Martin Scorsese's journey through cinema's long forgotten history is a joy to watch, and uses 3D to stunning visual effect...
Hugo, Martin Scorsese's first foray into the world of family entertainment, is a film about passion. On the surface, it has seemed strange for a director like Scorsese, most famous for his efforts in the gangster and crime genres, to be working now with children in what can only be classified as a fantasy film, but his fingerprints are all over Hugo. For anyone who's ever heard the legendary director talk about his love of film, his overwhelming infatuation
with the moving image bleeds through every frame, every character, and every line of dialogue. This is Scorsese's love letter to cinema of the past, present and future.
The film's titular character is an orphaned boy living in a Paris train station, working the clocks while valiantly trying to fix his father's broken automaton. But the film isn't about little Hugo Cabret at all, but about Ben Kingsley's Papa Georges, a mysterious toymaker who turns out to be none other than pioneering filmmaker Georges Melies. Melies did not invent film, as such, but he's the widely regarded master of sci-fi and fantasy film as we know it, and his journey in Hugo is an intriguing and heartbreaking one. Kingsley is wonderful, as always, and is the star of the film.
All of the performances are superb throughout, with everyone's belief in the film they are making always managing to shine through. Young stars Asa Butterfield and Chloe Moretz are often surpassed by the sheer volume of star power surrounding them, but the fact that they hold onto ownership of the story proves how promising the two 14-year-olds' future careers really are. The character of Hugo is a sad little creation, losing both his mother and father (Jude Law) in tragic circumstances, adopted by his alcoholic uncle (Ray Winstone) and resigned to a life of work, always hiding from the station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) for fear of a place in the orphanage.
Parentless boys are a staple of old-school children's fiction, so far removed from the Horrid Henrys we're lumbered with today, and Hugo echoes the many classics of the genre. Isabelle (Moretz) is also without her parents, although in much better circumstances, having been taken in by her godparents Papa Georges and Mama Jeanne (Helen McCrory). The scars of a war-torn Paris can be seen everywhere, and these tragic circumstances give the film some much needed depth, keeping it appealing when the story dips in and out of the film in service of the visual style and themes.
The general nostalgia of the movie, preoccupied with childhood fears and a recapturing of some lost past, might have jarred with the 3D work adopted by Scorsese, but somehow it seems quite natural. There's no denying that the stylised beauty of Hugo is only enhanced by the extra dimension, and under the steady hand of a cinematic veteran, the gimmicks are largely absent. In their place are clever tricks and visual quirks that you might not even notice, using the 'illusion' part of cinema largely forgotten to transport the audience into the wonders of the time. We don't need the children's wonder at their first cinema visit explained, we are simply shown how they must have felt.
As mentioned, there is no story to Hugo as such, but simply a journey through the experiences of a young boy searching for some missing belief. I suppose it's down to personal taste whether one feels that this is a negative for the film, as there's also an argument for the general feeling of whimsy and carefree childhood this approach evokes. It isn't really a children's film either, but would certainly be more educational for the tots than the alternative of Happy Feet 2. It's actually unclear who, if anyone, Hugo is aimed at, other than silent cinema fans, keen to see their hero brought to life and their favourite films on the big screen.
Hugo is truly a great achievement, a passion project from a director who has helmed many of cinema's all time greats, but it's hard to imagine it finding a mainstream audience. This would be a sad outcome for a film so full of joy and nostalgia, and a boy-hero to rival the recently retired orphan of Harry Potter. Also, with some of the year's best films, like Super 8 and The Artist, resolutely looking back to a simpler time, Hugo deserves to find similar acclaim. The film is fantastical, but it is also fantastic, and its love and passion for the cinematic image will be shared by any audience who embrace it.
with the moving image bleeds through every frame, every character, and every line of dialogue. This is Scorsese's love letter to cinema of the past, present and future.
The film's titular character is an orphaned boy living in a Paris train station, working the clocks while valiantly trying to fix his father's broken automaton. But the film isn't about little Hugo Cabret at all, but about Ben Kingsley's Papa Georges, a mysterious toymaker who turns out to be none other than pioneering filmmaker Georges Melies. Melies did not invent film, as such, but he's the widely regarded master of sci-fi and fantasy film as we know it, and his journey in Hugo is an intriguing and heartbreaking one. Kingsley is wonderful, as always, and is the star of the film.
All of the performances are superb throughout, with everyone's belief in the film they are making always managing to shine through. Young stars Asa Butterfield and Chloe Moretz are often surpassed by the sheer volume of star power surrounding them, but the fact that they hold onto ownership of the story proves how promising the two 14-year-olds' future careers really are. The character of Hugo is a sad little creation, losing both his mother and father (Jude Law) in tragic circumstances, adopted by his alcoholic uncle (Ray Winstone) and resigned to a life of work, always hiding from the station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) for fear of a place in the orphanage.
Parentless boys are a staple of old-school children's fiction, so far removed from the Horrid Henrys we're lumbered with today, and Hugo echoes the many classics of the genre. Isabelle (Moretz) is also without her parents, although in much better circumstances, having been taken in by her godparents Papa Georges and Mama Jeanne (Helen McCrory). The scars of a war-torn Paris can be seen everywhere, and these tragic circumstances give the film some much needed depth, keeping it appealing when the story dips in and out of the film in service of the visual style and themes.
The general nostalgia of the movie, preoccupied with childhood fears and a recapturing of some lost past, might have jarred with the 3D work adopted by Scorsese, but somehow it seems quite natural. There's no denying that the stylised beauty of Hugo is only enhanced by the extra dimension, and under the steady hand of a cinematic veteran, the gimmicks are largely absent. In their place are clever tricks and visual quirks that you might not even notice, using the 'illusion' part of cinema largely forgotten to transport the audience into the wonders of the time. We don't need the children's wonder at their first cinema visit explained, we are simply shown how they must have felt.
As mentioned, there is no story to Hugo as such, but simply a journey through the experiences of a young boy searching for some missing belief. I suppose it's down to personal taste whether one feels that this is a negative for the film, as there's also an argument for the general feeling of whimsy and carefree childhood this approach evokes. It isn't really a children's film either, but would certainly be more educational for the tots than the alternative of Happy Feet 2. It's actually unclear who, if anyone, Hugo is aimed at, other than silent cinema fans, keen to see their hero brought to life and their favourite films on the big screen.
Hugo is truly a great achievement, a passion project from a director who has helmed many of cinema's all time greats, but it's hard to imagine it finding a mainstream audience. This would be a sad outcome for a film so full of joy and nostalgia, and a boy-hero to rival the recently retired orphan of Harry Potter. Also, with some of the year's best films, like Super 8 and The Artist, resolutely looking back to a simpler time, Hugo deserves to find similar acclaim. The film is fantastical, but it is also fantastic, and its love and passion for the cinematic image will be shared by any audience who embrace it.
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