today I saw the aviator on a bus ride. on mute because it was dubbed to spanish so I just watched, and it's just brilliant.
It is brilliant, you know you're in the hands of a master when Hughes is out of his comfort zone on the red carpet, but you realise that throughout that whole scene, you yourself have subconsciously leaned further and further back, with a cringe and squinty eyes mirrored on your face just as Hughes with every blinding flash (Richardson's "shining bright lights into actors faces" syndrome is only redeemable here). In fact I don't know about everyone else but in every neurotic OCD moment in the film, I found myself subconsciously cringing, as if I felt his discomfort, it's a rare thing but I tip my hat to Scorsese, what a master.
Just as the use of 36 fps whenever Jake is overanalysing situations in Raging Bull, obsessing over little situations far more than what it actually is. Or even PDL the score is Barry's inner demons and delights, everything from the cinematography (camera movement, lighting etc.) to the music is reflective upon how Barry feels at that given moment, so it's essentially the purest kind of character study as the film is almost first-person from an emotional standpoint.
These character studies are captured through the emotional looking glass of the character, The Aviator is the same. The film begins with a 3 strip-technicolor look, we're in the mindset of Hughes' current obsession "Hells Angels", he sees the world around him being an extension of his film, he attends parties not to enjoy himself but to find more cameras for his film etc. And then of course we foray into more normal visuals when his obsession with furthering the staple of aviation takes precedence.
I feel that The Aviator is one of his best, and perhaps Dicaps best role along with Catch Me If You Can.
That said TWOWS looks very formulaic to what "sells" today, I hope I'm just jumping to false conclusions and there really is more than meets the eye here. I don't share the Scorsese disappointment of latter years with other veterans on this board, I actually really like Shutter Island aswell, sure some would say you could see the twist from a mile away, but it has an atmosphere that's almost perfectly crafted, and the visuals are the best in Scorsese's oeuvre.
All in all, I don't like this trailer at all, but i hope I'm being a grouch and it turns out great.
