Amelia, directed by Mira Nair, has flown into movie theatres in Austin and around the country. Hilary Swank plays Amelia Earhart with Richard Gere as her husband, George Putnam. We see again that true stories are often more fascinating than fiction. Amelia Earhart’s story has continued to captivate attention and imagination.

The trailer reveals soaring cinematography and engaging music.  However, the cinematic beauty of the film is what many notable reviewers are describing as the movie’s best asset. Beyond the cinematography, The New York Times describes it as a dull production,  Entertainment Weekly also gives it low ratings because it doesn’t explore below surface facts.

What may be needed is more of an autobiographical  than biographical approach. The Washington Post says the movie doesn’t probe deeper than what is generally already known about Earhart. Viewers can remain fascinated by the retelling of true film stories, but audiences generally want to learn something new or see the characters in the story from fresh perspectives.

I have studied autobiographical storytelling in my doctoral performance studies program at UT Austin and have continued research and programing in this field for many years. I have provided evidence of the power and impact of role modeling positive, internal character qualites for those who observe and choose to identify with the models' internal drives. In autobiographical stories of role models, the power comes from the subjective story beneath the external issues. The personal  power and subjective impact of autobiographical role models is significant even in movie-going.

For those who don’t already know much about Earhart, this movie may still be inspiring. The charm of Swank and Gere, the music, and the cinematography may fly viewers the highest. 

See Dr. Diane Howard's other film reviews, recommendations and publications.