The Aviator (1985 film)
| The Aviator | |
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 Movie poster |
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| Directed by | George T. Miller |
| Produced by | Thomas H. Brodek Mace Neufeld |
| Written by | Marc Norman (screenplay) Ernest K. Gann (book) |
| Starring | Christopher Reeve Rosanna Arquette Jack Warden Sam Wanamaker Marcia Strassman Tyne Daly |
| Music by | Dominic Frontiere |
| Cinematography | David Connell |
| Editing by | Duane Hartzell |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | March 1, 1985 |
| Running time | 98 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1,304,192 [1] |
The Aviator (1985) is an American adventure film directed by George T. Miller. The story of the film was adapted by Marc Norman from the book The Aviator written by Ernest K. Gann. The film stars Rosanna Arquette as Tillie Hansen, the teenage daughter of a wealthy banker, and Christopher Reeve as Edgar Anscombe, a pilot in the US Air Mail Service.
Though set in the northwestern United States, the movie was actually filmed in Slovenia near Kranjska Gora, which was then part of Yugoslavia.
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[edit] Plot
The film begins in 1918, at a US Army Air Corps flying school where Edgar (Christopher Reeve) is a flight instructor giving a young pilot landing instruction. During one of the landing attempts, the plane crashes and the young pilot is killed, though Edgar survives.
Ten years pass, and Edgar has become a Contract Air Mail pilot flying the rugged CAM-5 route between Elko, Nevada and Pasco, Washington, with a stopover in Boise, Idaho. When asked to take a passenger, Edgar reluctantly agrees, revealing that the last time he had a passenger in his plane, it was the doomed trainee from the opening sequence.
Tillie Hansen (Rosanna Arquette) is outspoken and rebellious. She makes it clear that she does not want to go to her aunt's house, but her father demands it. He uses his influence as banker for the airline to secure passage for Tillie on Edgar's flight. Tillie annoys Edgar with her questions, and he acts coldly towards her.
During the stopover at Boise, a mechanic changes the oil in the engine, but neglects to tighten a hose. The tension between Edgar and Tillie continues to escalate, and when the flight resumes, Edgar decides to take a shortcut over the mountains, deviating from the normal route. However, the engine loses oil pressure and soon fails causing Edgar to crash land the plane on a remote ridge.
The tensions between Tillie and Edgar continue to escalate with Tillie blaming Edgar for stranding them, and Edgar calling Tillie a jinx. During the night, Tillie accidentally blows up the remains of the plane with a cigarette. Afterwards, Edgar's anger subsides as he seems to accept the hopelessness of their situation.
The next day, Edgar goes out hunting, and manages to shoot a rabbit with his pistol. However, while returning to camp he is attacked by a pack of wolves, who steal the rabbit, and badly wound his arm. Tillie manages to sew the wound shut and bandages Edgar's arm. Faced with the continued threat of the wolves, and since the remains of the plane have been destroyed, Edgar and Tillie decide to climb down the cliff to the canyon below.
During their descent, a search plane flies overhead. Edgar and Tillie jump on a ledge to try to signal the plane, but Tillie falls and breaks her leg. The two are forced to spend the night on the cliff face, and their mutual affection develops. The next day Edgar carries Tillie to the canyon floor, where he makes a travois to haul her.
When Tillie spots some telephone lines, Edgar heads off to investigate, leaving Tillie his revolver. Meanwhile, one of the search pilots has determined the location of the crash, and flies toward the crash site. As Edgar returns to the clearing where he has left Tillie, he is again attacked by a wolf, within sight of Tillie. The rescue plane flies overhead and spots Edgar being attacked by the wolf, but is powerless to do anything. Tillie manages to crawl out of her travois and shoots the wolf, saving Edgar's life. They are rescued and brought back to civilization, and the film ends with hints of a romantic relationship.
[edit] Cast
- Christopher Reeve as Edgar Anscombe
- Rosanna Arquette as Tillie Hansen
- Jack Warden as Moravia
- Sam Wanamaker as Bruno Hansen
- Scott Wilson as Jerry Stiller
- Tyne Daly as Evelyn Stiller
- Marcia Strassman as Rose Stiller
- Will Hare as Old Man
- Robert Pierce as Student Pilot
- Glenn Neufeld as George Hansen
- Frano Lasić as Daniel Hansen
- Ron Travis as Probosky
- Jeff Harding as Carson
- Paul Reid Roman as Counterman
- Paul Lichtman as Customer
[edit] See also
- Airmails of the United States describes the Contract Air Mail service and specifically the CAM-5 route which provides the setting for the film.
[edit] External links
- The Aviator at the Internet Movie Database
- The Aviator at AllRovi
- The Aviator (1985 film) at the TCM Movie Database
[edit] References
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