From director – and AFI Life Achievement Award honoree – Martin Scorsese and an all-star cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly and many more, THE AVIATOR (2004) was also edited by AFI Honorary Degree recipient Thelma Schoonmaker and shot by AFI Conservatory Alum Robert Richardson (AFI Class of 1979). Chronicling the storied life of Howard Hughes, the film was recognized in the year of its release with an AFI AWARD, naming it among the most outstanding motion pictures of year. According to the official rationale, “THE AVIATOR soars into the stratosphere of classic American filmmaking. Martin Scorsese not only maintains the incredible standards of his career with this modern epic, but also expands its horizons. As bold and brash as Howard Hughes himself, the film is dazzling beyond words, while the visual splendor of the film carries us back to an era of Hollywood gone by. Leonardo DiCaprio embodies Howard Hughes in one of the year’s most demanding roles, with two character arcs at play as Hughes rises and falls simultaneously.”
Visit the AFI Catalog to learn more about THE AVIATOR.
