Part II: Historical and Socio-Cultural Context

Being that he already directed two biographical films prior to The Aviator, Michael Mann decided against directing this film and instead gave the helm to Martin Scorsese. This film curiously didn't win Best Picture during the 2005 Academy Awards, despite being nominated for the most Oscars (11), earning the most amount of Oscars (5), and winning Best Picture at the Producer's Guild Awards.

This film has also been credited to have portrayed OCD very accurately by doctors. OCD, or obsessive compulsive disorder, during the time period being shown in the movie had not been diagnosed and many considered Howard Hughes crazy. This film contributes to American film because The Aviator was essentially the first film to depict Howard Hughes, the first definitive American billionaire. There had been failed attempts to portray Howard Hughes including planned films with Johnny Depp and Edward Norton as Howard Hughes. Many previous attempts were unsuccessful largely due to the large production budget required. Being the first successful film on Howard Hughes, there wwas naturally immense pressure for Martin Scorsese and the producers to create a quality film. There had to be a lot f budget and support for this film to actually become reality. This film was also the first to have a received an Oscar for an actress portraying a real life Oscar winner.

The intended audience is without a doubt the many who have been waiting for a film depicting the life of Howard Hughes. Not only was this film geared towards audiences that enjoy bio pics, this bio pic was especially different because it is essentially the first to portray the life of the first American billionaire.