Following the extraordinary life of billionaire germophobe Howard Hughes, The Aviator is undoubtedly Martin Scorsese's "politest ever picture". It pressed all the right buttons for the Hollywood hierarchy going on to win five out of 11 Oscar nominations. Sadly none of those gongs were for its director or star Leonardo DiCaprio, but discerning moviegoers awarded it with over $100m in ticket sales.

High Flying

In large part the 'making of' featurette A Life Without Limits is an opportunity for cast and crew to slap DiCaprio on the back. This seems fair enough as it was the actor's obsession for the project which fuelled it from that initial spark of inspiration. Meanwhile a brief look at the role of Howard Hughes in aviation history not only pays tribute to his professional achievements, but also highlights the unusual combination of personality traits that intrigued DiCaprio. Screenwriter John Logan sums it up when he says, "He was a man always willing to risk his entire fortune on a dream." For a more detailed portrait of Hughes, the package includes a documentary courtesy of The History Channel.

For DiCaprio, the allure of Hughes was not only his remarkable ambitious drive but also his lifelong battle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. As the star notes in one of two featurettes on OCD, "He wasn't the genius he was without the madness." In a panel discussion Scorsese adds his thoughts along with the science bods who served as consultants on the movie. Interestingly Scorsese relates the disorder to the practice of religious rituals, while DiCaprio admits being late to the set because he developed a fear of walking on cracks in the pavement...

Apparently it wasn't the first time Leo was late to work. In the light-hearted An Evening With Leonardo DiCaprio & Alan Alda, the veteran actor reveals that the star kept him waiting for half an hour prior to their great lunch scene. At first Alda thought DiCaprio was trying to instil him with the anger he needed to play the scene, but Leo sheepishly explains that, actually, he had some trouble getting his moustache to stick that day. Well, you didn't think he grew it himself did you?

Grounded

The technical side of making the movie is comprehensively dealt with in a batch of specialised featurettes. Production designer Dante Ferretti explains that he built a fleet of airplanes to exacting standards while another featurette goes behind-the-scenes with the visual effects team who were assigned to blow them up. There are also makeup and fashion tips for those who want to recreate the glamour of old Hollywood and composer Howard Shore talks about conveying Hughes addled mental state through music.

There's just the one deleted scene, which is actually an extended version of a scene that exists in the final cut. In it, Hughes tells Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale) a rather cynical story about the time he paid off the family of a man he killed in a hit-and-run accident. Since there's no director's commentary, we can only assume it was cut because it showed Hughes in an unsympathetic light.

Thankfully Scorsese is on hand for a feature commentary that also includes interjections by editor Thelma Schoonmaker and producer Michael Mann. What comes across most is Scorsese's intimate knowledge of Hughes. He never gets too technical but Schoonmaker offers a few good production titbits, including the staging of that breathtaking air crash in Beverly Hills. Overall there is limited behind-the-scenes access, but this two-disc release for The Aviator still covers a lot of ground.

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