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==Introduction==
One of the most important movies of 2004 was The Aviator. It was directed by perhaps the leading directors director of the modern era Martin Scorsese and scripted by serial academy award nominee John Logan. It is a historical epic that focused on a key period in the life of Howard Hughes one of the most famous and arguably important men of the twentieth century. Scorsese’s movie focuses on the rise of Howard Hughes and his impact on Hollywood, aviation, and indeed America, over a twenty-year period from the 1920s to the 1940s. The motion picture starred Leonardo di Caprio as Howard Hughes, Cate Blanchet as the acclaimed actress Katherine Hepburn and Kate Beckinsdale played the screen star Ava Gardiner. The supporting cast featured a number of high-profile actors who would typically have expected to headline a movie. The Aviator, which was released on Christmas Day was a box-office smash and the critics generally praised it. The movie received eleven nominations at the Academy Awards and won seven in 2005. There was much discussion at the time regarding the accuracy of the biopic and if the portrayal of Hughes and his life was realistic. Below is a discussion of the accuracy of the movie.
[[File: Howard Hughes Three.jpg |200px|thumb|left| The Aviator Movie Poster]]
==Howard Hughes Character==
The movie perfectly captures the early life of Howard Hughes. He was indeed the rather spoilt child of a very wealthy family in Texas. The young boy was fascinated by all things technical and this he probably inherited from his father, Howard Hughes Senior. He had invented a drill for the oil industry and had founded the Hughes Tool Company, which was extremely profitable <ref> Barlett, Donald L., and James B. Steele. Howard Hughes: His Life & Madness (New York, WW Norton & Company, 2004, p 14</ref>). Howard became very wealthy at the age of 19, because he inherited the majority of Hughes Tools, which was based in Houston, Texas. This allowed him to follow his passions and he had many of these. The wealth of the Texan is captured very well in the movie and it did allow him to live a lavish lifestyle and to fund his many projects. The movie portrays Hughes as a playboy in the roaring 1920s and 1930s and indeed this was the case. Scorsese in his movie manages to capture the drive and the sheer brilliance of Hughes. He was never idle and always had multiple projects on the go.
