Flying first class with 'Amelia'
Hilary Swank and Richard Gere as pioneers in flight and public relations.
(Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Amelia
Running time: 111 minutes
MPAA rating: PG (profanity, mild adult situations, thematic elements, smoking)
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"Who wants a life imprisoned in safety," cavalier aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart says in the soaring historical adventure "Amelia."
Luckily for director Mira Nair ("Vanity Fair," "Salaam Bombay!"), Academy Award winner Hilary Swank is in the pilot seat as the fearless, free-thinking aviatrix.
Filmmakers forging screen biographies that end in tragedy, whether they profile ill-fated singers Buddy Holly, Patsy Cline or politicians John or Robert Kennedy, know the appeal must be in the journey, not the conclusion.
For the most part, "Amelia" navigates that tricky plot territory well. Drawing on a couple of Earhart biographies (Susan Butler's "East to the Dawn" and Mary Lovell's "The Sound of Wings"), able screenwriters Ron Bass (an Oscar-winner for "Rain Man") and Anna Hamilton Phelan ("Gorillas in the Mist") hone in on 10 key years in the unbridled adventurer's life.
Many who take their seats for "Amelia" will already know, of course, that Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic (as a disgruntled passenger) in 1928. Who doesn't know that the daring aviatrix perished in the summer of 1937 trying to become the first woman to fly around the world.
What you might not know, however, is the freedom-at-all-costs woman who had three great loves in her life. If "Amelia" unveils the true Earhart, husband George Putnam (Richard Gere) and lover Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor) both had to line up behind Earhart's sense of freedom and adventure.
This is the Amelia Earhart that Swank reveals so well in layers. That's nothing new for the actress known for diving far enough into her characters to reveal the intimacies of a stranger's soul.
Twice Swank has walked away from the Academy Awards ceremony with a Best Actress golden statuette in hand for doing just that; as Brandon Teena in "Boys Don't Dry" (1999) and as a determined boxer in Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" (2005).
She could very well put herself in the Oscar race again as this woman of tremendous spunk and courage, but also one who's a little goofy at times and foolishly in love with humanity.
Gere, toned down a little by Nair, is a good choice to portray Earhart's dream weaver. Putnam, a pioneer himself, can be thanked -- if you're so inclined -- for navigating uncharted promotional and public relation waters.
Amelia was the daring one flying the plane. But it was Putnam who came up with clever product endorsements and speaking tours to finance his wife's itch to explore above the clouds.
McGregor seemed oddly cast as "the other man" to me at first. Thankfully, the Scottish actor of the "Star Wars" prequels and "Trainspotting" fame dispelled any concern by diving into his character as well.
If there's any disappointment in this lavish production, it's the unavoidable letdown when fate and history step in to spoil the party.
Luckily for director Mira Nair ("Vanity Fair," "Salaam Bombay!"), Academy Award winner Hilary Swank is in the pilot seat as the fearless, free-thinking aviatrix.
Filmmakers forging screen biographies that end in tragedy, whether they profile ill-fated singers Buddy Holly, Patsy Cline or politicians John or Robert Kennedy, know the appeal must be in the journey, not the conclusion.
For the most part, "Amelia" navigates that tricky plot territory well. Drawing on a couple of Earhart biographies (Susan Butler's "East to the Dawn" and Mary Lovell's "The Sound of Wings"), able screenwriters Ron Bass (an Oscar-winner for "Rain Man") and Anna Hamilton Phelan ("Gorillas in the Mist") hone in on 10 key years in the unbridled adventurer's life.
Many who take their seats for "Amelia" will already know, of course, that Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic (as a disgruntled passenger) in 1928. Who doesn't know that the daring aviatrix perished in the summer of 1937 trying to become the first woman to fly around the world.
What you might not know, however, is the freedom-at-all-costs woman who had three great loves in her life. If "Amelia" unveils the true Earhart, husband George Putnam (Richard Gere) and lover Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor) both had to line up behind Earhart's sense of freedom and adventure.
This is the Amelia Earhart that Swank reveals so well in layers. That's nothing new for the actress known for diving far enough into her characters to reveal the intimacies of a stranger's soul.
Twice Swank has walked away from the Academy Awards ceremony with a Best Actress golden statuette in hand for doing just that; as Brandon Teena in "Boys Don't Dry" (1999) and as a determined boxer in Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" (2005).
She could very well put herself in the Oscar race again as this woman of tremendous spunk and courage, but also one who's a little goofy at times and foolishly in love with humanity.
Gere, toned down a little by Nair, is a good choice to portray Earhart's dream weaver. Putnam, a pioneer himself, can be thanked -- if you're so inclined -- for navigating uncharted promotional and public relation waters.
Amelia was the daring one flying the plane. But it was Putnam who came up with clever product endorsements and speaking tours to finance his wife's itch to explore above the clouds.
McGregor seemed oddly cast as "the other man" to me at first. Thankfully, the Scottish actor of the "Star Wars" prequels and "Trainspotting" fame dispelled any concern by diving into his character as well.
If there's any disappointment in this lavish production, it's the unavoidable letdown when fate and history step in to spoil the party.
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