Amelia Review: A Tribute To Amelia Earhart

Before she was the first aviatrix, she started her life similar to everyone else; she was just a child with a dream. A dream to, someday, leave her hometown in Kansas and explore the wonders of the world. A dream to soar the skies, defy the impossible and live life to the fullest. This was the dream of Amelia Earhart.

The movie “Amelia” depicts the life of Earhart (Hilary Swank) who was the first woman pilot to capture the world’s attention in the 1920’s and 30’s. According her official website (www.ameliaearhart.com) and as mentioned in the movie, her resume of achievements includes being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean which took her 20 hours and 40 minutes (June 17-18, 1928); becoming vice president of public relations for the new airline, New York, Philadelphia and Washington Airways (September 1930); becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean which took her 14 hours and 56 minutes (May 20-21, 1932); she was elected president of a new women’s aviation club she helped to establish, the Ninety Nines (Fall 1932; and she began her flight around the world June 1, 1937, which was not completed and her plane was lost at sea.

Her incomplete list of accomplishments mentioned above is, what I believe to be, a small portion of Earhart’s aviation career. Not only did she break several aeronautical barriers, she was an inspiration to women as well as those affected by the Great Depression. Despite her international fame and all the “hooey,” she managed to remain humble and showed much concern for those working families who were struggling at the time.

Throughout the movie, actual footage of the real Earhart’s triumphs can be seen with smooth transitions into the current picture featuring Swank. The scenery, outfits and even the planes that were used during the film complimented the footage taped in the 1920’s. It was very refreshing to watch a film without violence, coarse language and sex scenes. While Earhart had intimate relationships with her publicist (and future husband) George Putnam (Richard Gere) and Gene Vidal (Ewen McGregor), the movie, surprisingly, did not focus solely on them, as I would expect any Hollywood film to. To me, the concentration of the film was more of a tribute to the independent and courageous life Earhart lead.

Earhart has been an inspiration to many people over the years. With this film, she can continue to motivate and encourage men and women to follow those childhood dreams, defy the impossible and live life to the fullest.

Rating: A

Review By: Kimberly Gallagher