Aviator, The (DVD)

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Regardless of the fact that "The Aviator" may not be Scorsese's best work, it is unquestionably a creative piece of moviemaking. It is not the director's best because it never rises to a high enough level of intimacy with its subject to allow that; but its never-ending stream of visual delights and its outstanding instances of individual acting help to pull its segmented configuration together sufficiently to attract and keep one's attention. Like it or hate it, there's no denying its various passages are well crafted. Whether they hold together for their entirety is a matter of individual reaction. I went away satisfied that I'd remember quite a few moments from the movie for a very long time.

Video:
The picture has been transferred to disc in good form. The screen size measures out to its 2.40:1 theatrical-release ratio, and the image is enhanced for 16x9 televisions and reproduced at a relatively high bit rate. The result is that colors are very deep and very rich. Yet there is also a degree of oversaturation about them, producing hues that are a tad too dark and too bright some of the time, especially manifest in facial tones, which can tend toward the pinkish and orangish end of the spectrum. Note, however, that Scorsese says he purposely wanted parts of the early years of the story to look like they were filmed in two-strip Technicolor and later in more vivid three-strip Technicolor. So the color will vary somewhat. Anyway, object delineation is only average, but grain, moiré effects, pixilation, and haloing are close to nonexistent.

Audio:
Like the video quality, the DVD's audio is good without being in the top of its class. The front-channel stereo spread is exemplary, but the surround channels are used primarily for musical ambiance enhancement. The bass and dynamic impact are also strong, without being overpowering. Actually, this might have been calculated--to the give the film an old-timey feel without actually sounding old-timey. But the fact is, there isn't as much use of the rear speakers for directional effects as one might expect from a modern epic, and the sonics might disappoint some audiophile listeners. Frankly, though, I didn't miss a thing and thought the sound matched the goings on more than well enough. The film isn't meant to be a sonic blockbuster or an action adventure, after all.

Extras:
Disc one of this two-disc edition includes the widescreen presentation of the film; English and French spoken languages; English, French, and Spanish subtitles; thirty-two scene selections; and an audio commentary. Contrary to the announcement on the set's keep case, which says the commentary is by director Martin Scorsese alone, the commentary is actually by Scorsese, film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, and producer Michael Mann. Somehow, the editor and the producer were left out of the credit, but I assure you they're in here. However, the trio is not together. They appear to have recorded their comments separately because there is no interaction among them. Scorsese gets the bulk of the air time, though, and like the other two he uses it to advantage, providing a wealth of background information and research. Apparently, Scorsese was himself obsessed, in his case with getting the look of the film right--the color scheme for the various decades, the clothing, the sets. There are sometimes long pauses between comments by the three participants, but when they do speak, it's unusually substantive. Mann, by the way, was originally slated to direct the film but bowed out because he didn't want to do yet another biography, opting to co-produce instead. It's unusual, therefore, to have two such prominent directors commenting on the same movie. Good stuff.

If there's any problem with the second disc, it's trying to get at all the materials it contains. Rather than a single menu listing everything on the disc, there are five separate menu screens that can only be accessed one after the other. Thus, if you want to go directly to something you know from memory is on the third menu screen, you have to click on and wait through the first two screens before getting there. It's a bit of an unnecessary nuisance.

So, here is a rundown on what's available on disc two, and it is plenty. First, there's a brief, minute-and-a-half deleted scene, "Howard Tells Ava About His Car Accident." It's not much, but it's in widescreen. There follows a series of featurettes and documentaries. The first of these is "A Life Without Limits: The Making of The Aviator." It's eleven minutes long, wherein the filmmakers talk up the picture during and after its production. Second is "The Role of Howard Hughes in Aviation History," fourteen minutes, mostly self explanatory but highlighting Hughes's accomplishments in aircraft design and flight, with shots from the film and from vintage footage. Third is a History Channel documentary, "Modern Marvels: Howard Hughes," forty-three minutes long and typical of the History Channel's presentations, repeating some of the things in the previous featurette. Fourth is "The Affliction of Howard Hughes: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder," fourteen minutes of explanation on OCD, highlighting Hughes's phobias and compulsions. The fifth featurette is a fourteen-minute panel discussion of OCD with Leonardo DiCaprio; Martin Scorsese; Howard Hughes's widow, actress and author Terry Moore; and Doctors Peter Whybrow and Jeffrey Schwartz. Sixth is a twenty-eight minute featurette, "An Evening With Leonardo DiCaprio and Alan Alda," moderated by David Schwartz. Seventh is "The Visual Effects of The Aviator," twelve minutes with Robert Legato, the film's visual effects supervisor and its second-unit director. Eighth is a featurette called "Constructing The Aviator: The Work of Dante Ferretti," six minutes with the celebrated art designer. Ninth is "Costuming The Aviator: The Work of Sandy Powell," three minutes. Tenth is "The Age of Glamour: The Hair and Makeup of The Aviator," eight minutes with Morag Ross, the film's chief makeup artist. Eleventh is "Scoring The Aviator: The Work of Howard Shore," seven minutes examining the film's music with its composer. Twelfth is a five-minute segment with "The Wainwright Family--Loudon, Rufus, and Martha," musicians who participated in the Coconut Grove sequence. Finally, there is a soundtrack album spot and a stills gallery to round things off.

The two discs are housed in a slim-line keep case, but no chapter insert or informational booklet comes with the set. Consequently, you are on your own with scenes and extras, a shame since there are so many of them.

Parting Thoughts:
"The Aviator" is a good film without being a great film. At nearly three hours, it's a big, sprawling picture that tries to cover too much ground in too many small slices to add up to a very well-focused whole. And I'm not convinced that Leonardo DiCaprio was the man with adequate screen presence to hold our attention that long. Yet, that said, there is enough spectacle and interest in the individual episodes, enough good acting in the supporting roles, and enough absorbing history throughout to keep one's attention for the better part of the time. Like "Gangs of New York," this newer picture by the director is a middle-echelon Scorsese effort, not in the class of "Goodfellas" or "Raging Bull" but rewarding on its own terms, nonetheless.

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