett). But Hollywood's old-boy network never fully accepted Hughes, and in time his passion for flying began to reclaim his attentions as he began designing new planes, setting air speed records, flying around the world, and risking his life testing aircraft. Hughes also found time to romance Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale) and founded his own airline, Trans-World Airlines, though as his ideas became bolder, his approach became more eccentric, and he gained many powerful enemies, including the head of Pan-American Airlines, Juan Trippe (Alec Baldwin), and Senator Ralph Owen Brewster (Alan Alda), who attempted to prove that Hughes' radical design ideas were actually part of an effort to bilk taxpayers for millions of dollars through government contracts. The Aviator's star-studded cast also includes John C. Reilly, Jude Law, Willem Dafoe, Ian Holm, and Frances Conroy. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Theatrical Feature Running Time:

170 mins

Director(s):

Martin Scorsese

Writer(s):

John Logan

Producer(s):

Leonardo DiCaprio, Sandy Climan, Charles Evans, Jr.

Theatrical MPAA Rating:

PG13(Violence, Adult Language, Brief Nudity, Sexual Situations, Adult Situations)

• 2004 - American Film Institute - Best Picture
• 2004 - Boston Society of Film Critics - Best Supporting Actress [Runner-up]
• 2004 - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best Production Design
• 2004 - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best Picture
• 2004 - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best Makeup and Hair
• 2004 - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best Supporting Actress
• 2004 - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best Makeup and Hair
• 2004 - Broadcast Film Critics Association - Best Score
• 2004 - Broadcast Film Critics Association - Best Director
• 2004 - Chicago Film Critics Association - Best Cinematography
• 2004 - Chicago Film Critics Association - Best Original Score
• 2004 - Golden Globe - Best Picture - Drama
• 2004 - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Original Score
• 2004 - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Picture - Drama
• 2004 - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
• 2004 - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Director [Runner-up]
• 2004 - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Supporting Actress [Runner-up]
• 2004 - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Production Design
• 2004 - National Society of Film Critics - Best Supporting Actress (Runner-up)
• 2004 - Producers Guild of America - Best Picture
• 2004 - Screen Actors Guild - Best Supporting Actress

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