Hugo (2011)
US 127m, 3D Colour
Director: Martin Scorsese; Cast: Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ray Winstone, Emily Mortimer, Jude Law
Hugo is a dark and engaging history of early cinema disguised as a fantasy adventure that is based on Brian Selznick’s 2007 novel: The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The film is seen through the eyes of an orphaned boy who lives in the Paris Train Station who spends most of his time evading authorities while attempting to keep the station’s clocks running. In his spare time, he also continues the repair of a broken automaton – a project that holds special meaning to him subsequent to his father’s death. His efforts to secure parts for the repair bring him into contact with the automaton’s creator: Georges Méliès – the then forgotten filmmaker who works in a small shop in the train station. Hugo is a mature historical fantasy with some lighthearted comedic moments which also includes a good number of clips from Méliès original films (presented in 3D), which is a fitting homage to the now celebrated film pioneer’s surviving works (Klaus Ming November 2011).
4 comments on “Hugo (2011)”
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The movie itself runs a bit long at 127 minutes, but Hugo is worth every minute for the visual feast it provides, and features Scorsese in probably his most delightful and elegant mood ever, especially with all of the beautiful 3-D. Good review Klaus.
While I thoroughly enjoyed it, I kept wondering to myself who else is going to like this movie (besides critics and film geeks)??
It seems to be fairly popular. I saw it a couple of days ago, and it was wonderful. The slapstick with the station inspector was perhaps not as funny as it should have been, but then Scorsese’s not a comedy director. Other than that, though, no complaints at all. I was glad that Isabelle had a purpose at the end, too, rather than just being Hugo’s sidekick.
The showing I was at was pretty sparsely attended, but the one after was sold out. But I don’t think Scorsese made this in order to have a hit. He made it because this is his life’s passion (analogous to The Rum Diary for Johnny Depp). Films and film preservation are the hugely important to him, and he wants to convey that to as many people as he can (also analogous to Avatar, a movie driven primarily by Cameron’s concern about the environment).
BTW, I’ve read that when Cameron saw Hugo he said that it was the best use of 3D he’d ever seen, including Avatar.
“The showing I was at was pretty sparsely attended” — I had the same experience, and wondered who this film would appeal to? I’m surprised at how well it has been received. While i’m definitely not a fan of 3D, Scorsese did put it to good use (particularly with clips from Méliès original films).