The Aviator

Paper Summary:

The paper compares and contrasts the actual historical record of Howard Hughes and his life with its depiction in the film, "The Aviator", directed by Martin Scorsese. The paper relates that Howard Hughes became a recluse, and died alone. The paper also describes a part of the film which brings Hughes' early career into focus, while foreshadowing the torment that tortured him in his later life. The paper then points out that, as with most Hollywood dramas, the actual history of Howard Hughes and the story told by the film, become tangled in places, creating judgments on Hughes and aspects of his life that simply may not be true.

From the Paper:

"Little of this early history is covered in the film, and the most glaring omission is that Hughes was married when he first when to Hollywood. Ella plays no part in the early part of the film, and the pair were divorced in 1929, but still this too was something that must have had an affect on Hughes' later years, and just as his initial impetus in making films is ignored in the film, so is some significant personal history. There is also much speculation during this early portion of the film that Hughes' lifelong obsession with germs and cleanliness began due to his mother's influence and own paranoia, but there is little real evidence to back this up, most historians believe it is speculation at best. During his time in Hollywood, he made several motion pictures, "Hell's Angels" was not the first, as the film implies."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Editors. "The Howard Hughes Story." The Howard Hughes Corporation. 2007. 7 Nov. 2007. <http://howardhughes.com>
• Heppenheimer, T. A. A Brief History of Flight: From Balloons to Mach 3 and Beyond. New York: Wiley, 2001.
• Masters, Kim. "'The Aviator' vs. the Real Howard Hughes." NPR.org. 2004. 7 Nov. 2007. < http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4233394>
• Michel, Peter. "Welcome Home Howard." University of Las Vegas. 2005. 7 Nov. 2007. <http://www.library.unlv.edu/hughes/index.html>
• Pavlus, John. "High Life." American Cinematographer. 2005. 7 Nov. 2007.<http://www.theasc.com/magazine/jan05/aviator/page1.html>

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