The Aviator: 2-Disc Widescreen Edition DVD Set Review

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Title: The Aviator: 2-Disc Widescreen Edition

Region: One

Genre: Biographical Drama

Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly, Alec Baldwin, Alan Alda, and Jude Law

Writer: John Logan

Director: Martin Scorsese

Feature length: 170 minutes

Extras: Feature Length Audio Commentary With Director Martin Scorsese, Editor Thelma Schoonmaker, and Producer Michael Mann, Additional Scene, Making The Aviator Featurette, The Role Of Howard Hughes In Aviation History, Modern Marvels: Howard Hughes - A History Channel Documentary, The Affliction Of Howard Hughes: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, The Visual Effects Of The Aviator, Constructing The Aviator, Costuming And Scoring The Aviator, The Aviator And The Age Of Glamour, An Evening With Leonardo DiCaprio And Alan Alda

Languages: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and French (Dubbed In Quebec) Language Dolby Surround Sound

Subtitles: English Closed Captions and English, French, and Spanish Language Subtitles

Packaging: Single Size Two-Disc Keep Case

Chapter Stops: 32

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Dolby Surround Sound

Year of Theatrical Release: 2004/DVD Release: 2005

Theatrical Distributor: Warner Brothers Pictures and Miramax Films

Home Video Distributor: Warner Home Video

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera

I tend to prefer British Shakespearean trained Actors such as those alumni of the Royal Shakespeare Company because I feel the training they receive helps them immensely with creating a broad range of believable characters. Most American Actors tend to be categorized into one of four things. There are the movie stars who basically can get a movie made because people will see anything they appear in regardless of quality. Then there are the Actors who basically play variations of the same character every time, but people think they are great because they play that type so well. Then there are the Actors who are in the movies simply because they are good-looking and very photogenic. Finally there are the Character Actors who very often are more talented than the people they are supporting, but for whatever reason they rarely star in a leading role in a feature film though some get to be the lead in television programs. Now I am not going to get myself into trouble by stating whom I think belongs into what groups so don’t even ask. However there are American Actors that truly transcend the four categories because they are so talented and they are equally rare. I’m still not sure about Leonardo DiCaprio, but I have to give him credit because I think the intensity of his performance was stunning and considering the body of work he has already done at such a young age, I think he truly could be one of those great Actors that transcends all the categories. However we’ll have to see what he does next and in the future to truly know for certain just how talented he is. One thing is for sure, he definitely is not just a pretty face and it seems like he can hold his own with the best of them.

DiCaprio, who also served as an Executive Producer on the film, developed the project for five years with an in-depth study of who Howard Hughes was. Now mind you no Actor can actually become the person they are trying to portray, but their interpretation of the character can create the illusion that they really are Howard Hughes or Katherine Hepburn, as beautifully embodied by Cate Blanchett who earned a well-deserved Oscar for her performance. There are many recognizable Actors throughout the film, including a few cameos from the likes of Willem Dafoe and Brent Spiner. Alan Alda is a standout in the film as a corrupt Senator who holds an inquiry into the wartime financial dealings of Howard Hughes. The film is wondrous, but ultimately poignant if not tragic. Howard Hughes suffered from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and the hell he suffers as a result of his mental illness, which get worse as he gets older, is difficult to watch. DiCaprio researched with people who suffer from this condition and these individuals became valuable consultants for the motion picture so that both patients and Doctors can watch the film and see a degree of authenticity.

The film covers approximately 20 years of Howard Hughes’ life from the 1920s through the late 1940s and in doing so actually gives a sense that even though we don’t see what happened to him in his later years, we come out of the film feeling like we already know. The special effects, costuming, production design, and of course the screed direction are all top shelf. Please be aware that for the pre-depression segment of the film, there is an intentional use of the color blue to a point where there is an early scene between DiCaprio and Blanchett playing golf and the grass is blue. I almost got up to inspect my home theater equipment believing there was something wrong because I did not see “The Aviator” in theaters last fall. After listening to the feature length audio commentary that includes Director Martin Scorsese, Editor Thelma Schoonmaker, and Producer Michael Mann, my fears were put to rest. So don’t try to adjust the color on your TV or fool around with the wiring connections between your DVD player and whatever you use to watch film. Just let it be and enjoy the movie.

I should note that the audio commentary is as interesting as the film itself with insightful thoughts from Martin Scorsese as well as screen specific comments from both Schoonmaker and Mann. The picture quality is terrific with an anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) presentation that simply looks gorgeous on a 16 by 9 display. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack is very well mixed with an atmospheric quality that puts all the channels to good use. There is also a French (Dubbed In Quebec) Dolby Surround Soundtrack as well as English Closed Captions for the hearing impaired and English, French, and Spanish Language Subtitles encoded onto the first dual layered DVD for the feature film presentation exclusively as options. I also want to note that while the film is nearly three hours, it is so engrossing with an excellent pace that before you know it, more than two hours have passed. This also applies to watching the film with the optional audio commentary track enabled too.

The bonus features on the second disc are quite comprehensive. About the only thing the DVD does not include unless somehow I missed it or it is hidden as an Easter egg is the film’s theatrical trailer. There is a letterboxed (2.35:1) deleted scene with Howard Hughes discussing the cost of a human life as it related to a car accident he was in (1:39), a making of featurette (11:33), a look at the role of Howard Hughes in Aviation history (14:40), the History Channel documentary “Modern Marvels: Howard Hughes” (43:34), and featurettes that cover the visual effects (12:01), hair and makeup design (8:08), costuming (3:35), production design (6:00), musical score (7:14), and a profile of the Wainwright family who perform in an early segment of the film during the 1920s Hollywood era (5:07) and of course a CD soundtrack spot (: 18).

There are also extra value features that examine OCD with interviews with people who cope with this disorder as well as psychiatric professionals (14:09), a roundtable discussion on OCD with Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, and Howard Hughes’ Widow Terry Moore (14:43) as well as an evening exhibition with Alan Alda and Leonardo DiCaprio (28:06). A production still gallery wraps up the bonus materials on disc two. The menus on both discs feature animated transitions to standard interactive still frame menus and all are easy to navigate.

“The Aviator” is definitely one of the best films from last fall to be released on DVD this year and it is available now at retailers on and offline in a 2-disc Widescreen Edition set courtesy of Warner Home Video.

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