Howard Hughes was a rich young man from Texas, heir to his father's fortune, when he decided he wanted to make movies. Age 21, he made the most expensive Hollywood film ever (at the time); and went on to break air-speed records, make another fortune in aircraft design, smash Charles Lindbergh's round-the-world flight record, and be romantically linked with almost all of Hollywood's famous beauties. Nevertheless, he died alone, sealed into a room he never left, the victim of compulsions that drove him to greatness, while containing the seeds of his undoing.

Originally produced as an American motion picture in 2004.

Disc 1Young Howard -- "Welcome to Hollywood," 'Hell's Angels' Year one -- 'Hell's Angels' Year two -- 'Hell's Angels' Year three -- "Howard Hughes' $4 million epic" -- "Follow-through is everything in golf, just like life" -- TWA "Tiger by the tail" -- "I'm sure you know Errol" -- Teaching Kate to fly -- H-1 racer, breaking the world speed record -- Letting Kate in -- Around the world in four days -- "Don't worry about it Howard, she's just working the room" -- Visiting the Hepburn estate -- MPAA outlaws mammaries -- Selling the Hercules -- "There's too much Howard Hughes in Howard Hughes" -- Constellation -- "We're too alike, you and I" -- Faith Domergue -- "Kill the story," burying the Hepburn-Tracy scandal -- Ava Gardner -- "Show me all the blueprints, show me all the blueprints" -- XF-11, inaugural flight and crash -- Flowers from Juan Trippe -- Government investigation -- Q-U-A-R-A-N-T-I-N-E -- Germ-free zone -- Brewster Senate hearings -- Flying boat -- "The way of the future, the way of the future" -- End credits (170 min.) -- Feature commentary by director Martin Scorsese, editor Thelma Schoonmaker, and producer Michael Mann [optional audio feature]. Disc 2 Special Features -- Deleted scene: Howard tells Ava about his car accident (2 min.) -- Featurettes: A life without limits : The making of 'The Aviator'; The role of Howard Hughes in aviation history; Modern marvels: Howard Hughes tech, a History Channel documentary; The affliction of Howard Hughes: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; OCD Panel discussion with Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese and Howard Hughes' widow Terry Moore; An evening with Leonardo DiCaprio and Alan Alda; The visual effects of 'The Aviator'; Constructing 'The Aviator': The work of Dante Ferretti; Costuming 'The Aviator': The work of Sandy Powell; The age of glamour: The hair and make-up of 'The Aviator'; Scoring 'The Aviator': The work of Howard Shore; The Wainwright family: Loudon, Rufus and Martha (158 min.) -- 'The Aviator' soundtrack spot (17 sec.) -- Still gallery [slide show] (10 min.).