The Aviator Explained: What’s Up With the Ending?

The Aviator is a 2004 film directed by Hollywood director Martin Scorsese. This work received the highest ratings from both film critics and ordinary viewers. The film won many prestigious film awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Cate Blanchett, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Costumes and Best Screenplay. Leonardo DiCaprio, who played the title role in the film, also received an Oscar nomination, but, alas, he did not receive the coveted award. In addition, the Aviator took three Golden Globe statuettes. As for the payback of the picture, the fees at the global box office amounted to more than two hundred million dollars, which is almost twice as much as the film’s budget itself.

Plot Analysis

The plot of such a great film is built around the figure of a charismatic guy named Howard Hughes. Howard Hughes is a real-life person who was once considered one of the most respected Americans. I must say that Leonardo di Caprio read a lot about this man, admired him and always dreamed of playing him. And now, his dream came true thanks to Martin Scorsese.

Mid 20s – late 40s of the 20th century. Approximately such a period of time covers the film “The Aviator”. The protagonist is a multimillionaire who inherited a factory from his father, which he managed to turn into a super-profitable enterprise. But business interests of Howard Hughes do not end there. He is interested in filmmaking; his films are spectacular and have huge budgets. He’s a multi-millionaire, he can afford it. There is another thing that Howard gives his all to, without a trace – this is aviation. He’s crazy about airplanes; no money, no power can compare with that feeling when you take off in an airplane thousands of meters from the ground, he thinks. The sky for Howard Hughes is a real place of power; only here can he feel truly happy.

Huez decides to turn his favorite business into a business. He buys a prosperous commercial airline and develops new aircraft. With the onset of World War II, Howard receives an order to develop a military reconnaissance aircraft. But the deadlines are being delayed, and the war is already ending, and the plane is not yet ready. The FBI becomes interested in Howard Hughes. He faces many charges, but suddenly it turns out that he has a serious mental illness.

Howard Hughes: Genius or Scum?

From the very first minute of the film, you have mixed feelings about Howard Hughes. He appears before us as a passionate, talented person who, despite any obstacles, is stubbornly moving towards the goal. What is the episode worth when he urgently needed clouds to shoot one of the scenes of the film “Hell’s Angels”. Howard Hughes terrorized the entire film crew, ordering them to immediately find clouds for filming. That’s what dedication to their work and the desire to bring everything to perfection.

But on the other hand, this episode gives a visual representation of Howard as an egocentric, domineering, impatient and aggressive person. In general, there is little good in such a person.

And so it goes throughout the film. Together with Howard’s talents, his charisma and diligence, the director shows what kind of fruit it really is – Howard Hughes, and why he should be feared.

At the end of the film, we are generally shown that the hero is mentally ill, although there are no real facts that the real Howard Hughes suffered from something like that. And in the film, the hero appears as a person with a destructive psyche, unbalanced and inadequate. As the creators of the picture say, a mental defect is needed for a more vivid disclosure of Howard’s personality.

The meaning of the film

The meaning of the film “The Aviator” is in love and devotion to one’s work. Only a passionate person, who devotes himself all the time to his beloved work, will achieve the highest results. An example is Howard Hughes. He passionately loved the sky and airplanes, he devoted himself to this business. As a result, he became one of the most respected and authoritative people in America, thereby giving hope to others. By his example, he shows that one should not be afraid to achieve the goal. We must move forward firmly, even in spite of setbacks and defeats.

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