Amelia Earhart has remained a mythical figure in America because there never was a real sense of closure to her life. We presume her death but her plane, and the body of her and her co-pilot, was never found. So in a way she never really left the public conscience because despite the grieving there never was a sense of finality to it all. So her life still is riveting and the subject of movies and documentaries.
While the Hilary Swank starring Amelia was dead on arrival, it would seem more appropriate that her life be covered as a documentary then a film. Thus, the release 14 years after the fact of the Biography channel’s documentary Amelia Earhart: Queen of the Air.
A brief, hour long look at her life, the documentary itself is a cursory look at her life and times. Mainly a puff piece, vaguely touching on some of the character flaws and uniquely human qualities of Earhart, it’s a brief look at her life highlighting all the good points and minimizing (or flat out not discussing) the less then savory aspects of her life.
It is 50 minutes, after all, and the disappointing aspect is how little is actually covered about her life. This is a brief glance over her life, a primer and introduction but by no means the sort of in-depth piece her life warrants and deserves.
Presented in a full screen format, the DVD has a good transfer. Using mainly archival footage that remains of Amelia, as well as archival interviews, there are some issues with how it looks. The sound is good, but this is a product not designed to push, or even moderately engage, a decent to good sound system.
None.
If you’re looking for a brief introductory piece to Amelia Earhart, this is a nice start but is by no means anywhere near as good or as complete as it could be.
A&E Home Video presents Amelia Earhart: Queen of the Air. Running time: 50 minutes. Not Rated. Released on DVD: February 2, 2010. Available at Amazon.
