HUGO

 

‘Goodfellas’, ‘Raging Bull’, ‘Taxi Driver’, ‘The Departed’, all cornerstones of legendary director Martin Scorsese’s impressive catalog.  What all these, and most of his collection, have in common?  You probably wouldn’t call them “children’s movies”. Enter ‘Hugo’, the story of a family-less boy, (“Hugo” played by Asa Butterfield ‘The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas’) who spends his days maintaining clocks within the walls of a train station in 1920s Paris.

Aside from keeping the clocks running at the station, Hugo looks for/steals parts to aid his attempt to fix his automaton (a creation he and his father found and started to restore before his father’s ill fated passing).  He is caught stealing a needed piece from station toy shop owner Georges Melies (Ben Kingsley, ‘House of Sand and Fog’, ‘Gandhi’).  He begins to repay his debt by working in Georges’ shop and befriends his goddaughter Isabella (Chloe Moretz, ‘Kick Ass’).  Together Hugo and Isabella work to fix the automaton while learning secrets regarding Georges’ past and his (Georges) reasons of not letting Isabella go to the cinema.  Little does Hugo know his search for spare parts to help fix his and his late father’s automaton project will lead him to uncover the history of a forgotten cinematic artist and forge friendships that will last a lifetime.

The most curious aspect of the film, and one that most will ponder before entering the theatre, is Scorsese’s choice to do a children’s film.  It seems completely out of his element in relation to his past works.  Luckily for Marty and the audience he completely nails it.  From a purely visual standpoint Scorsese has always been a very reliable director.  Meticulous in all of his shots, no detail left unnoticed, he makes the interworking of a train station clock system mesmerizing (especially in 3D).  Not to take away from the visuals but they aren’t the most important piece Scorsese brings to the table.

Perhaps Scorsese’s best direcotral attribute is his narrative ability, and there is no difference here.  Apart from a few unnecessary, but visually stunning nonetheless, dream sequences plastered in the middle of the film, Marty seamlessly moves the story from fixing the automaton, to Hugo’s past, to his friendship to Isabella, and finally to the heart of the story, Georges former life as a film director (what really ties all the storylines together very nicely in the end).

Scorsese is aided greatly by some terrific performances by his cast.  Butterfield, having a limited screen history at age 14, is a complete natural.  It is hard to tell how much of it is acting and how much of it is his own personality (after seeing ‘Stripped Pajamas’ it’s easy to tell he has range).  Moretz brings a compassionate intellectual presence to Isabella, think Hermione without the attitude, and puts forth a believable and caring effort.  Kingsley and Sacha Baron Cohen (who is a harsh but hilarious station inspector, a role played with much similarity to his work in ‘Sweeny Todd’) are both their reliable selves in their share of screen time.  

‘Hugo’ is delivered with new age visual thrills and classic movie innocence reminiscent of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’.  It connects emotionally through its performances and most emphatically through its direction.  Martin Scorsese is one of the great directors of the modern film era, and ‘Hugo’ defiantly reinforces his vigor, versatility, and passion for film as an artistic medium.

Oscar Chances:

Best Picture: Highly Likely

Best Director (Scorsese): Possible

Best Supporting Actor (Kingsley or Baron Cohen): Possible

Best Adapted Screenplay: Possible

Best Art Direction: Lock

Best Visual Effects: Lock

Best Cinematography: Highly Likely

Best Editing: Possible