SPREAD YOUR WINGS - "AMELIA"

As you all know by now, I have a soft spot for a true story. I also, you may have noticed, bend over backwards most of the time not to give “spoilers”. This is basically because I personally absolutely HATE spoilers. There is no point, I find, in watching a film if one knows the end, 90% of the time anyway. But then again, what do you do about true stories? Especially, if you’re talking about an historical event. I mean, if you’re watching a WW2 film, you’re basically screwed : no prizes for guessing what happened at the end of that one!! So there are exceptions to the rule. Especially, in the case of “Amelia”. The story of Amelia Earheart – first woman to cross the Atlantic solo by air.
But of course, some of you may never have heard of her – which is understandable. So let’s learn a bit more about her. Amelia Earheart (Hilary Swank in the film) was originally from Kansas. She was extremely interested in flying from a very young age – which was not considered the “done” thing in the early 30’s. That didn’t stop her from going as far as learning how to fly a plane though. Nor did it stop her from replying to an advertisement searching for a woman to participate in an attempt to cross the Atlantic by air. She is extremely excited but John Putnam, (Richard Gere in the film) the promoter of the event, very quickly brings her down to earth. She is to be no more than a passenger and a pretty face. This doesn’t stop her from attempting a solo flight (where she actually flies the plane) a few years later. Having seen her spirit and obstinacy, no one stands in her way – least of all John Putnam who is now her husband. Her success as an aviator makes her a celebrity in all the senses of the word. She has her own brands, all the fame she could want and a short affair with the dashing young entrepreneur Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor in the film). But all that never eclipses the two great loves of her life: John Putnam and flight.
Now, you may or may not know how Amelia’s story ends. Personally, I did. But that did not for a minute stop me from loving every moment of the film. And another small surprise for me was a short appearance from Christopher Ecclestone who I grew especially fond of as a fan of Dr Who (and admit it – he has to be one of the best Dr Whos, right?). Now, you read the cast. No prizes for guessing that the acting is absolutely faultless. I was yet again reminded of the talents of Richard Gere – and I haven’t seen him around in quite a while but I guess that’s my doing not his 
The story you may find slightly Hollywoody – and it is a VERY Hollywood film but the thing is, it’s absolutely true. She herself was larger than life, their love with John Putnam (J.P. as she lovingly called him) was larger than life and the adventures her love of flying brought her were definitely much larger than life… In fact, you may find yourself having to remind yourself that all this actually happened but it did. In the end, however, as it’s usually the case with larger than life events and people, you will find you are swept away by it completely… It is not a “work of art” but I definitely do NOT regret watching it. And if you don’t know the story of Amelia – DEFINITELY watch it. Or at least research Amelia Earheart on the internet. 20th century true adventure stories are few and far between and I would NOT want you to miss this one!