THE AVIATOR SOARS TO OSCAR HEIGHTS

If "The Aviator" does not earn at least four major Academy Awards, there is something wrong with the system. Hmm, that's an idiotic statement because there is something wrong with a "system" that has never rewarded Martin Scorsese with an Oscar in the past. That never gave the golden statue to Cary Grant or Peter O'Toole to mention just a few of the obvious oversights.

Martin Scorsese has directed an instant classic with this amazing semi-biography of one of the most famous recluses of all time, Howard Hughes. His direction of the actors, and his choice of cinematographer as well as his impeccable use of tremendous period music makes Scorsese as instant Oscar favorite.

Leonardo DiCaprio, who has been superb in a number of films, including "A Boy's Life", "Basketball Diaries" and the big boat movie, has never been better as an actor. His portrayal of Hughes gives us a glimpse into the soul of a genius who battled insecurity and obsessive compulsive behavior for most of his life. DiCaprio controls his acting with subtle hints instead of wild histrionics. He deserves the Oscar without a doubt.

Cate Blanchett has proven herself to be one of the best actresses through a number of performances. She portrays the screen legend, Katherine Hepburn, with such perfection that at times my mind thought it was the "older" Kate on the screen. Another Oscar winner.

Finally, the movie itself should win the "Best Picture" award because it is a perfect blend of powerful storytelling, tremendous acting, and incredible attention to detail.

THE PLOT

Unless you've just escaped from watching re-runs of Hee-Haw for the last year, you should know that "The Aviator" is about the earlier, more productive years of Howard Hughes. The film opens with a scene from Howard's childhood which gives us a reason for some of his more pronounced phobias. His mother fills his head with some strange thoughts about germs.

We flash forward to Howard's making of the movie, "Hell's Angels" starring newcomer Jean Harlow. Scorsese's re-creation of that film production shows both the genius and the impending sanity of Hughes. The movie was about WWI airplane dogfights and cost over four million dollars to make, an unheard of figure in the 1920's.

From the movie industry, we move to Hughes' true lifetime passion, aviation. I'm not going to spoil the film but Scorsese and DiCaprio present a truly gifted man who designed, built and flew planes which were far ahead of their time. His obsession with the perfection of these planes almost destroyed his immense fortune. His insistence on flying some of the test planes almost cost Hughes his life. Scorsese's presentation of Hughes' two plane crashes is remarkable.

Between his passion for aviation and his expensive habit of making movies, we are shown two or three of Mr. Hughes better known love affairs. As I mentioned earlier, the first is with Hepburn. DeCaprio and Blanchett have the chemistry to pull off this strange romantic duo who as Kate points out "are different than other people." Their romance is shown much in the way a romance was portrayed in the 30's without nudity but with plenty of passion.

Hughes is shown with the bombshell Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale) with whom he had a love-hate relationship in their stormy years together. And we also see Hughes with a fifteen year old with whom he somehow has a relationship with without getting arrested.

A large part of the film is devoted to Hughes' fight with Pan Am's CEO, Juan Tripp (Alec Baldwin) and Tripp's bought congressman, Senator Owen Brewster (Alan Alda). While Baldwin is excellent as the ruthless competitor, I really enjoyed Alda's performance which is highlighted in a 1947 congressional investigation of Hughes by the senator's committee.

THE MUSIC

There were so many excellent elements in the film from cinematography to set design and costumes, the music really floored me. At 58, I wasn't around to hear the Swing era music but both of my parents were jazz and swing fans and I heard the music in the 50's. Throughout the movie, we hear classics from Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw and other music greats.

FILM HISTORY

Scorsese manages to show us some film history as Hughes explains to one of his employees that "talkies" are the wave of the cinematic future while showing him scenes from Al Jolson's "The Jazz Singer." Martin also zings the incredibly stupid censorship system of the 30's and 40's (and later, for that matter), in Hughes' fight to show more of Jane Russell's mammaries in "The Outlaw."

In short, this movie has just about everything a great film should have. There are a number of comic moments. There is amazing action. Romance. Great acting. And, ultimately, tragedy. However, although I felt for the real Howard Hughes, I also had to admire his genius, his tenacity and his willingness to fight against political injustice.

FIVE STARS IS NOT REALLY ENOUGH FOR THIS MASTERPIECE.