Synopsis

From 1927 to 1947, Howard Hughes builds a fortune as a film producer, aviation pioneer, and aircraft designer. His daring projects bring record-breaking flights, professional triumphs, and public acclaim, while his increasingly severe obsessive-compulsive disorder threatens his relationships and judgment. As Hughes battles business rivals, government pressure, and his own compulsions, his ambition becomes both his greatest strength and his deepest source of isolation.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was based in part on Charles Higham's 1993 biography Howard Hughes: The Secret Life.

• The project began development in the 1990s. Michael Mann was initially attached to direct, but later remained involved as a producer.

• The changing color palette was designed to echo the film technology of Hughes' era. Early sections imitate two-color processes, while later passages use a more saturated three-strip Technicolor style.

• The color effects were created digitally with specialized lookup tables developed for Technicolor Digital Intermediates, rather than by using the original historical film processes.

• The aerial sequences combined full-size aircraft, large miniatures, green-screen work, and digital effects. The production used a restored Lockheed Constellation in TWA markings for filming.

• The Hollywood Boulevard premiere sequence incorporated colorized news footage with digital enhancements to blend period imagery with newly filmed material.

• At the 77th Academy Awards, The Aviator received 11 nominations and won five Oscars, including awards for cinematography, costume design, film editing, supporting actress, and art direction.