The Aviator

"I am by nature a perfectionist, and I seem to have trouble allowing anything to go through in a half-perfect condition. So if I made any mistake it was in working too hard and in doing too much of it with my own hands."
-- Howard Hughes describing his way of working and the mistakes made in building the "Spruce Goose."

A few hours ago I just happened to sit by and watched "The Aviator". The film, casted by Leonardo di Caprio, Cate Blanchette and Kate Beckinsale to name a few, was a short biography of Howard Hughes, who happened to be a director and as well as an aviation fanatic before World War II. I was kinda reluctant with the movie and would like to say "Is that a new character?" in the movie industry. But pretty well that the movie flowed it showed that he's a legend that most must eye him for his success and failures in life.

Let me chew a bit. I was amazed about his interest in aviation. He even made a movie that made it in Hollywood box office. The movie entitled "Hell's Angels" was definitely a classic. But I ever question myself where did he get the money in shooting such film. Numerous planes was involved. And sure Howard Hughes was that demanding. He went to the mayor at a certain party and did a conversation somewhat like this ....

Howard: Mr. Mayor.
Mayor: Yes.
Howard: Remember me? Howard Hughes. Hell's Angels.
Mayor: Oh yeah! What c an I do for you?
Howard: I need cameras for my film. Two to be exact.
Mayor: And how many cameras do you have now?
Howard: 26

He has that much wealth but he demands for more. And not just that. He's somewhat "ultra cleanliness-conscious". A man without vice which contradicts his end (He was thought to be a codeine user at the last chapter of his life). Geez, if only at that time I was really there with him, I could have met Katherine Hepburn and Ava Gardner. I couldn't imagine a person totally out of his mind when he sees dirt or sees something which he finds disgusting or merely not clean.

What I'm really interested was his amazement for aviation. I can't really imagine that he would waste out his money for such gizmos that was not yet "cost-wise". I, Johnard, Mark and Jemer (he came at the last 10 minutes of the film) was really anxious to know how he came up with such planes and well with the money of course. Thanks to http://www.google.com for the tip.

I never saw that he had a Nobel price award (well I'm lazy to search in google! hehehe), but for me he's an icon in aviation, and even in the entertainment industry. As Donald L. Bartlett and James B. Steele summarizes on Empire: the Life, Legend and Madness of Howard Hughes, a typical Hughes's movie's "rich in entertainment, low on philosophy and message, packed with sex and action."

Oh well, I can't relate all here (it was the first time that I encountered this one), but actually we're planning to find the Hell's Angels movie and better watch it and see if it was really a legendary classic.