AMELIA
2009
NEW BLU-RAY / DVD
Hilary Swank
Richard Gere
Ewan McGregor
Directed by Mira Nair
Rated PG-13
111 minutes
Fox Searchlight Pictures
George Putnam: Come back to me.
Amelia Earhart: Always.
Hilary Swank doesn’t have freckles.
I make this point up front because when you see the film you will assume, as I did, that she does. It is an example of how extraordinary the production values of this film are.
In lesser hands this would have become a ‘GCI’ extravaganza, but what you see is what they shot.
The planes were both manufactured and flown or, in the case of the Electra, found and restored and flown across Africa which stands in for most of the locations of the film.
But Hilary Swank is the shining moment of the film. She ‘became’ Amelia Earhart. By that I mean she transcended acting to channel the lady herself and, from the absolutely impeccable resemblance to the crisp almost Katherine Hepburn manner of speech, she embodied Earhart in a way I have not seen perhaps ever before.
Compare the woman you’ve been watching for over an hour and a half to the lady in the newsreel footage in the end and you’ll understand better what I mean.
The aircraft photography is so spectacular it can take you out of the film. The Electra, made in Burbank California by Lockheed, was restored to the shiny brilliance of a newly manufactured airplane; and if there is an aircraft aficionado in the family, they will go ape over that part.
The story is beautiful and the inspiring life that made it a beacon for so many generations of women is well displayed. Many things and speculations are ignored as probably should be the case.
But, on the extras section, entire storylines are to be found including the facts of her becoming entangled with a married man whom Earhart later married and then the affair she had with the father of Gore Vidal.
A passing reference is made in the film as to the nature of her sexuality but it does little to satisfy rumors on either side of the debate.
It does demonstrate the constraints placed on women of the day and how much her status had to do with breaking boundaries for generations yet to come.
I got the DVD and the Blu-ray to satisfy my curiosity as to how much better the Blu-ray would be and the quality is there I must admit. The scenic shots are perhaps the best example of the superiority…not that the DVD is not beautiful, but the hi-def does add to this experience.
Here is a film to share with the young girls in the family but perhaps the ‘extras’ should be saved for another day.
Click on the title for the trailer of Amelia
You may respond to Dave below or email him at dhager@boomer-living.com.
Tags: amelia, ewan mcgregor, hilary swank, mira nair, richard gere
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