Martin Scorsese, esteemed director of markedly adult, often violent dramas (Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Goodfellas, The Departed, etc.) and the occasional documentary (The Last Waltz, No Direction Home: Bob Dylan, My Voyage to Italy, etc.), has, for the first time, made a children’s/family film, just in time for the holidays, and in 3-D no less! Hugo is a warm, engaging, imaginatively realized, perhaps even inspiring, work, clearly a labor of love by the director. It is a film best seen on the big screen if possible, preferably in 3-D – which is used beautifully here – and well worth your precious ducats for the experience.
Hugo offers a rich visual experience from the opening frames, as the camera swoops over 1930 Paris into busy Montparnasse railway station, through the crowds and cafés, down the platform, past the steaming trains and into the giant gears of a large station clock, behind which is the lair of our 12-year-old protagonist, the namesake of this movie. Hugo (AsaButterfield) is an orphan, living behind the walls of the train station, keeping the clocks wound, and tinkering with, trying to fix a mysterious automaton (kind of a robot) that his deceased father (briefly played in a sweet cameo by Jude law), a clockmaker/mechanic, rescued from obscurity in a museum. (Sounds complicated, but it's not.)
Hugo's environment is decidedly steam punk. Gears, great and small are revolving, puffs of steam abound, evocative of the factory in Chaplin’s Modern Times. Then, there are the interlocking gears of Paris itself, of the trains, and of the story.
Hugo’s is a lonely life. He peers down on the station denizens, watching their rituals, noticing little human vignettes playing out before his eyes, in pantomime, for he is too far away to listen in on conversations. Through this device, Scorsese pays tribute to the power of silent films. Especially touching, is a tentative love affair between a middle-aged gentleman (Richard Griffiths) and a café lady (Frances de la Tour). There is also a cute budding relationship between the station inspector (policeman) and a flower seller (Emily Mortimer).
Hugo is required to live by his wits, stealing food and the occasional spare parts for his "work". This puts him at odds with the station inspector (humorously yet menacingly played by Sasha Baron Cohen), who is out to nab him, adding an element of hide and seek to this movie’s recipe. The spare parts, gears, etc. that Hugo needs come from a magic store/toy store in the station, and this brings him into conflict with the store's owner, Papa George (Ben Kingsley, in a great, nuanced performance). On the plus side, Papa George has a 12-year-old ward, Isabel (Chloe Grace Moretz) who becomes Hugo's friend. Adventures and intrigue ensue. Along the way, Hugo learns and grows, and Scorsese gets to embellish his themes.
These include the power of dreams, the satisfaction of meaningful work/purpose, and, most especially the wondrous joy of film itself, and the importance of appreciating and preserving film history. Central to the story is the life and work of Georges Méliès, an early film pioneer, one of the first great producer/directors, sometimes known as the "father of special effects," because he specialized in fantasy and science fiction, virtually inventing those genres. Several of Méliès works are featured in Hugo, most prominently his most famous picture: A Trip to the Moon (Le voyage dans la Lune) (1902) in which a spaceship lands smack in the face of the man in the moon! Méliès made over 500 films between 1896 and 1914, when his output suddenly ceased. Why this happened is one of the mysteries central to the plot in Hugo. (It is not historically accurate but makes for a good story.)
Scorsese also features clips from other classic silents, including Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd. And, he gets to show us how state-of-the-art filmmaking, in the hands of a master, can advance the same basic thrills provided in those early films. For example, there is a wonderful moment in which we get to see a great train come off the rails and charge through the crowded station, out into the street. Scorsese loves film and film history. He has written about it. He is made two lengthy documentaries on the subject (one about American film, the other about his love for Italian cinema). Among other things, Hugo is a loving homage to the foundations of and power of cinema.
The cinematography, by Robert Richardson (who has previously worked with Scorsese on a number of films, including Casino, The Aviator, And Shutter Island), is rich, atmospheric, and well attuned to the nuances of the story. The depictions of 1930 Paris from high above are magical. As noted, the steam punk interiors of the station are moody and effective. There is a re-creation of Méliès’ studio and the staging of his films that is spot on brilliant. There are also nods to Orson Welles, Terry Gilliam, and countless others. The 3-D is used in furtherance of mood and story, further establishing that this technology is coming of age (before our eyes, so to speak).
The acting by all of the principals and most of the secondary players is excellent throughout. In addition to those already discussed, Christopher Lee, as a kindly librarian, and Helen McCrory, as Mrs. Méliès, are fun to watch
Don't let the label of "family film" deter you: anyone who loves movies should enjoy Hugo, regardless of age. And, given its length (129 minutes) and pace, this movie may not be suitable for children under 11 or 12.
In wide release.
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